Mind & Body
Open now

Beginner Skateboarding

It's not too late. Push, roll, and land your first ollie.

3levels, ending in riding with friends at the park
28 mina Step, on average
$125to start Level 1
FreeLevel 1, always

The path

  1. 1
    Level 1Free

    First Rolls

    Kickturns and a rolling ollie

    15 Steps, about 28 minutes each. Adults who've never skated or haven't since they were kids. No balance tricks or athletic background needed.

    1. Chapter 1: Rolling. Your stance found, falling practiced, and pushing, stopping and steering in an empty lot.
    2. Chapter 2: Control. Tic-tacs, kickturns, rolling over cracks and a manual, put together in a filmed lap.
    3. Chapter 3: The ollie. An ollie built from standing on grass to rolling on pavement, then a filmed line with everything you've learned.
    1. 1
      Find your stance
      Your stance worked out and five minutes balancing on the board without rolling.
      Show your group
    2. 2
      Learn to fall
      Falls practiced on grass: forward roll, sliding out, and stepping off.
    3. 3
      Push and roll
      Pushing off and rolling in a straight line across a flat, empty space.
    See all 15 Steps
    1. 4
      Stop
      Stopping smoothly from a gentle roll, three different ways.
    2. 5
      Steer and carve
      Gentle turns left and right by leaning, and a slow lap around your space.
      Show your group
    3. 6
      Tic-tac
      Moving forward by swinging the board left and right on the back wheels.
    4. 7
      Kickturn
      Turning 90° and then 180° on your back wheels while rolling slowly.
    5. 8
      Roll over cracks
      Rolling confidently over cracks, small bumps and pebbles.
    6. 9
      Hold a manual
      Rolling on your back wheels for a moment without the tail touching the ground.
    7. 10
      Film a full lap
      A filmed lap: push, carve, tic-tac, kickturn and stop.
      Show your group
    8. 11
      Ollie on grass
      The ollie motion practiced standing still on grass: pop, slide, jump, land.
    9. 12
      Ollie standing still
      Ollies on smooth pavement without rolling, landing on the board.
    10. 13
      Rolling ollie
      Your first ollie while rolling, landed and ridden away.
    11. 14
      Ollie over a line
      Rolling ollies over a chalk line, then over a flat stick.
    12. 15
      Film your line
      One continuous filmed line: push, carve, kickturn, ollie, stop.
      Show your group
  2. Level 2Unlocks after Level 1

    Skatepark Basics

    Drop-ins, pumping and rock to fakie

  3. Level 3Unlocks after Level 2

    Street Tricks

    Shuvits, boardslides and a kickflip

Where it ends: riding with friends at the park

Free lessons in First Rolls come from Skateboard GB, Braille Skateboarding, Never Stop Improving, Retrospec, MasterClass, RIDE Channel, Surfertoday, School of Skate, Tactics, Red Bull, FLOW SK8 ACADEMY, Skate Warehouse. We link to their work and never copy it.

Cover photo by Dmitry Tretyakov on Unsplash