Ollie

Difficulty Level: BeginnerTail

The fundamental trick of skateboarding, the foundation for almost everything else.

The ollie is the foundation of almost every skateboard trick. On this page, you'll learn how to position your feet, execute the movement, and avoid the most common mistakes.

Ollie skate trick
Prerequisite:

None

🎯 Ready to master the Ollie?

Follow this step-by-step guide and you'll be doing consistent ollies in just a few weeks!

👟 Foot Positioning

1. Front Foot Position

Position the big toe of your front foot in the center of the board to ensure balance and control. Avoid placing it too far out or too close to the edge, as this destabilizes the movement and hurts the pop.

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2. Back Foot Position

The back foot should be in the center of the tail, with the big toe aligned with the front one, forming a straight line. Positioning it too much on the tip or tilted reduces the pop and makes the skateboard drift sideways.

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📈 Complete Ollie Execution

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1

Squat

Bend your knees as much as possible, as if you wanted to push the ground.

2

Pop

Transfer weight to your back foot and press the tail hard.

3

Slide

The front foot slides up with slight rotation, helping to lift the skateboard.

4

Elevation

The back foot comes up too to give space to the board and allow a higher ollie.

5

Alignment

Keep your shoulders parallel to the board — avoid rotating your torso, otherwise the skateboard might turn 180° unintentionally.

💡

Golden Tip!

Before attempting the full ollie, practice each movement separately. Avoid the mistakes below!

⚠️ Common Mistakes

⚠️

Big toe off center - Decreases balance and trick control.

⚠️

Weak pop or off the tail - Reduces ollie height and can make the skateboard spin wrong.

⚠️

Misaligned shoulders - Makes the skateboard turn, even when the intention is just to go straight up.

⚠️

Incomplete squat - Less momentum, less height — simple as that.

Want to see all this in action? Watch the complete tutorial with detailed explanations:

Video Tutorial

Credits: Tom Rohrer - Tom's Tutorials

Watch on YouTube

🏆 Congratulations! You made it to the end!

Now it's time to practice! Remember: consistency is the key to success.