Level Up Your Ride: Intermediate Skateboarding Goals for the HolidaysVacation offers the perfect window of uninterrupted time to break out of your skateboarding comfort zone. If you have already mastered pushing, rolling, and the basic ollie, you are sitting right at the gateway of intermediate skateboarding. Stepping up your skills requires a mix of dedication, muscle memory, and the willingness to take a few falls. With weeks of clear weather ahead, you can turn your local park or empty parking lot into a personal training ground to unlock a completely new level of control.
Mastering the Fundamentals of Flip TricksThe kickflip is the universal benchmark for intermediate skaters, but rushing into it without proper foot placement often leads to frustration. The secret lies entirely in the ankle flick rather than a heavy leg kick. Start by positioning your front foot at a slight angle just behind the front truck bolts, with your back foot square on the tail. As you pop the tail downward, slide your front foot up and flick it outward off the corner of the nose. Cultivating a clean, upward flick keeps the board directly beneath your body, allowing you to catch it with your back foot mid-air before landing cleanly over the bolts.If the kickflip feels mechanically awkward, the heelflip offers an excellent alternative that utilizes the opposite momentum. For a heelflip, let your toes hang slightly off the front edge of the deck. Pop the board and use your front heel to push forward through the opposite pocket of the nose. Because the board spins in the opposite direction of a kickflip, many skaters find the vision tracking easier. Spending a few hours each morning practicing these twin flip tricks will drastically improve your spatial awareness and foot-eye coordination before the vacation ends.
Taking Control of the Coping with Transition SkatingMini-ramps and quarter-pipes offer an exhilarating change of pace from flatground skating. The natural starting point for transition mastery is the rock-to-fakie. Approach the coping with moderate speed, lift your front wheels over the metal pipe, and let the center of your deck rest briefly on the edge. The real challenge comes during the return journey, where you must lift your front wheels again to clear the coping while rolling backward. Keeping your shoulders parallel to the ramp and resisting the urge to lean too far forward will prevent painful hang-ups.Once the rock-to-fakie feels natural, the axle stall is the next logical milestone. This trick requires you to pump up the ramp, turn ninety degrees at the apex, and lock both trucks directly onto the coping. It balances your weight completely on top of the ramp platform for a brief, satisfying moment. Dropping back in from an axle stall teaches you how to commit your body weight into the incline. Mastering these two transition staples allows you to maintain continuous flow and pump up momentum without constantly resetting your feet.
Unlocking the World of Slides and GrindsNothing changes how you view urban architecture quite like learning to utilize obstacles. The frontside boardslide is the most accessible intermediate slide to learn on a low round rail or a smooth curb ledger. Approach the rail at a slight angle, execute a small ollie, and rotate your body ninety degrees so the middle of your board lands squarely across the obstacle. Keeping your weight perfectly centered over the deck ensures the board slides smoothly instead of slipping out from underneath you. At the end of the rail, gently turn your hips back to your riding stance to roll away.If you prefer grinding on metal trucks rather than sliding on wood, the 50-50 grind is your ideal entry point. This trick requires popping up and locking both front and back trucks onto the edge of a box or ledge simultaneously. Speed is your friend here; going too slow causes the trucks to stick, while a confident pace allows the metal to glide smoothly along the surface. Focus your eyes on the exact spot where you want your trucks to lock in, and keep your knees bent to absorb the impact upon exit.
Building Style and ConsistencyLearning individual tricks is only half the battle; the true mark of an intermediate skater is the ability to link movements together into a fluid line. Use your vacation time to create short three-trick combinations, such as a 180 ollie followed by a switch push and a manual. This approach forces you to adapt to imperfect landings and teaches you how to recover your balance on the fly. By dedicating your break to these technical milestones, you will return to your daily routine with a vastly expanded bag of tricks and a newfound confidence on four wheels.
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