1080°

One thousand and eighty degrees remains, for the time being at least, an entirely theoretical amount of rotation. Three complete rotations are fairly common place in roller blading where skaters can throw themselves into very fast flat spins, and even in snowboarding where riders simply get more air and therefore have more time to spin, but in skateboarding a 1080° air has not yet been achieved (although I am told Shaun White is close to landing a fakie 1080° air).

180°

One hundred and eighty degrees. A standard measurement of rotation in skateboarding consisting of one varial rotation or half a flip.

3 Flip

Another name for a 360° flip.

360°

Three hundred and sixty degrees. A standard measurement of rotation in skateboarding consisting of two varial rotations or one flip.

360° Flip

A 360° kickflip. Any flip can be done 360°, but the kickflip is the most common. Depending on who you talk to, the 360° flip might be classed as ‘the defining tech trick’ of modern day skateboarding. That honour may also belong to the hardflip.

360° flips are also known as ‘3 flips’ and tre flips.

5-0 Grind

Pronounced ‘five oh’, a 5-0 grind is the opposite of a nosegrind. A grind on the back truck with no other part of the skateboard touching the obstacle.

50-50

Refers to one of 3 distinct tricks:

• 50-50 Casper
• 50-50 Grind
• 50-50 Truckstand

50-50 Casper

See truckstand.

50-50 Grind

Pronounced ‘fifty fifty’, a 50-50 grind is your basic grind trick where both trucks grind on the obstacle with your weight distributed evenly between the two.

50-50 Truckstand

If a flatlander talks about a ’50-50′, chances are they’re talking about a 50-50 truckstand, not a 50-50 grind. This is a truckstand but while holding on to the nose of the skateboard with your hands. Generally followed up with bouncing up and down like an idiot in a pogo!

540°

Five hundred and forty degrees. A standard measurement of rotation in skateboarding consisting of three varial rotations. Rarely seen in street skating, but various 540° grab tricks are common in vert skating.

720°

Seven hundred and twenty degrees. A standard measurement of rotation in skateboarding consisting of four varial rotations! This is difficult in vert skating let alone street skating… Tony Hawk was the first skater to land a 720° on a vert ramp in the eighties.

The 900°

Nine hundred degrees, or five varial rotations. Landing a 900° is the holy grail of vert skating, and the number of skateboarders who have landed one can be counted on one hand. True to form, Tony Hawk was the first skateboarder to land one, doing it for the first time both outside of competition (X Games V, 1999, after the buzzer) and during competition (X Games IV, 2003, best trick competition – which of course he won). A 900° trick is now simply known as ‘the 900’. Tony Hawk does it with an mute grab but other skaters have since landed it using different grab tricks as well.