An 80s Skateboard Trick Education by Tony Hawk Blog Post at The Boardr

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An 80s Skateboard Trick Education by Tony Hawk

Published 2/7/2014 by Rob Meronek

Ride just dropped this video below of Tony Hawk introducing his Krooked Guest Board along with a nice list of 80's tricks to complement. I started skating in the late 80's but I'm still super rusty on my trick names, so I know you definitely are, right? Here's the trick names in order that Tony did them. I had to consult with resident skateboard trick caller Ryan Clements as my fact checker here.

  • Madonna - named in the 80's after the pop star of the day.
  • Smith Vert - not many new skateboarders know all the variations of inverts. Smith Verts, sad plants, ho-ho's, oh my.
  • Layback Air - I thought that was a Miller Flip or something? Damn, Ryan had to correct me on this one. You don't even go in the air. How did they get that name for that one?
  • Airwalk to Fakie - this is the right, or original, way to do them. When you kick the other way like Lizard King, people started referring to them as "scarewalk."
  • Iceplant - There are as many boneless variations and crazy names as there are inverts. Clem definitely had to clarify this one for me.
  • Fastplant to Fakie - yep, another boneless variation. Grabbing ruled the 80's.
  • One Foot Slob Air - grabbing with your front hand on a frontside air is a slob air. It was pretty common to put your back foot on the coping which was called a slob fastplant. Tony here skips the coping and dangles a foot in the air.
  • Cab Backside Boneless - I don't remember seeing that combo too much in the 80's.
  • Rock N Roll Boardslide - Steve Caballero was the champ of these and still is.
  • Judo Air - most people grab the backside rail for this one, but Tony generally does them grabbing the nose like that.
  • Fakie flipper thing or whatever? I think Tony calls these the Spaghetti Western, or maybe Phelps coined that name. Our homie Jacob has this move on lock.
  • We're not sure what Tony calls this one, but Tony, if you're reading this, please text Clem! I don't think I've ever seen anyone but Tony doing this one. Update from Rob Mertz: It’s called a fakie ollie footplant. Allen Losi made it up back in like 1980 or something. He had an early cover of Thrasher doing it.
  • Indy Nosegrind - it was generally just nosepick in the 80's, but here Tony takes it over the channel.
  • Alley Oop Cab - stop and think for a minute how silly some of our trick names are. Alley Oop?
  • Blunt - Yep, just "blunt." Legit in the 80's, now reduced to basic little kid trick like the atrocious blunt nosegrab fakie.
  • Tuck Knee Invert - Damn, I should know this one, but I still can to confirm with Clem.
  • 540 - I don't know Mike McGill personally, but as I grew up and idolized the Bones Brigade as kid, I always thought, "How is he in this crew?" Kids are critial like that, and they grow up like that, too. I call them 540's, not McTwists.
  • Frontside Boneless - this dude Jeff Phillips had the best ones you'll ever see. It's hard to make this trick look good and even someone as amazing as Tony Hawk looks a little sketchy doing them. Yes, Tony, I called you sketchy, but only on this one and only one trick!
  • Nollie 360 Shuv It - done appropriately below coping for true 80's style.
  • Stalefish Tailslide - Gonz has the best stale fish grab without question. I believe it was Danny Way who I first saw taking the stalefish grab to tailslide like this. Later, Frazier became the official owner of this trick.
  • Layback Grind - a classic one that the old guys today love doing on mini-ramps.
  • Fingerflip Air - Tony is known for this one. I don't think I've ever seen anyone else doing them like this. He's the official owner with the deed and full title to this trick.
  • Andy MacDonald Winning Run Dismount - I'm not sure if that was Andy that did that after his vert runs in contests, but that's all I can think of when I see that gymnastics stunt.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Tony!

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