Longboard lingo

Understanding how longboarders talk is important for breaking down trick tips and feeling more comfortable when talking to other skaters. Here are the most important terms. If you don’t see a word in this list that you need help with, reach out to us!

Basic longboarding terms

Goofy

A riding stance with your right foot in front.

Regular

A riding stance with your left foot in front.

Switch

A riding stance with your back front in front (opposite of how you normally ride).

Bail

To jump off your board.

Mongo

When you push with your back foot on the board and your front foot striking the ground.

Toeside

The side of your board that your toes are on.

Heelside

The side of your board that your heels are on.

“Car!"

Get your ass out of the road because a car is coming.

Steez

Style with ease, the ultimate compliment to any rider. “Yo, that was steezy!”

Bomb a hill

To go really fast down a hill.

Stoked

To be excited!

Line

The path you take down a street and the tricks you put together along that path.

Trick terms

Nollie

A trick stance where your front foot is on the nose of your board in your normal stance.

Fakie

A trick stance where your back foot is on the nose of your board in your switch stance.

Frontside (FS)

Rotational movement for a trick that's done with the front side of your body facing the direction you’re moving. That normally means counterclockwise for a regular rider and clockwise for a goofy rider.

Backside (BS)

Rotational movement for a trick that's done with the back side of your body facing the direction you’re moving. That normally means clockwise for a regular rider and counterclockwise for a goofy rider.

Carve

To combine turns to make an S-shape.

Pop

A maneuver where you use straight downward force on the tail or nose of the board to get it in the air.

Scoop

A maneuver where you use downward force on the tail or nose of the board to get it in the air in a particular direction.

Slide

When you carve hard to either side and your wheels break traction and slide sideways.

No-Comply

A category of tricks where one of your feet gets planted off of the board to initiate the trick.

Gear terms

Baseplate

The part of the truck that attaches to the deck. These come in different angles for more or less turn.

Bearings

The mechanical component that’s inserted into the wheels to make them spin.

Bushings

A urethane components that sit on the kingpin of the trucks. They come in different shapes and sizes and affect how your board carves.

Complete

A fully-put-together board with deck, trucks, wheels, bearings, and hardware.

Deck

The part of the longboard that you stand on. Decks are usually made of wood, bamboo, resin, carbon fiber, or plastic. They come in different shapes and sizes.

Full face

A type of helmet that covers your face and has a visor (popular for downhill skating).

Grip tape

The sandpaper-like material on top of a deck. Not all decks come with grip tape, and you can put as much or as little grip tape on your deck as you like.

Hanger

The metal part of the truck that the wheels mount to. The hanger is attached to the board and rest of the truck using the kingpin.

Kingpin

The main bolt that holds the skate truck and bushings together.

Pivot cup

A urethane component that connects the truck hanger with the baseplate.

Riser pads

A piece of plastic that sits between the bottom of your deck and your trucks.

Truck

The entire turning component that includes hanger, baseplate, bushings, and kingpin. It attaches to the deck.

Wheel base

The distance between two mounted trucks measured from the inner mounting holes.