All language subtitles for Masterclass - Tony Hawk Teaches Skateboarding_Full

TONY HAWK: The very first time
that I created a new trick,

it was a backside varial.

And I remember the feeling
when I landed it and I thought

that I was a wizard.

Like, I could not believe I did
a trick no one had done before.

I was probably 11 years old.

And that feeling,
that was the buzz.

That was the high that I'd
chase the rest of my life.

NEWSCASTER 1: And if
there's one person who's

contributed the most to
skateboarding's meteoric rise

as a cultural and social
phenomenon, it's Tony Hawk.

NEWSCASTER 2: One of the
world's most recognizable sports

figures.

NEWSCASTER 3: The gnarly,
the awesome Tony Hawk.

NEWSCASTER 4: He landed
professional skateboarding's

first 900.

He's barely touched
the ground since.

TONY HAWK: I've
always said that I

think skateboarding is a
lifestyle, a sport, and an art

form all at once.

You're creating your own style.

Skating is your canvas.

And you can paint
it however you want.

And no two paintings
are going to look alike.

Hawk.

Tony Hawk!

TONY HAWK: You don't have to
follow the textbook of exactly

how to live your life.

Whatever that may be, you
can think outside the box.

You can hop a fence.

You can get in a different line.

Skateboarding can be a
great tool in your life,

a great lesson in your life,
a lesson in perseverance,

a lesson in self-confidence,
a lesson in belief.

And that you don't have
to be a pro skater,

but you can carry these lessons
with you throughout your life

in so many other ways.

And that skateboarding
will teach you

the value of perseverance,
and the value of repetition,

and the value of seeing
something through,

and not giving up.

In this MasterClass,
I am breaking down

foundational skate tricks and
some of my own signature tricks

for the very first time.

This class is for anyone that
wants to start skating, learn

the basics, and improve
upon their skills

if they already have the basics.

It's going to make
you a better skater.

And hopefully, you can use this
motivation in any walk of life.

The three types of
skateboarding that we

are covering in this class are
street, park, and vert skating.

And when I talk
about street, that

is the elements you find out
the urban landscape-- stairs,

ledges, handrails, gaps.

And park is a mix of street
elements, bowl elements,

vertical elements,
and a lot of tricks

that involve the top of a ramp.

And then we're
going to cover vert.

And vert is specific to a radius
transition, usually something

that's over 10 foot in diameter
with a couple of feet of vert

added onto that.

And that's when we get into
more of the aerial type moves.

And that is what allows
you to fly in the air.

And that is what drew
me to skateboarding

in the first place.

I have some of the best
skaters in the world helping

me teach this class--

Lizzie Armanto and Riley Hawk.

So Lizzie is a
professional park skater.

She is one of the best.

And I feel like
she has the ability

to take you to the next level
in intermediate tracks in park

skating.

Riley Hawk is my oldest son.

And he is one of the most
progressive street skaters

these days and doing things
I never imagined possible.

And I thought it would be
great to have him guide you

through some of the more
complicated and technical

street tricks.

We're going to start
from the very beginning,

from the very first time you
step foot on the skateboard,

and give you, empower, you to
learn how to jump those three

stairs, even down to how
you push, how you get speed,

how you place your feet, I
mean, we're getting deep.

All the stuff you
see in video games,

we're going to show you how
to do them in real life.

I'm Tony Hawk and this
is my MasterClass.

My favorite thing
about skateboarding

is that it's
constantly evolving.

It's all inclusive.

And it is a community
of individuals

that all have their own
pursuits but come together

in a sense of camaraderie that
I've never found anywhere else.

When you go to a
skate park and you

see a kid trying to drop
in for the first time

or trying a trick,
people rally around that.

And that doesn't
happen anywhere else.

It just doesn't.

And the kid is doing
it for himself.

But at the same time, everyone
wants them to do it so badly,

because they know that feeling.

They know that
feeling of what it's

like to accomplish something
that you were scared of.

And nowadays, it covers all
walks of life, all genders.

And I love that that's
where we've come.

And some kid can be become
a superstar because they

have the sickest hard flip.

Because it can truly teach
kids a sense of self-confidence

that they never
found anywhere else.

That's what it did for me.

And you are only judged
on how you skate.

And it's not a matter of
you have to be super good.

You just have to
be willing to try.

I skate with my
right foot forward.

That means I'm goofy footed.

And if you skate with
your left foot forward,

that means you're
regular footed.

The best way to know if you're
goofy footed or regular footed

is if someone were to push
you from behind, which foot

would you brace yourself with?

If it's your right foot, then I
would say you're goofy footed.

If it's your left foot,
you're regular footed.

And don't worry
about the name goofy.

It doesn't mean you're goofy.

It's just something that
surfers said a long time ago

and it stuck.

I'm goofy.

Be proud.

I recommend pads to anyone
that's starting to skate.

Helmet first and
foremost, because that's

going to be the most
traumatic injury you

get if you hit your head.

But I recommend
at least knee pads

and if not elbow
pads when you're

starting out, because
you just don't

know what's going to happen.

One minute you're on your
board, next minute you're

literally flying backwards
or hitting your side

or hitting your knees and your
knees and elbows get it first.

So that's my recommendation
starting out.

The more confident
you get, maybe you

lose some of the pads.

But if you're going to
be skating the big ramps,

the only way you're going to
survive a fall is with pads on.

So the first way to get moving
on your skateboard is to push.

And generally, you want to
push with your back foot.

The reason you push
with your back foot

is because you can have your
front foot in the position

that it will remain once your
back foot goes on the board.

So you would start
with your front foot

at a slight angle just
over the truck bolts.

That means that your
foot is at an angle

enough that it can turn
the board if necessary,

but also it's pointing
enough forward that it

will keep your momentum going.

And you would take
your other foot,

push alongside the
board on the tow side,

give it one good stride.

If you want to go faster
another stride, and then

place your back
foot upon the tail.

Once you put your
back foot on the tail,

you're going to
adjust your front foot

to the proper position.

And it's a pretty simple motion.

It's the way you get speed.

You can improve it.

You can push endlessly and
go as fast as you want.

At some point, you might
go a little too fast

to actually get a
stride for your foot.

And in that case, you're good.

The other thing about
pushing is you don't always

have to do it from a standstill.

You can actually take your board
and hold it and run with it

and then set it down
so that when you set it

down your front foot goes down
and then you can give it a push

or just put your back foot on.

But that's a little
more advanced.

And probably if you're
getting to that stage,

you don't need my help.

So there are a number of ways to
come to a stop on a skateboard.

I think one of the
easiest ways to learn

as a beginner is just to take
your foot off and just drag it.

Slowly put more and
more pressure on it

until you come to a stop.

It's basically right on the
toe side of your board parallel

to the board itself.

And it's just a matter of
evening out your weight

so that you don't
put all your weight

on the foot that's
on the ground,

because that will
make your body stop.

Your board will
still be in motion.

The other way to stop
is by dragging your heel

on your tail.

And the reason we do
that is because we

don't want to stop
on our tail itself,

because it wears down
the tail, and you

get what's called razor tail.

And your tail will
actually start to chip

away because you've
been scraping it.

And it's also not as
efficient as your foot,

because your sole
is made of rubber,

and that will stop you quickly.

In order to do
the stop maneuver,

you take your back foot
and turn it 90 degrees so

that your heel is
actually hanging off

the back of the board.

And then you kick it up so that
your heel is the first thing

to hit the ground, and that
will start slowing you down.

And the trick is to remain
in the center of your heel

and the board or
else the board will

start turning very quickly.

I don't think it's a very
easy skill to pick up,

but it's crucial when you're
starting to street skate

and you find yourself
in different terrain

and you want to slow
down very quickly.

Turning is the act of leaning
in one direction or the other.

And that will make
your board go with you,

and you can go into a circular
arc or you can slalom.

And basically,
it's just a matter

of leaning over one
side of your board,

and that brings it
turning that direction.

And the key to
doing it correctly

is to keep your
weight centered over

where you're leaning so that
once the board starts turning,

you are turning with it
and you are in the center.

And you can actually
lean back and forth.

Lean to your toes
is going back side.

Leaning to your heels
is going front side.

And if you do one to the
other, that will actually

generate speed as well.

That's a slalom.

The most common mistake when
turning is to turn too sharply.

You turn so hard
that you're actually

touching your wheel
on your board,

and we call that wheel
bite, and that will

stop your board very quickly.

My brother taught
me to turn because I

was going straight down
the alleyway asking him,

how do I turn?

How do I turn?

And he yelled back, lean.

That was my MasterClass
from my brother.

Lean.

So that's what I'm
passing on to you.

Just lean.

So tic-tacs are
another way to get

moving, and that way you don't
have to get off your board.

You don't have to actually push.

You'll find them very useful
in skate park settings

where you basically turn
one way just a little bit,

lifting up like a
quarter of a kick turn.

You lift up a
little bit and tac.

And then as you're leaning
forward to do it again,

that will just start to get
you in motion by default,

because you are leaning
forward over your front foot.

That motion generates
you moving forward.

The only trick to
tic-tacs is don't

go too far with the
turns, because that'll

make you slide out.

I think the tic-tac could be
a building block for learning

how to turn your board
by doing kick turns,

because they are just
little quarter or half kick

turns that get you in motion.

But if you can get
comfortable with that

and get confident
with that, then you

can take that to ramps.

You can take that
to other terrain.

And you know how to guide
your skateboard with your body

even when you're turning and
you're only on two wheels.

The bottom line is the more
you skate, the more confident

you get and the better
you're going to be.

And that could be
in any context.

You could skate to school.

You could just skate
in your driveway

when you have a free 10 minutes.

The more time you spend
on your skateboard,

the more comfortable
you're going to be

and the more confident
you're going to be.

And it just starts to evolve.

You don't have to be practicing
the hard tricks all the time.

You just have to be
comfortable on your board

and be confident with cruising.

And all of these things will
just sort of fall into place.

The ollie is the foundation
to almost every trick

on the street and
most tricks on ramps.

But for the street,
that is the way

that you bring your board up in
the air using only your feet.

Through this course,
I'm going to teach you

different types of
ollies, and that

includes ollying on the flat
ground, ollying over objects,

ollying on ramps,
and ollying vert.

And they all stem
from the same trick,

but they're all very
different techniques.

The very basics of an ollie
are snapping down your tail

so that your board
starts to go vertical.

And you've snapped
it hard enough

that even your back wheels
are coming off the ground.

And as that's happening,
you take your front foot

and slide it forward in
order to level out your board

and bring it up
to your back foot.

Your legs will be bent,
and then you gradually

straighten your legs
to keep that friction

on your board and your feet
until you land on the ground.

You can continue to
improve your ollies

throughout your
whole skate career.

And that's way you learn
how to do kick flips.

That's the way you learn
how to go over stuff.

That's the way you learn
how to get onto ledges,

onto handrails, over gaps.

I mean, the ollie is crucial
to modern skateboarding.

In order to figure out
timing of an ollie,

my best advice is to put
your foot all the way

on the edge of the tail to the
point where you're actually

rocking on where it lifts up.

So your foot is not
flat to the tail

as you would normally skate.

It's actually way up on top.

And then that will give
you a much quicker snap.

It takes a lot of
pressure, but it

doesn't take a lot of pushing.

Give it just enough pressure so
that the board taps the ground.

And that sends your
board straight up.

And as long as you're bending
your back leg at the same time,

the board will come up with
your feet at the same time.

The number one mistake people
make when learning the ollie

is timing, not hitting
the tail properly,

putting too much pressure on
the back so that the tail just

kind of thuds on the
ground instead of

snaps off the ground.

And that's just a matter
of figuring out what

type of pressure to put on it.

But it just takes practice.

I mean, it's one of those
things that's just repetition.

And eventually, you just
realize that you're doing it.

Eventually you realize
you're off the ground,

and eventually you
realize that your feet

are sticking to the board.

And when it clicks,
it's awesome.

TONY HAWK: My mom, she
always said I was determined.

But other people would say
I was a nightmare as a kid.

And when I found
skateboarding, I

found a way to focus
that determination,

and that was a huge
bonus to my parents,

because they were like, finally,
he's not taking his energy out

on us.

I was relentless in trying to
get what I wanted as a kid,

and that shifted
to skateboarding

and wanting to learn
tricks and that was it.

It wasn't until I went to the
skate park for the first time

that I was truly hooked,
and I felt compelled

to try to learn what I saw,
because I saw people literally

flying out of swimming pools.

And I was like, I want to fly.

I want to do that.

Whatever it takes.

I'm doing that.

The skate park was electric.

It was just this hub of
excitement and creativity.

And you knew that if you
went, you would find a crew

or you'd find a
session that you really

wanted to participate in.

When my dad would drive
me to the skate park,

I would put my pads on in the
car so that when we arrived,

I would just bust out of
the door ready to skate.

That's how excited
I was to go there.

My introduction to
skating transition

was skating pools, because that
was the only type of transition

at the time.

There weren't half pipes.

And street skating
was not a thing.

It was more just
for transportation.

And so when I actually
did a little aerial,

I felt very accomplished.

Rock and rolls was
sort of the next level,

because that's when you would
start hitting the coping,

and you're hitting
it with your board,

and it's super scary,
because suddenly you're

at the top of the pool.

One time I was at the park,
I did not lift up my wheels

enough and hung them up
on the coping and ended up

knocked out with my
teeth gone unconscious

on the bottom of the pool.

And that was my
first big injury.

I feel like when
I first got hurt

and I had this concussion,
knocked my teeth out,

I was 10 years old.

That was a turning
point in my life,

because I literally woke up
as the ambulance arrived,

and I was in a totally
different place.

And my first thought
was, what happened?

They found you up on the pool.

And I thought, oh, I hung
up on a rock and roll.

I gotta figure out how to
lift my board up higher

and maneuver my feet better.

That was my first thought.

Not like, oh my god,
what have I done?

I'm never skating again.

Where are my teeth?

It was more like I knew I
was getting back out there.

And I feel like that was a
defining moment of my career.

It was like, I didn't
mind getting hurt

for the sake of progression.

That was when I knew
that I was going to keep

skating for a long time.

Skateboarding was
my creative outlet.

It was my way of--

that was my voice.

When I really
drove into skating,

I found a way to
create new things.

I found a community
of people that

came from all different
walks of life,

but we shared this
common interest,

and that held us so
strongly that I didn't even

see differences.

And I think that
that was awesome.

I mean, we were like
this band of misfits,

and we didn't fit in anywhere.

But the skate park was
our home away from home,

and we all spoke
the same language.

We all were pushing each
other to be creative

and to learn new things.

And I felt like that
community really defined

me and it was really different.

It was a different
type of music,

different type of fashion,
a different attitude

towards life, and one that
didn't follow all the rules, so

to speak.

And I loved it.

And I remember going
to school and trying

to explain to some
of my classmates

that I used to
hang out with when

I was a kid about this type of
music and they were just like,

what are you talking about?

You not listening to Foreigner?

[LAUGHS]

School was-- I don't--

school was not a
pleasant experience.

I was really small, so
I got picked on a lot.

And now we know
that as bullying.

But back then, you
just sucked it up.

You dealt with it or you just
ghosted through the hallways.

And I feel like I did a lot
of that through high school.

Because I was very
skinny for my age.

I was pretty nerdy.

I excelled in school.

I was in the advanced courses.

And so I was already marked as
a nerdy kid, but I was scrawny,

and then it was just like, all
right, so 90 pound weakling.

And then I skated.

That was the trifecta of uncool.

Really.

Skating was the least cool
thing you could do, especially

in the early '80s.

It was more like, why haven't
you grown out of that?

I mean, skateboarding
was like the yo-yo.

Get over it.

And it was at the time when I
started really excelling at it

and when I started hitting
a stride of being creative

and doing well in competition.

And then I'd go to school
and it was like, what

are you doing with your life?

And so it was very isolating.

And I basically learned to go
to school kind of undetected,

get to my classes, and bounce.

I'd say early on, my style
was very focused on tricks.

And so a lot of people
thought that wasn't a style.

I had no style.

I was a robot.

They would literally
call me a circus skater,

because I just did tricks.

And that was more because I
didn't have the background.

I didn't have the
surf influence.

I didn't come from Dogtown.

I wasn't in my late teens.

And so between my
size and my focus,

I just started doing tricks.

And at some point,
it was hard because I

was in this very small
community of skateboarding that

was already isolated
and outcast and weird,

and then I'm a type of skater
that's only doing tricks,

and that made me an outcast
in this outcast activity.

And I was just extremely
isolated in that.

I want to be at least accepted
by this community that I love.

And I just kept trying and
eventually sort of made

waves in that sense,
because I created

this new style of skating that
was more trick based but also

more aerial based, because I was
the first one to actually ollie

into my aerials.

I didn't think I was
creating a revolution.

I was just trying to figure
out how to get in the air,

because I was so small, I
couldn't do it with my bulk.

And so in order to ollie and
then grab your board late,

that allowed me to get the
air time that these bigger

guys were getting.

And suddenly I was going
four or five feet out

of these pools as a 12-year-old.

And to me, that
was the solution.

And I got made fun
of a lot for it.

I literally would-- they
would write about me

in Thrasher magazine after I
won an event and they're like,

Tony Hawk, the king of
no style cheats his airs,

because he ollies into them,
and then he can grab it any way.

And I'm like, what
is wrong with that?

I didn't get it.

I didn't know why that
was such a backlash.

I think my size and style became
an asset through those years,

because I was skinny, but
I was also very flexible.

And suddenly I
found that I could

do these tweaks and
these moves in the air

that no one else could really
do, because for one, they

didn't know how to get in
the air, and for the other,

they didn't have the
kind of body style

that I had where I
could do these not

flailing but definitely very
flexible moves in the air,

like doing big spins and
tweaking certain things

and doing even just down
to a basic hand plant.

I could twist my hand plant
and contort it in ways

that no one else could.

And people took notice of that.

I wanted validation from
the skate community,

but at the same time, I
loved skating too much

to make that the only
focus of what I was doing.

But at some point,
I learned how to do

these moves high
in the air, and I

learned how to do them
on different terrain.

And that is kind of
when the haters shut up.

That was when I think I
won an event at Upland.

Upland was widely considered
the gnarliest pool.

And at some point,
it was like, well,

Tony won the Upland event.

We can't really talk
shit about him anymore.

I was 14 years old
when I went pro.

I rose through the pro
ranks pretty quickly.

So within the first
year, I'd actually

won a couple of events.

And around the same
time, so I'm like 15, 16,

around the same
time, skating started

to experience this
new wave of popularity

where kids were starting
to get into it again,

because they saw that
skateboarding wasn't just

this flat land dance
routine anymore.

It was suddenly people were
doing aerials and people were

flying out of swimming pools.

And I mean, 1984 the
McTwist was invented.

People started doing literally
somersaults out of these pools

and other people, outsiders,
started to take notice.

[CHEERING]

That's when I realized
that skateboarding

was something much bigger
than I ever imagined.

And I was actually making money
as a 16-year-old, like decent

money.

And going to
school, I just lived

this strange polarized life,
because I would go to Florida

and there would be fans and
I'd be signing autographs

and I would win prize money.

And I'd come home, and I was
still a ghost in the hallways.

And at some point, there
was a shift, especially

around my junior or
senior year, where

people knew that Tony
Hawk went to their school

and he was a pro skater,
but no one could pick me out

in the hallway.

It just wouldn't happen.

I think there's
so much to learn

from failure through your life.

You learn what
you're capable of.

You learn what you can endure.

And you learn to be successful
through those failures.

My best advice to
anyone that experiences

early success is to realize
that it might be short lived.

Definitely enjoy
it while you can,

but stay true to your
values and save your money.

It was really strange to be
at a young age making money.

I was 17 years old.

I was making six figures from
royalties and from prize money.

And it just felt surreal.

And at some point
when you're that young

and you get that much
success very quickly,

you think you're
invincible and you think

that it's never going to end.

And suddenly I found
myself buying cars.

I bought a house.

I bought a house when I was 17.

My parents co-signed
it, but I paid for it.

And then I was living on my
own as a senior in high school.

You know when you're a senior
and some kids' parents aren't

home and that's where
everyone's partying?

My parents were never home.

The party was
always at my house.

But at the same time,
my priority was skating.

So I was very lucky
that I realized early on

that these distractions of
partying and fame and whatnot

are only pulling you away from
this activity or your skill

set.

And I knew that my
priority was always

to keep skating and
getting better and skating.

And I think that's what saw me
through those very formative

years and those times when
I could've just fallen

into that trap.

I'd have been one of
those behind the music.

Well, he had a good
run, and then he

struggled the rest of his life.

Well, the first sign
that the skateboarding

was declining in popularity
were the skate parks closing.

And a lot of them closed because
it was the popularity waning,

but most of them
closed because they

couldn't afford the
liability insurance anymore.

And then through
the '90s, because

of the lack of facilities,
people took to the streets.

People were out skating private
property and trespassing

and getting tickets.

So to be a skater back then,
you had to kind of be an outlaw

or you had to not worry
about that element.

And if you're trying to make
a living at it, good luck.

The opportunities
were drying up.

The competitions were scarce.

Sponsorships were scarce.

My royalty checks
in the early '90s

were being cut in
half every month.

I'm not talking about
a gradual decline.

I'm talking about one
month I made $2,000.

The next month I made $1,000.

Next month I made $500.

And you just can't
maintain a career that way.

And so I started looking for
other ways to make ends meet.

I started a skateboard
company in 1992

when skateboarding was
sort of at its biggest

lull of popularity,
because I thought

it was my transition from being
a pro skater to being a company

owner.

Because I thought that my career
as a skater was kind of done.

I was more known
as a vert skater.

Vert skating was over.

And I believed in
the cycle of skating.

I saw it come and
go twice already.

So I thought,
well, it's probably

going to come around again.

I had to believe that.

And also because I didn't
want to do anything else.

I love skating too much.

I love skating so
much that I was

willing to struggle
with a skate company

to keep it afloat
at huge challenges

to my livelihood
and my lifestyle.

I mean, I was eating Taco Bell
and Top Ramen and peanut butter

and jelly sandwiches
for like two years

and sold my cars, moved
into a smaller place.

But I was happy doing that if it
allowed me to stay in skating.

And I think that was probably
another huge defining

moment in my life, because I
was willing to do that because I

loved it for no money
and at a detriment

to my livelihood
and even my family.

Because I just wanted to skate.

And so I chose every
single job I could.

I remember building a jump ramp
for a Mountain Dew commercial

and driving it to
Hollywood in a truck

because they were going
to pay me 500 bucks,

including the materials
for the jump ramp I built.

And doing skate exhibitions in
amusement park parking lots,

three a day, 100 bucks a day.

Paid the bills and
I got to skate.

So it was more like I love
skating so much that I

was willing to do
it for nothing,

but I was also willing to chase
every opportunity so that I

could make a living at it.

And many other of my
peers were not so lucky.

They couldn't find
those opportunities,

and they had to stop.

The lesson for me
was do what you love,

because that is the
definition of success.

If you get to do what you love
for a living, if you wake up

and you're happy
to go to your job,

that's the key to happiness.

I know plenty of people that
make extraordinary amounts

of money that are not
happy, because they

thought that was the goal, and
they're miserable in their job.

They're miserable the way
that they make the money.

And so I realized then
that this is something

that I love doing regardless
of the financial rewards.

And yeah, nowadays I get
paid ridiculous money

to ride my skateboard.

But I'd still do it for
free any day of the week.

TONY HAWK: The first
trick I learned,

I watched someone go up a
curb on their skateboard.

And I thought that was magical,
like that defied gravity.

It was like they could
maneuver the streets

and the urban landscape.

And you could go
up a curb, and I

was like, I want to learn that.

I felt like suddenly, I
can control what I'm doing

and where I'm going.

And I could ride my
skateboard all throughout it.

I felt empowered.

Street skating is the act of
skateboarding on the terrain

that you would find in a
typical suburban landscape.

So that includes handrails,
stairs, ledges, gaps,

literally the streets.

And it's a lot to
learn, and we're

going to teach you the
best techniques on how

to do it safely.

So we're using a skate
park to teach street

skating because it's a
controlled environment.

And we have all
the elements here,

elements that you would
encounter out in the streets.

But we're not going to get
kicked out of this place.

[CHUCKLES]

[SKATEBOARD CLATTERING]

Skateboarding can be
a dangerous activity.

Using protective
gear is recommended.

In my class, you'll see
trained professionals

in a controlled environment.

Please use extreme care when
attempting these activities

on your own.

A backside pop shove-it is
the act of doing an ollie

and turning your board
a 180 in the backside

direction under your
feet, and then catching it

with the feet after the turn
and putting it back down.

It's a very subtle move.

It all happens as
you ollie the board.

And so basically, as
you ollie the board,

you kick your back foot
just a tad behind you.

And you kick your front foot
just a tad in front of you,

and that gets the board moving.

And if you're snapping
the ollie properly,

it will immediately
do a 180 under you.

In fact, a lot of
times, it overturns.

And the way to
remedy that is just

to give it a little less
push in that direction.

I like to set up my feet so that
my front heel is hanging off

a little bit off the
board, and my back toe

is more pressed on
the tip of the tail.

And that way, when the
board does come around,

I have a better chance of
catching it and landing it

properly.

Because if you don't preposition
your feet, it's a good chance

you're going to land either
with the board turned too far

or with your toes hanging
way off the front.

And that's the first
mistake of pop shove-its.

And so if you can
just find that balance

of positioning your
feet and snapping

the board in that
direction but very lightly,

you'll find that it comes
to your feet quickly

and then you can
put it back down.

A frontside 180 ollie is
the act of doing an ollie

and then turning in
the frontside direction

180 and landing backwards.

And it's sort of a
three-part technique.

It starts with
the regular ollie,

but as you're
snapping the ollie,

you start to open
up your shoulder

and turn your torso in
the frontside position.

And then as you're
leveling out your board,

you're usually about
halfway into that turn.

And the key right
then is to start

shifting your weight
towards that front foot

and allowing your upper body
to hang over the back foot

so that when you land, you're
ready to roll backwards.

The biggest mistake of
a frontside ollie 180

is not turning far enough.

And that's just a matter of
turning your shoulder more

and snapping it better.

And if you need to, you can
land on your front wheels

and pivot the rest of the way.

But as you push down
that foot, that's

what gets it to turn
that last 90 degrees.

[SKATEBOARD CLATTERING]

That is a way to
do it, but it's not

going to help you if you're
trying to do it over big gaps.

So it's basically that
sort of hop over, turning

your shoulder, pushing
down on your nose,

and then leaning towards
your back foot as you land.

[SKATEBOARD CLATTERING]

TONY HAWK: My oldest
son, Riley Hawk,

is a very accomplished
street skater.

He has a great style.

He really has created
his own path in skating

and hasn't followed my
footsteps in that sense.

He's very accomplished
in street skills,

and I feel like he
would be better suited

to teach you these more
technical street tricks.

So I'm going to hand off the
MasterClass to my son Riley,

and I think you'll enjoy it.

RILEY HAWK: The first
time I did a kickflip,

I was at the YMCA skate park.

And that was the
moment when I realized

that I wanted to keep skating
and learning new tricks.

I think that's the
first trick people

learn that kind of
motivate them to want

to keep doing the sport.

Today I'm going to teach you
intermediate and advanced

street skating.

The kickflip is one of the
hardest tricks to learn,

because it's usually
the first trick.

It takes a long time to figure
it out, but once you learn it

it's the gateway to almost
every skateboard trick that

involves flicking your board.

It's like an ollie, but
instead of just leveling out

your board, you use your
front foot to flip the board.

When you start a
kickflip, your front foot

is usually hanging about
halfway off the board just

under your nose
and your back foot

is in the middle of the tail.

When you pop, you want to
slide your foot forward,

not directly to the side.

More of a diagonal motion
toward your heel side.

Otherwise your board
will go downward

instead of traveling with you.

Gotta keep your
weight over the board,

otherwise when
you are in motion,

your board will either go in
front of you or behind you.

And to keep it
centered with yourself,

you want to make sure that your
weight is directly centered.

A great kickflip
to me, personally,

is when you flick
the board and rather

than it flipping in
an upward motion,

it levels out and then your
back foot is the first foot that

catches the board in the
air and then your front foot

and then you land level.

Heelflip is pretty much the
opposite of the kickflip.

You start the heelflip,
your back foot

is pretty much in
the same position

as the kickflip, which should
be on the tail in the center.

And you have your heel on
the board with your toes

hanging off.

You use your front foot
to flick out forward

towards your toe side.

Don't hang your
foot off too much.

Make sure it's on
it enough to where

no matter what when you
flick out, your heel will

catch some of the
board on the way out.

It's easy to miss making
contact with your front foot,

and then your board won't flip.

Backside ollie 180 is
going to be a regular ollie

except you're spinning 180
degrees with your back facing

the direction you're headed.

You're going to have your
feet pretty much set up just

like an ollie.

Place your back foot pretty much
in the center of your board.

Before you pop your
tail, you're going

to want to start turning
your shoulders in a backside

direction.

Then pop your tail and slide
your front foot forward,

similar to a regular ollie.

The timing is pretty important.

You want to make sure
as you're popping,

you start turning
your shoulders.

If you do it too late, you're
going to end up landing

sideways on the ground,
and you're not going

to fully rotate your board.

Frontside pop shove-it
is just like pop shove-it

except your board is
spinning behind your back

instead of in front of.

In this trick, your board
turns frontside 180 degrees,

but your body stays in
its original position.

Place your back foot
on the tip of the tail,

as you would for an ollie.

You have your heel on the board
with your toes hanging off.

To start the trick,
pop your tail

while also pushing it
towards your toe side

to start its frontside rotation.

Use your front foot to
lightly guide the board

and to help it continue to
turn a full frontside 180.

Once the board has nearly
completed its full rotation,

catch the board with
both feet and come down.

To make sure your board
doesn't flip in the air,

you want to use your
front foot to stop it

from flipping when it's about
halfway through the rotation.

360 flip builds on
the pop shove-it

because you're using the
same motion you would

use with your back foot but
with a little bit more pressure

as well as using your front
foot to flick the board.

The 360 flip is going to
be using the same fotting

placement as the kickflip,
except your back foot is

going to be in the pocket
of your board more.

With your back
foot, pop your tail

down and sideways
forcefully enough

to launch your
board into the air,

making it fully rotate
360 degrees in a backside

direction.

Just after you pop your
board, use your front foot

to flick forward
into the heelside

to start the
flipping motion, just

like you would in a kickflip.

You have to jump
pretty high so there's

enough time for your board to
make a full rotation and flip.

As the board is nearing
its full rotation and flip,

catch it with your
feet and bring it down.

A good tip is to try to catch
the board with your front foot

first.

When you're first
learning a 360 flip,

try flicking your board
without trying to land on it.

Once you're consistently
flipping it correctly,

then start committing
to the landing.

Frontside 50/50
is when you ollie

onto a ledge or a handrail
and you use both your trucks

grinding in a forward direction.

You want to be pretty much
parallel to the obstacle

that you're skating.

Pop your ollie and
slightly rotate frontside,

making sure to land
both of your trucks

on the edge of the bench
in a grind position.

You're going to land
on your heel side.

You don't want to land on
your toes on the object,

because then you're
going to flip off of it.

And you want to make sure you
get high enough over the object

that you're grinding.

You land both trucks
on the ledge or rail.

You grind forward motion,
and then you come off.

Timing is critical for
grinds and board slides.

You might want to
try practicing them

on a low object like a
curb before bringing it

to benches, rails, and ledges.

Frontside Smith grind is
going to be pretty much

the same approach as the 50/50.

You're going to
ollie, and you want

to make sure you get
over the obstacle.

But you're going to land
with only your back truck

on the obstacle, dipping
the nose of your board

to the side of the ledge.

You're going to be
leaning a little bit more

on your back foot rather
than both your feet centered

on the 50/50.

You want to make sure
that when you're grinding,

you have enough momentum
with your back foot

to push your truck through
the ledge or the rail.

But you don't want
to lean too far back,

otherwise you'll loop out
and end up on your back.

When you're doing a
Smith grind on a ledge,

you're going to be leaning a
little bit more onto your toes,

because you have the top of the
ledge to support your board.

You're doing it
on a rail, you're

going to be pretty much
solely leaning on your heel,

because you have no
support on the side.

Common mistake
with a Smith grind

is you don't ollie high enough
to get onto the obstacle

that you're trying to skate,
and the side of your truck

will hit either the
ledge or the rail.

And that's definitely a
terrible slam to take.

You end up on your side on
the obstacle you're skating.

For this trick, roll up
parallel to the bench with it

on your backside.

Rotate your shoulders
as you ollie,

turning backside 90 degrees
and landing with your tail

on the edge of the bench.

You'll be sliding forward as
you near the end of the bench.

Turn your board straight
as you come off.

You want to catch the
board with your feet

to stop the board's rotation.

It's better to ollie higher
than you would think than lower,

because no matter
what, you'll get on top

rather than your board clipping
the side and you don't get in.

The backside tail
slide is tricky,

because you have to almost stop
your shoulder rotation once you

get into the slide so that
you don't keep fully rotating.

You have to make sure as soon as
you get in your head is looking

in the direction you're headed.

For the kickflip
down the stairs,

you want to start on something
small, maybe like a curb,

and then work your way up
to a two stair, three stair.

You don't want to go
straight to a big set,

because you want
to make sure you're

comfortable with the trick.

For any stair set,
you want to make sure

that you ollie the
stair set first

to figure out your speed before
you try to kickflip down it.

You want to make sure
you feel like you're

going fast enough to
clear the set of stairs

before you try to kickflip.

You want to catch the
board with your feet

to stop the board's rotation.

You want to flip the
board pretty quickly,

similar to how you flick
it on the flat ground.

This gives you plenty of
time to run out of the trick

if you miss the board instead
of landing on the board

sideways or upside down.

Once you catch your board,
you want to spot the landing

and ride away.

For the boardslide
on the handrail,

you want to approach the
rail at a slight angle

rather than straight on.

You want to have enough
speed so that if you mess up,

you don't land on the
rail in between your legs.

I've done it plenty of times,
and it's extremely painful.

Once you're near the
rail, start an ollie

high enough to make sure your
wheels get over the rail.

Turn your body and land
on your board sideways.

And land with the middle
of your board on the rail.

You want to have your weight
centered over your board.

But when you're learning,
it's a lot safer

to lean forward than backwards
so your board doesn't

shoot out.

As you leave the rail, you
want to spot your landing

and turn your board as well as
your shoulders at the same time

so you can ride away straight.

For the feeble grind,
you want to approach

the rail like a boardslide
but with a little bit more

of an angle.

As you approach the
rail, you want the rail

to be on your backside.

Ollie up and make sure to clear
your front trucks over the rail

while landing on your back truck
with your weight on your heel.

Want to make sure that
your back truck and the toe

side of your board land on
the rail at the same time.

You want to keep your weight
centered over the rail

while you're grinding.

As you near the end
of the rail, you

want to slightly shift
your weight back.

At the same time, you're
going to lift your board

and straighten it out,
land, and ride away.

Learning these tricks will open
up a world of possibilities

to other tricks you can do on
benches, rails, and ledges.

As a beginning
skater, there's no level

you need to reach before
going to the park.

If you want to go to a skate
park for the first time,

it's best to go
early-ish in the morning.

That's usually when either
people are in school or not

awake yet, and you'll have
a chance to experience it

when it's empty.

If it's really crowded,
it can be intimidating,

and maybe you're not sure
where to stand or how to start.

That's just more of
an issue of watching

the nuances of whose
turn it is and what order

and where you can start
from where you will be seen.

And if you drop in, there
could be someone else coming

around the corner full speed.

Some people do
like to be selfish.

[LAUGHS] And there
are a lot of snakes,

which means they go probably
more times than what

their turn should be.

And just watch out for them.

That's it.

Just stay out of the way if
you see someone coming around.

Pumping and carving
at a skate park

is the primary way
to generate speed.

Carving is a different
type of pump,

because it's actually
sort of a sideways pump.

You're going through corners and
through little bull sections.

Pumping on a vert
amp is possibly

more pronounced
than park skating,

because the transitions
are smaller in park.

But the technique is the same.

It's the same use of your legs.

It's just that you're doing
it on a sideways plane.

Basically, if you are
coming towards a corner,

you do a small pump in
through the transition that

goes up and use your legs
more so through the corner,

through the carve,
and that will allow

you to zoom through a section
and actually come out with way

more speed on the next wall.

You see the more experienced
park skaters generate speed

from seemingly nothing.

And what they're
doing it's using

every single tiny transition
to their advantage.

It's harder to generate speed
from a very long corner,

because to try to stay
on the wall sideways

through a transition
that big, it

is hard to get your speed up.

The corners that are
better utilized for speed

are the ones that are tighter.

That allows you to just
zoom right through it.

That is the way that you see
the more experienced skaters

getting speed all
through the park.

Dropping in is a foundation
of any skate park

of almost any ramp.

And that's the act of starting
from the top of the ramp

and going in.

Usually you would do
it from the tail drop.

So that means you
stick all your wheels

out from the coping
with your tail still

on the top with your back
foot holding it in position.

And once you put your front foot
down, the key is commitment.

And when I say
commitment, I mean

dropping that front foot down,
hitting your front wheels

on the wall, and then
shifting your weight forward

to your front foot.

The biggest mistake
people make is

setting the front wheels
down and immediately

leaning back again.

And so people will
set it down and then

end up just falling backwards.

My best advice is that once your
front wheels are on the wall,

you shift your weight
evenly across your board

leaning forward
but not putting all

your weight on the front foot.

It's hard.

It's hard to commit.

It looks frightening
from up there.

But if you're able to pump your
way up to the top of the ramp,

you're able to drop in.

I believe that.

TONY HAWK: In the
last 10 years, we've

seen an influx of girl skaters
that truly rip and that are

inspiring a younger generation
of skaters around the world.

Lizzie Armanto is a member
of my Birdhouse Skate Team

and one of the most
prominent female professional

skateboarders today.

She won gold at the X
Games, was the first girl

on the cover of Transworld
Skateboarding Magazine,

and was the first female
skater to complete

the loop, a full 360 degree
ramp that goes upside down.

She truly rips.

LIZZIE ARMANTO: I
give my mom the credit

for my love of skateboarding.

She worked full time.

So when my brother
and I were young,

we'd go to the skate park as
a sort of after school care.

And I was immediately hooked.

I started competing
in park competitions

when I was pretty young.

I've competed in
lots of competitions

since from invitationals
to the X Games.

And I get to represent
Finland at the Olympics

once skateboarding
makes its Olympic debut.

It's pretty cool to see how
far skateboarding has come,

especially for us girls.

I'm excited that skateboarding
will be shown on a global scale

and for so many
people to be exposed

to it for the first
time and hopefully

find their passion
for it like I have.

She has the
ability to take you

to the next level intermediate
tricks in park skating.

So Lizzie, take it away.

Today I'm going to teach you
intermediate and advanced park

skating.

On a rock to fakie, approach
the coping going straight up.

You'll want to shift
your weight forward

as you approach the lip, lifting
your front truck slightly

so the middle of your board
will be balanced on the coping.

Then shift your weight
back into the bowl.

Put your weight on
your tail to make

sure you clear your front
truck and avoid hanging up.

Just be careful not
to lean too far back.

If you lean too far
back, you can slam.

I want to quickly break
down frontside and backside.

Usually tricks where
you're approaching

the coping facing forward,
it's a frontside trick.

And when you're
approaching the coping

with your back towards
it, it's a backside trick.

For this trick,
you're going to go up

by approaching the
coping at a slight angle.

As you near the lip, slightly
rotate your shoulders

frontside.

With your back
foot, hit your tail,

popping your board upwards.

At the same time, slide
your front foot forward.

This will launch
you into the air.

Continue to have both legs
bent as you and the board

continue a slight rotation.

Extend your legs and
prepare to land on the wall.

If you feel like you're going
to hang up on the coping,

then kick the board away.

In a backside 50/50,
approach the lip

so that it's on your backside.

Aim for a spot on
the coping where

you want to place your back
truck to start the grind.

Shift your weight to putting
your front truck down.

You're now grinding
on both trucks.

To come in, do a subtle kick
turn to go back into the bowl.

When you're first
learning, your weight

will be more centered over
the deck when grinding,

and you'll be
standing more upright.

As you advance,
you'll start leaning

in more, which allows you
to have more speed going

in and out of the trick.

For a frontside
5-0 grind, you're

going to want to approach the
coping at a slight frontside

Angle and enough speed
to reach the lip.

As you near the lip,
lift your front truck

and aim for a spot on the
coping to place your back truck.

Shift your weight so
that your back truck

locks into the coping
starting the grind.

To finish the grind, continue
your frontside rotation

and shift your weight
forward, entering the bowl.

For a backside
disaster, approach

the coping going straight up.

Right as you near
the coping, you

want to push your board into
a backside 180 rotation.

Your back foot does
most of the work,

pressing your tail
down and sideways,

starting the rotation.

While you're
rotating, pick a spot

on the coping and land on
the middle of your board.

Forward to come in.

Remember to press on
the nose of your board

to clear your back
wheels when you come in.

For front Smith
grinds, you're going

to want to approach the wall
with a little more speed

than you'd normally have
for a frontside 5-0 grind.

As you're approaching
the lip, turn frontside

with your shoulders and
your board will follow.

Aim to get your back truck on
the coping, starting the grind.

Lower your front truck
down past the lip

so the rail of your board
slides on the coping.

This will pitch you forward.

So you'll need to shift your
weight to your back truck

to continue to grind.

To re-enter the bowl,
continue turning frontside

while shifting your
weight forward.

For a fakie disaster Smith,
approach the coping going

backwards, which we call fakie.

Approach the bowl
with just enough speed

to land in the middle of
the board on the coping.

Shift your weight so you
can stall on the deck.

Push down with your back
foot, forcing your back truck

into the coping.

To re-enter the bowl,
shift your weight forward.

In this trick, it's
really easy to hang up.

Something to watch
out for is to make

sure you get your truck all
the way onto the coping.

For a frontside
boneless, you're going

to want to approach the
coping with enough speed

to get some air.

Bend your knees.

Plant your foot on the coping,
and grab your board frontside.

Use your momentum to push
off the coping while turning

frontside.

Quickly get your front
foot back on the board

and shift your weight
forward for the landing.

As you get better doing
the frontside boneless,

you can take it higher.

Really stretch out and
contort your board.

This is a trick where you
can really show your style.

The reason I skate vert is
because I started skating

in empty swimming pools.

And the most popular
skaters in the '80s

were vert skaters, ramp
skaters because that

seemed like the most
exciting way of skating.

Nowadays, vert ramps are
about 13 feet tall on average.

You're usually wearing at
least kneepads and a helmet,

if not elbow pads.

And you're flying anywhere from
6 to 10 feet above the lip.

And you are putting
yourself at great risk,

and that's why you're
wearing all the pads.

So pumping is how you use
your legs to generate speed

on transition walls.

You sort of prepare your
legs in a half squat.

And as you ride
through the transition,

you start to
straighten them out.

And you use that force up the
wall to generate your speed.

And so the idea is
you use your legs,

pump through, stand up,
prepare again, half squat,

and then pump through again so
you're standing up on the way

down.

Fakie is pretty straightforward.

It means that you go off the
wall forward, come down it

backwards.

There's no turning your board.

The whole key is
shifting your weight.

So as you come off
the wall, you're

obviously leaning forward.

And then as your
board comes to a stop,

you have to start
to shift your weight

towards your back
foot which will now

be your lead foot
coming back down.

The biggest mistake people
make is going up fakie, staying

in the same position, leaning
towards their front foot,

and then they end up
falling backwards.

A kick turn is the very
first 180 that you will ever

learn on a ramp.

It is a very subtle motion.

You don't have to lift up
very much on your front wheels

in order to make it turn.

It kind of does
the work for you.

And you're pivoting
on your back wheels

and then setting
it down quickly.

The whole key is
in your shoulder.

And it's almost like you
throwing a little punch

with your arm to keep
that shoulder moving

and to keep your body in
line with the skateboard.

The biggest mistake
people make is

when they go to do a kick
turn and their shoulder

stays open as if it's still
in the position of going down

fakie.

And then their body is
twisted as they come down,

and they end up
falling backwards.

Knee sliding is the best
approach to falling, especially

on a vert ramp.

You can absorb the impact
by taking one step.

But then if you
go to your knees,

you can just slide
down that transition

and you don't have to take
the impact on your feet.

You want to lean back a
little bit so that you're not

falling forward on your face.

Especially when
we do big aerials,

you'll see that when we
know something's gone wrong,

we either ditch the
board or hold onto it.

Don't let it get
tangled up in your feet.

Knee slides have kept me
going for 40 years skating.

So a backside air is the same
body motion as a kick turn.

It's just a matter of
reaching down and grabbing

the board as you lift it
up with your front foot.

And you come back down
just like a kick turn.

They're very similar
motions, just one

actually allows you to fly.

Most people grab
a little bit off

to the side just in front of
their front foot on the heel

side.

That's probably the standard
backside air positioning

because it also
allows you to get

some leverage on your back
foot to keep it on the board.

I usually choose
to do nose grabs,

but only because I know
exactly where my nose is

and because I know how
to keep my back foot on.

I don't recommend people
learning nose grab airs first

because it's hard to
keep your back foot

on the board at the same time.

First mistake of backside
airs is hanging up and hitting

the coping on the way in.

And the way to remedy that
is to keep your legs bent

until you know you're
clear of the coping.

And then putting them back
down and going down the ramp.

If you're trying
to do a trick that

requires a little
bit of air time,

you're probably going to
do at least one or two

backside airs just to get
your speed up into that trick.

A backside ollie is basically
a no-handed backside air.

There are a couple of
different ways to do it.

I prefer to hit my tail
just before the coping

to get myself a little bit
more clearance and a little bit

more air time.

And so I snap.

And you'll see that my
foot slides forward.

And as you start
to come back down,

you continue to
straighten your legs

and keep pressure on your board.

I mean, that's the key.

When people say, how do you
keep your board on your feet?

That is how you keep
your board on your feet.

You keep putting pressure out
until it's ready to come in.

If you do it properly, it feels
like an invisible wall ride.

Like you're riding just
a wall up in the air.

So a front side rock n' roll--
the trick is in the back toe.

You start to rotate it so
that it's just your toe that's

touching the board on the tail.

And you straighten
your front leg,

and your back leg is
probably the most bent

it's ever been in any kind
of rock n' roll trick.

And as you start to come in,
you have to lift off just enough

to clear your front wheels.

And then you come in like
a front side kick turn.

So the two keys to that trick
are pivoting your back toe

and clearing your front
wheels on the way in.

A lipslide starts off
with a front side ollie.

Basically, you're going
with just enough speed

to get to the top of the
ramp, maybe a little bit more

because you want it to be
more of a an arc, a carve.

As you ollie, you're turning
your board in the 180

direction, but not a full
180 so that you're just

landing on the
underside of the board

and it is perpendicular
to the coping.

As you have moved your
front foot forward

towards the nose
in the ollie, you

want to keep your
front foot there

because as you're
sliding, that's

going to allow you to clear
your wheels on the way in.

The lipslide entry
is very subtle,

but it's probably the
most important part.

If you can do a
lipslide, I would

see a tailslide is probably
one of the next things

to learn because they're both
very similar body motions.

Basically, you want to come
up the wall at an angle,

and then you ollie
below the vertical

because you want to
go up to your tail.

So the idea is you're not
coming down your tail,

you're actually going up to it.

And that way, you
can shift your weight

as it's coming onto
the coping, and you

can stand up on the
coping as you're sliding.

And the sliding on a tailslide
is probably the most crucial

part because that
is where your weight

balance is the most important.

It's all on your back foot.

That tailslide is all about
your back foot positioning

and weight balance.

And if you are
sliding consistently

and your weight is actually over
your body in the right balance,

then you can just
come in at any time.

And I do tailslides
until I feel like it's

starting to slow down, and then
I just let my front wheels drop

and just ride back in.

Some people like to
control that and they

like to actually ollie
out of a tailslide.

But I don't recommend
doing that because you

lose a lot of speed that way.

I created the Madonna
sometime around 1984, I think.

And I was complaining to my
friend Lester Kasai, who was

also a pro skater at the time.

I said, you know,
I feel like I've

been creating a lot of tricks
and none of them catch on.

Nobody is trying the
tricks I'm learning.

Is it because they
don't like them?

Is it because they're hard?

And he said, well,
maybe you just

have to name them
something trendy.

It was 1984, and Madonna
was the most trendy thing.

So I named it Madonna.

And I guess it worked.

People are still doing them.

We're talking about it now.

So Madonna is a
one-footed lean to tail.

And what that means is you are
going the front side direction,

grabbing the nose
as you take off.

You don't have to ollie into it.

You can actually grab the
nose just as you lift off

above the coping.

And then as you're doing that,
if you take your front foot off

and kick it
downward, it actually

keeps your motion going up.

So it's almost like you're
leaving your foot behind.

And then as you
reach your peak is

when you start to
bend your front foot

and start to bring
it back on the board,

and it will just come
back onto the board

as you're aiming for the
tail on the way down.

The Probably.

Most dangerous part of this
trick is aiming for the tail

because it's very easy
to miss your tail on this

and end up on the
deck like a disaster.

We call it a
disaster for a reason

because it's going to
hang up your trucks

and you're going to
fall into the flat.

So on a Madonna,
it's better to err

on the side of caution of
pulling too far out of the ramp

than not pulling out enough.

If you miss your
tail, you're just

going to slide down the ramp.

If you end up with your
tail over the deck,

you're going to hang up.

And that's the disaster zone.

Tenacity is one of the most
important factors of skating.

The idea that you will continue
to try something over and over

and not give up until you get
it is key to success and key

to success in your
life in general.

There are skills
and things you want

to accomplish that are going
to take years, if not decades,

to develop.

And if you're willing
to stay the course

and you're willing to
learn every aspect of it

and little by little chip
away at that success,

you'll finally earn it.

Vert ramps were
actually made to emulate

pools but to give you better
walls and better transitions

to do these tricks.

And now we're seeing the top
skateboarders doing things

I never imagined possible.

So backside Smith grind.

What it means is you're grinding
your back truck and the middle

of your board or the rail of
your board at the same time.

And so that requires a very
delicate weight distribution.

Your heel can stick
to the top of the ramp

and stop you from grinding.

And so you'll see some of the
most accomplished people that

can do back Smiths.

They actually point
their front foot forward

and angle as to keep the
heel away from the rail

and away from the deck
as they're grinding.

So the idea is that you get
your back truck in the grinding

position.

Keep your front foot so
that it stays on the board.

It's not hanging off at all.

And you just grind
along until you

feel like you're slowing down,
and then you can just sort of

drop it back in.

Backside Smith grinds,
I like them a lot

because I think they look
cool, and I like them

because I can grind as far as I
want to or as little as I want

to, and really it's just a
matter of how much speed I have

and when I feel
like it can come in.

A bluntslide to
backside 180 in is

you're coming up the
wall at an angle,

and then you're sort of
shifting your board back

the other direction in order
to get it in position to slide.

And the key to the trick is
how you slide on your tail

and how much weight
you put on it.

And that is a
function of keeping

your weight a little bit back
and hang your front heel,

if not your back heel
as well, off the board.

As you slide along, your
feet might be moving.

And as you start to
come in, your feet

will probably even move
further towards the toes.

And so if you come up into
the trick in a position

that you normally skate in,
by the time you leave it,

you probably have your
feet hanging off too far.

Your toes will be
hanging off too far.

So what I like to do
is compensate for it

in the beginning.

And so I approach the wall with
my front heels off the board.

And as I slide it, I feel
my heel moving again.

And as I come in, it moves
back into the regular position.

The movement to come in
doesn't take a lot of effort,

because your body
is already moving

that direction and your
momentum is heading backside.

So lifting up your board
makes it come in easily.

It's more about
moving your shoulder

and turning it in the
backside direction

while lifting up your board,
which makes your whole body

do a 180 and you're
coming in forward.

An invert or a hand plant
is basically the way

that you stand on
one hand off a ramp.

I recommend grabbing the
board on the toe side

in between your
legs, because that

will give you the most leverage
and the best grip on it.

And the key to inverts and
probably the first mistake

people make is that they
want to do an aerial

and then plant their
hand after the fact.

If you do it that way, that
makes you actually overturn.

So the idea is that you're
putting your hand ahead of you

and you're pivoting
around your hand.

And as you get more
comfortable with that,

then you start to
learn the balance

point and the pivot
point of your hand,

and that allows you to stall
it and allows you to tweak it.

That takes a lot of practice.

It takes a lot of experience.

And learning to land.

The key is learning how to put
the weight back to your feet

from your hand, because a lot
of people put their hand down,

and they don't realize that
they need to shift it back

into their feet.

So as you put your hand down,
you pivot around your hand.

And then as it's
coming back down,

you start to shift that weight.

Bring your hand up.

Put your weight
back on your feet,

and you ride back down like
you come in like a backslide.

Inverts are daunting.

They seem super scary, because
you are literally upside down.

But as you get more and
more comfortable with it,

you find that there are so
many different ways to tweak

and invert, and everyone
has their own technique,

their own grab.

And just the way that you stall
it becomes your signature.

A caballerial as a
no handed 360 aerial

where you come up riding
backwards and do an ollie.

This is called a fakie ollie.

Then you do a full
360 with your board

without grabbing it in
the backside direction

and come down forward.

It's all on your shoulders.

You wind up your body, and
then as your wheels bonk off

the coping or your tail hits,
you let your body unwind.

And if you bonked
it enough, you're

going to get off the wall enough
to complete that full 360.

Key to Caballerials, as
far as I'm concerned,

is that you hit those two
wheels at the same exact time.

Your back wheels should
be hitting the coping

at the same time.

And that means you're
going straight up and down.

If you are going
at an angle, you're

going to hit one wheel
sooner than the other,

and that's going to make your
board flap under your foot,

and you're probably
not going to get

enough leverage or
control of your board

as it's spinning around.

Caballerials can open up a
whole new world of tricks.

So a 540, more commonly
known as a McTwist.

The key is in the snap.

As I approach the coping,
I reach down for my board

and I turn my head,
immediately snapping it,

because that way you're
already spotting your landing

zone before your body has
made that entire motion.

When you snap the board
off the top of the ramp

and grab it quickly,
you want to do that

more forcefully than you would
usually do a backside air.

Because you need a little
more air, a little more room

to make that spin happen.

It's very common to
not snap hard enough

and end up over the deck when
you're in the middle of the 540

and realizing you might
hang up on the coping.

So to remedy that,
it's just a matter

of snapping it a little bit
harder than you're used to.

So you grab your board
and tuck your head.

That makes you spin by default.

The biggest challenge
of a 540 is the landing,

because you don't
see the landing.

You don't get a lot
of time to see it.

A lot of times you're
not off the wall

in the perfect position.

And so there's a little
bit of using the force.

Like a sixth sense,
where you just

feel like it's the right
time, it's the right place,

and you let your board
go and you stand up.

And that first 540
is probably one

of the most frightening
things in skateboarding,

especially for vert skaters,
because you just don't know.

And it doesn't usually work out
perfectly on the first attempt.

I'm not going to say
that you won't fall.

You'll probably
fall learning 540s.

But you see people try 540s
for years before they ever

commit to landing.

And if you do have 540s,
if you have the snap,

you have the grab, you have
the spin, you can do it,

because you know how to ride
down the wall from an aerial.

And this is just coming down
the wall from another aerial.

It's just one that you
didn't get to see the landing

zone the whole time.

TONY HAWK: 900 is
a 2 and 1/2 spin

in the air on a vert
ramp going up forward,

spinning round 2 and 1/2 times,
coming back down the same wall.

It was so much more dangerous
and different than a 720.

And because the 900 forces you
to be blind to your landing

spot twice, it's far
more frightening and far

more inconsistent to figure out.

I tried my first 900 in 1989.

By the time I went around
from my second spin,

I didn't know where I was.

I opened up, and I fell
backwards down the ramp.

Like, literally upside
down, falling down.

And it was frightening.

I didn't really want
to try it again.

I made a few attempts
through the years after that.

They all kind of
ended up the same way.

And when I finally actually
put one down on the wall,

my weight was too far forward,
and I fell into the flat bottom

and broke my rib.

And that set me back quite a
bit, because I just thought,

maybe it's not possible.

I don't know.

I thought I had
every element to it.

I thought had I had
what it took to do it.

And I just ended up crashing
into the flat bottom with all

of my weight and all my force.

And so fast forward to 1999.

The X Games decided
that in their 1999 event

in San Francisco that they
would add a best trick

event to their programming.

I had a plan going
into it that I

was going to do a
varial 720, which

is a 720 spin with an
extra 180 on my board.

I made the trick probably
within 10 minutes.

I made it pretty clean.

And it was like, wow.

That was my best trick.

That was it.

And at the time, Dave Duncan,
who was the announcer,

he's the one who said, well,
why don't we see a 900?

And for me I just
thought, well, it's

just going to be me
trying it for the crowd.

I'm not going to make it.

And OK, sure.

I'll try it for the crowd.

Why not?

There's 10 minutes left.

I don't have any
other tricks in mind.

So I tried to couple
900s, and there

was something that was
different that night

in that I kept getting the
right amount of speed to spin.

Every other time I
tried it, I would either

not get enough speed
or not get enough spin.

And I had a consistent speed and
a consistent spin that night.

And suddenly, after about
the third or fourth try,

I started spotting a landing.

And that had never
happened in previous times.

I would get 1 out of 10.

And this one was like, every
single time I was like, wow.

There's the landing right there.

So then I just started
trying to make it,

because I was like,
you know, if I'm ever

going to get hurt
doing it again,

I guess it's here in this venue
with all these people watching.

And so I started
trying to make it.

And within one of the
first tries of making it,

I fell forward again.

And almost did the exact same
thing as when I broke my rib,

but managed to get out of it.

And that's when
something clicked

and I thought to
myself, why don't you

try shifting your weight
more towards your back foot

as you're spinning?

And so I did that the next time.

And instead of falling
forward, I fell backwards.

And that was the moment,
because it was like,

I know how to maneuver
my body while I'm

in midair, while I'm literally
somersaulting through the air.

And if I can just split the
difference between those two

things I just did, this
could actually work.

And at that point I was like,
I'm going to make this trick

or they're going to take
me away in an ambulance.

And I think within another
2 or 3 tries, I made it.

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

[EXPLOSIVE APPLAUSE, CHEERING]

And when I made it, it
was like time stood still.

And it was like--

well, I didn't really
understand it happened

until I was riding back towards
the stands and the crowd,

and everyone was
rushing me on the ramp.

And that's when I knew,
this really happened.

You actually did a 900.

That's-- that is crazy.

That doesn't even seem real.

I mean, it still
doesn't seem real

that it happened in that element
because I had tried it so

many times.

And that's probably
why it worked,

because it wasn't like I was
so focused on it that I put

all this pressure on myself.

The way that whole
event played out,

and the way that
people saw it happen,

and the way they saw
the determination

and the perseverance-- it
sort of transcended skating

where they thought,
this is something

beyond just a skateboard trick.

This is sort of a milestone.

And they played that
highlight on Sports Center.

That was the first
time skateboarding

was on ESPN Sports Center.

ESPN created the X
Games, but they had never

shown a highlight from that
event in their mainstream

programming.

People were stopping me in
airports and at restaurants

like, bro!

900!

It was crazy.

I really had no
idea that somehow it

would resonate like that.

I didn't think that
anyone would even care.

Suddenly, I was thrust
into the spotlight,

and my name was synonymous
with skateboarding,

and I was getting
recognized ever I went.

I mean, I got to do
Letterman because of that.

It was-- it got crazy.

It was the biggest moment
of my competition career,

and I'm still hugely
proud of that moment.

TEACHER: I had the idea to
combine two tricks, a McTwist

and a kickflip.

Little did I know how truly
difficult that would be

and how many elements had to
come into place to do that.

The idea is that you're
flipping the board on the snap.

And the snap is the most
crucial part of the McTwist.

So to be doing something
else during that time

seemed almost impossible.

And so on the snap, I'm
flicking my board into a spin

and hoping that I've sent it in
the same trajectory as my body

and as my hand.

And then I'm doing the
spin sort of second nature,

and I'm just reaching
out with my hand

hoping that the board
reaches my hand.

When I finally did
start catching my board

and getting it
back to my feet, I

realized that I didn't
have the actual spin enough

to land forward.

And it took it took a couple
years of trying that trick over

and over and over.

And then one night, there
was this really fun session.

There

Were very few vert
skaters back then.

This is probably 1994, '95.

We all just ended up converging
at the skate park in Tampa,

because it was one of the
last vert ramps in the world.

And we had this session,
and I remember it vividly.

Mike Frazier did the very
first kickflip Indy 360.

He did that during our session,
and that is sort of a building

block to what I was trying.

He did this NBD,
it's never been done.

And then I came
behind him probably

about a half hour later and
landed the first kickflip

McTwist.

But it was kind of
this milestone night

for vert skating
when vert skating was

the least appreciated form
of skating in the world.

And there were only a
handful of us that care.

But that footage lives
on and that night

lives on kind of in infamy.

I mean, I've seen
people talking about it

in recent months on Instagram.

I can't believe I
was there that night

and all this stuff happened.

And so it was pretty
magical, and I've

done it a couple of times since,
but it never felt as special

as that one night.

I say anyone that's
trying to make skateboarding

a career, the first
thing you have to know

is that you're only
as good or as popular

as your last trick
or your last video.

And you've got to keep
challenging yourself.

Doesn't matter how far you get.

Even if you're considered skater
of the year, you're number one,

you won the event, people
will forget about you

very quickly unless you
keep outdoing yourself.

And that's-- that's the key.

Like that's what's
kept me relevant

all these years is that I just
continue to challenge myself.

I didn't really care how
I rated in competition.

I didn't really-- it wasn't
about the coverage I got.

It wasn't about the
accolades that I got.

It was more about
what's the next trick.

My advice for anyone
that wants to do contests

is the first key is confidence.

Know that what
you're doing you're

capable of doing,
that you've done it

in practice hundreds of times,
because the first thing is you

hear your name called, and you
drop in, and the first instinct

is like, what--

what am I doing?

I don't know how to do this.

And if that's your
attitude, that's

how you're going to fail.

And so you have to approach
it like, oh, another practice,

another practice run just
like I did yesterday.

If you can maintain that
sense of confidence and calm,

it's going to carry you through.

But I also think that you
need to, in the beginning

especially, stay
conservative with the tricks

that you know you're going
to make, the ones that you

have dialed in.

And if that gets you to the
next stage of competition,

build upon that.

But don't keep doing
the exact same run,

because if you scored--

let's say you scored an 85
with that run in the beginning.

By the end of the
event, you're not

going to score an 85 with it.

That's just how it is.

I know it shouldn't be that way.

I know the judges shouldn't
be looking at like that,

but they want to
see improvements.

If you're trying to make a name
for yourself or you're trying

to pick up a sponsor,
the best thing you can do

is to do something unique.

Choose your own style.

Don't just copy what you
are seeing in videos.

Don't just copy the
trick of the week.

If you're doing
the kind of tricks

that people are used to seeing,
you're not going to stand out.

If you showed me a silhouette
of someone doing a trick,

I could probably tell
you who it is just

based on how they keep
their body positioning.

And that's what I love
about it is that you

have your own signature style.

And that is hugely
important, especially now.

Especially with
how diverse skating

is, there are so many
different terrains, and styles,

and disciplines to skating
that it's hard to stand out.

Some people only skate ledges.

Some people can only
skate transition.

But once you find that focus,
you find that you excel in it

and that maybe you're
going to do things

that no one else has done.

So if you have
something very unique,

you've got to run with
it, because that's

going to be your hook.

That's going to be the thing
that gets you recognized.

And at some point, you
can learn other styles.

You can become maybe one of
the most well rounded skaters

in the world.

But that hook is what maybe
gets you the recognition

in the first place.

Let's say you
competed quite a bit

or you're used to it at least.

When they call your
name, that will sometimes

give you the extra
motivation to do something

even bigger, even higher.

And I see contests runs
of mine, especially

through the late '80s, early
'90s, where I know I wasn't

going that big in practice.

I know that I didn't even
try that trick the run

before my competition run.

But you suddenly get this
energy, this adrenaline,

that will carry you
into doing things you

didn't think you're capable of.

And sometimes that
can work against you.

Sometimes that
adrenaline is too much.

And it gives you
too much confidence.

And suddenly you think like, oh,
I could do this with no speed.

And of course, you can't.

But you have the sense of
invincibility and excitement

in you that you think you can.

And so you've got to
find that balance.

And you've got to figure out how
to control that sense of hype.

Don't go all out.

Like use it.

Use it to give you a
little bit extra boost.

Use it to maybe
do that one trick

that you were considering but
weren't sure about, but don't

use it to suddenly do something
you've never done before,

because that's just--
that's not going to work.

In my era of
skateboarding, competition

was the most important thing.

The only way that you're
going to be recognized,

the only way that you're
going to get a sponsor,

the only way that you're
going to get in a magazine

is if you go to the
competition and you do well.

There was no-- there
were no skate videos.

I took competition
very seriously

because that was the only
gauge of success back then.

So I would go to
wherever the contest was

going to be in a few weeks
and practice and practice.

Practice the routine.

I would draw a
diagram of the pool

and write numbers down
in each spot of where

I'm going to do which trick.

And that's the
kind of discipline

that I had for competition
because it was that important.

And then I would
have certain tricks

that I could swap out
for harder tricks.

So let's say the
finals are three runs.

First run is a
little conservative.

It's the run that I
know I could do but has

all the elements that I like.

If I made that, the
second run is like,

well, this trick over here
is going to be a no-hander.

This one's going to be
a little bit trickier.

This one I'm going to
add a varial into it.

And sometimes that didn't work.

So the third run, I got
another shot at that.

But I think that my
whole key to competition

was be conservative
in the beginning,

do the things that you know you
can make, and build upon those.

And always have a backup plan.

I think that a lot
of the skaters that I

was skating against back then
did not have a backup plan

if they fell.

And I always knew
that if I fell,

OK, if I fall on this run,
I'm starting over there

and I'm going to go
into this routine,

because I've got to try
to maintain a score that's

going to keep me in the event.

And a lot of people when
they fall in an event,

they fall apart.

It's over.

They don't know where--
they don't know where to go.

You gotta have a backup plan.

Competing can be all consuming.

It can be your only way of life.

And it's exhausting.

And it's debilitating.

I mean when you're in that
mode, especially if you're

successful, and you have a
bad day, by all accounts,

you're done.

You suck.

You lost.

You know what I mean?

And when you're living in
that black and white world,

it's rough.

And it's depressing.

And it's lonely.

And that's why I
stopped competing,

because I didn't want
those pressures anymore.

And I did feel like
I had an outlet

for other ways of skating.

But there are people that--

I mean, especially now.

Skateboarding's in the Olympics.

There are people that
are only solely focused

on competing and training.

And it's brutal.

And if you can handle
it, more power to you.

Like if you really can maintain
that level and that creativity

but also that consistency,
then it's your calling.

But it's not for everyone.

Eventually, skate videos came
into play in the mid '80s.

It was cool for
me, because I knew

that I could compete
and do well because I

had a big bag of
tricks and I could

adapt to different terrain.

But I also knew that I had an
even bigger bag of tricks that

are not as consistent
that I could do on video

that would be more impressive.

And for me, that was
the perfect blend,

because one allowed me
this outlet for the tricks

that I really wanted to do
but I couldn't do consistently

and I couldn't do
in competition.

And suddenly this
element of video

became far more important
than the competition element.

1999, I won a bunch
of the biggest events.

The best trick contest
happened at X Games.

I did my first 900.

That obviously
got a lot of hype.

And I was already considering
not competing anymore,

so I just said I'm not
going to compete after '99.

That was it.

It was kind of like I'm either
going to end on a high note

or I'm just going to fade away.

To decide to step
away from competition

was probably a defining
moment in my life

in that it truly
allowed me to do things

that I never imagined possible,
and not just skating-wise.

Like definitely, my
skating improved greatly

after I stopped
competing because I

was free of this
conservative attitude

where I had to land the
tricks all the time.

And I was able to
step into a mode

where I was doing a
lot of exhibitions.

And I was allowed failure.

And when you're
allowed that failure,

and you can keep trying stuff,
I learned so many more tricks

within like three years after
competing that I wanted to do

but was afraid to
try because I knew

they wouldn't be consistent.

I knew I might get hurt.

It was so liberating to not
compete anymore at that point

and definitely the reason why I
was able to maintain a career,

because I didn't have to
prove myself in competition.

I just had to stay relevant.

I just had to stay progressive.

It allowed me to have
this crazy longevity.

I mean I never imagined
when I was 20 that I would

be able to skate into my 30s.

And then when I was
30, I was like that

would be cool to skate when
you're 40 like as a novelty.

And I'm 51.

And I just learned a
new trick last week.

TONY HAWK: The very
beginning of what

became Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
was Activision calling me,

because they had heard that
I was pitching a video game

to different developers.

And they said, hey,
we heard you're

trying to work on a video game.

We're actually doing a video
game with skateboarding,

and we'd like to see if
you want to be involved.

And I went up to Activision.

They handed me a
Playstation controller.

They had a bunch of suits in
this meeting in a conference

room.

On the screen was
Bruce Willis with a gun

strapped to his back
on a skateboard skating

through a desert landscape.

And I started controlling him
and doing tricks and doing

ollies and doing kickflips.

And I just immediately
sensed that this it.

This was the control scheme.

It was intuitive.

It was fun, even though I
was just doing basic tricks

on the ground.

And the reason it was Bruce
Willis is because Activision

had just done a game
called Apocalypse,

and Bruce Willis
was the star of it.

And so I realized right
then that with my resources,

with my experience,
with my connections,

we can make this something that
the skaters would really like.

And I basically
signed on right then.

NARRATOR: Tony
Hawk's Pro Skater.

Now everyone thinks they
can skate like Tony.

By the time the game
was set to come out,

Activision had offered me a
buyout of future royalties.

Substantial amount.

The kind of money I never
heard anyone speak to me.

They're like, we want to give
you a half a million dollars.

I was like, a half million
at that time in my life

sounded like someone said
a trillion billion dollars.

That seemed absurd.

And I had just hit a
stride in my skating

again where I was doing
pretty well with royalties.

I was doing pretty
well with competition.

And I had just bought a pretty
nice house, and I thought,

I don't really need that
kind of money right now.

And I'd rather let this
ride and see what happens.

And I mean, at that
time, it seemed crazy

that I would do that.

It was the best financial
decision I made in my life

for sure.

When the game came out, it
was a big success critically.

It was a pretty big success
in sales but not massive.

But they immediately started
working on the second one.

And when we got to
work on the second one,

I knew we had something that
was beyond just skating.

It was something that video
game players actually enjoyed.

And when the second
one came out,

that's when everything changed.

Because the second
one got, I mean,

it's one of the best reviewed
video games of all time.

Suddenly we had a franchise.

And suddenly people were
picking up skateboards

because they played
a video game.

And that was not
something I expected.

I expected that this
game would inspire

skaters to buy video
game systems because they

want to emulate.

They wanted to do
tricks that they wished

they could do in real life.

And then suddenly there
was this massive shift

where video gamers
or people that

just are kind of curious
about video games

bought our title first and that
inspired them to start skating.

And there's a whole
generation of kids right now

that started skating because
they played that game.

I would come home
when I was a kid--

13, 14-- and I'd tell my
dad, "I learned a new trick."

And he'd say, "There are no
more new tricks to learn."

That was his attitude in 1982.

And here we are.

There are still new
tricks to learn.

And now we're seeing
things happen that I truly

thought were impossible.

I mean the stuff
that I see people do,

that I see on video, 10
years ago, I would have said,

"It's not possible."

20 years ago, I would
have said, "You're

crazy for even
thinking about it."

And I don't see it slowing down.

CHRIS LEARY: Skateboarding
is among five new sports that

will make their Olympic debut.

The competition will
feature both male and female

skateboarders in two
different styles--

park and street.

I think this new
generation of skaters

has much more opportunity,
thanks to its inclusion

in the Olympics.

On an international scale,
it's going to change everything

because countries that have,
for the most part, discouraged

and shunned people from skating
are now going to embrace it

and are now going to give
them facilities and give them

opportunities.

And skateboarding will
be just as commonplace

in those countries as soccer.

[APPLAUSE]

And so I think that
the new generation

is very lucky in that sense.

I wanted to teach this
MasterClass because I truly

wanted to pass on the
qualities of skateboarding

that I've seen empower
people, that I've seen people

take with them to their lives.

And they weren't pro skaters.

They maybe weren't
even very good skaters,

but it taught them
a sense of values

and a sense of perseverance
that was to their advantage

much later in life.

And they always credit
skateboarding for that.

I hope that the lesson
people take away

in this class is that you
are capable of so much

more than you imagine.

And if you can just
see it through,

if you can persevere
through adversity,

through great
challenges, even injury,

you can go on to accomplish
things you never imagined.

You can go on to do
things that you'll

be immensely proud of that you
never expected to accomplish.

And it can give you a great
sense of self-confidence

that maybe you
didn't know you had.