A couple days ago we covered spin trick definitions, so now lets cover rail tricks. Rail trick names can be a little confusing especially because backside and frontside have different meanings for performing rail tricks.
The Basics
For rail tricks, backside and frontside are measured by which side of the rail you approach the trick from.
Frontside
You approach with the rail/box in front of your body
Backside
You approach with the rail/box behind your body
Spinning Onto Rails
When spinning onto rails, you have 2 options.
Easy Way
This means you spin towards the rail. So if the rail if to your left, you spin left. No extra words are added to the trick if done the easy way.
Eg: Cab 270 On
Hard Way
This means you spin in the direction away from the rail. So if the rail is to your left, you’d spin right. When a trick is done the hard way, we usually add ‘hardway’ to the trick name.
Eg: Hardway 270 On
Spinning Off Rails
Just like spinning onto rails, you can spin off rails the easy way or hard way. We call this Pretzel or Bagel.
Bagel
You spin off the rail in the same direction that you span onto the rail. No one really adds ‘Bagel’ to the name of a trick that’s done this way, just like we don’t add ‘Easyway’ when you spin onto a rail the easy way.
Look at any of the above videos to see a standard bagel off.
Pretzel
You spin off the rail in the opposite direction that you span on. When spinning off the hard way, we add ‘Pretzel’ to the name of the trick.
Switch Up
This means that during your boardslide/lipslide, you hop, spin another 180 degrees and continue the slide.
Rail Tricks
Boardslide
A 90 degree spin towards the rail, landing with your board at a 90 degree angle on the rail.
Lipslide
Also a 90 degree spin, except you spin the hardway onto the rail.
50-50
No spin onto the rail/box. You jump onto it and ride straight down it.
Nosepress & Tailpress
The same as a 50-50 except you shift your weight to your nose or tail and lift the other end up.
Michael Jackson
You ride across the box on the toe edge of your board.
I hope this was helpful to you and made rail trick names a little less confusing. Good luck and happy sliding!