Ollie (skateboarding trick)

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This article covers the skateboard trick. For other uses, see Ollie.

A skateboarder performing an Ollie

The Ollie is an aerial skateboarding trick, invented by Alan "Ollie" Gelfand in 1978. When doing an ollie the skateboarder leaps into the air bringing the board into the air without using their hands. The board appears to magically lift with the feet remaining in contact with the board throughout the jump. The ollie is performed by the skater bending down and pushing the end of the board down then popping back up to give the illusion of the board defying gravity. The ollie is the first and most basic trick in skateboarding and must be learned first, and then other tricks will be based on it. For example the Kickflip, which begins with an Ollie and then flick the board with front foot, so the board spins once, and then lands back on the board.

[edit] Records

A skateboarder performing an Ollie over a gap.

The highest official Ollie from flat ground is 44.5 inches , performed by Danny Wainwright, although Jose Marabotto from Peru was seen on a video from the early '90s clearing a stack of boards estimated at over 50 inches (127 cm).^[1] The highest official switch ollie is 40.125 inches (101.92 cm), performed by Alex Bland in a similar Switch Ollie competition.^[2]

Rob Dyrdek has also set a record by doing 215 ollies straight. This was performed on the TV show "Rob and Big". Proof can be found in the 2009 version of Guiness Book of World Records.

[edit] Variations

Nollie, an Ollie performed while riding backwards in switch stance.
Fakie Ollie an Ollie performed while riding backwards.
Switch Ollie, an Ollie done while riding switch.
Ollie 180, an Ollie where the skateboarder and the skateboard rotate in a 180 degree spin after leaving the ground. Both the skateboarder and the skateboard rotate in the same direction (Frontside or Backside) with the skateboarders feet sticking to the skateboard. When the skateboarder lands the trick they will be riding switch in the same direction they were previously going.
Nollie 180, just like the Ollie 180 but done from a Nollie.
Half-Cab, just like the Ollie 180 but done while riding fakie.
Switch Ollie 180, just like the Ollie 180 but done from a Switch Ollie.
Ollie North, an Ollie where the front foot is kicked forward over the nose of the board. Sometimes called a one-foot ollie, even though both feet are used to perform the trick.
Ollie South, an Ollie where the back foot is boned straight down (after popping the board) while the front foot levels out the board, and then the back foot is brought back up to catch the tail of the board to stop the momentum of the tail from rising to high above the nose of the board.
Boned Ollie, an ollie where the board is dipped down and the legs are practically horizontal, similar to a "Melon Grab" however there is no grab.