Here are some skateboarding terms that you might want to brush up on before you hit the streets:

Back-side: When you have your back toward the object or you spin your body around backward.

Bail: Intentionally landing (hopefully) on one’s feet or otherwise to avoid injury in the case of a trick which has not been preformed properly or cannot be landed (“chickening out,” etc.).

Carve: 1. To turn when all four wheels are in contact with the riding surface. 2. When performing an aerial, to do so in an arc, as opposed to straight up and down.

Drop-in: To enter a ramp (usually a half-pipe, quarter-pipe, pool, etc.).

Fakie: A word used to signify the skater is going backward while standing in his standard position.

Front-side: When you are facing an object to do a trick onto it or when you spin your body around forward.

Goofy foot: The name for the sideways stance on a skateboard that indicates the right foot in the forward position (on the nose).

Gyrate: The “pumping” motion a skater makes, usually on a ramp, to propel himself up the transitions and to gain speed. By moving body weight in one direction and then the other in conjunction with the curve and flat of the ramp, enough speed can be achieved to perform any trick. This motion is much like that used by a person in a playground swing-set.

Grind: A trick done on any sharp lip where the truck(s) comes in contact with the edge of the pool, curb, ramp, etc.

Hang up: To catch the back wheels or truck on an object, a skater is trying to go over or re-enter from. Doesn’t necessarily indicate a slam.

Kickturn: A turn, usually 180 degrees, done by lifting the front wheels by applying pressure to the tail or “unweighting” (taking weight off) the front foot.

Lock: To catch the back wheels or truck on coping as the board re-enters the ramp. Indicates the board stopped dead, or locked.

Lip: The edge of any obstacle that a skateboarder rides. On ramps, the lip usually is completed with coping. On a bank or curb, the square or angled corner is the lip.

Manual: The balancing act of riding a skateboard on two wheels, either the back two (manual) or the front two (nose manual).

Pivot: A trick or part of a trick where the truck touches the top of the lip or coping for just a moment before re-entry.

Powerslide: A rotation of the board to any number of degrees by sliding the wheels on a surface, instead of kickturning or otherwise turning.

Quarter-pipe: A ramp that is equal to or nearly equal to one quarter of a 360 pipe. A quarter may, but usually doesn’t reach vertical, and usually are made with a radius of 5 feet (tight) to 8 feet (less tight).

Regular foot: The name for the sideways stance on a skateboard, which indicates the left foot in the forward position (on the nose).