The professional scooter community has its own terminology. Whether you're just starting out or trying to understand what your child is discussing after a session, this glossary explains the tricks, jargon, and technical terms used in the stunt scooter environment — from basic skatepark terms to competitive language.
180 – A manoeuvre where both the rider and scooter turn 180 degrees together. Can be executed frontside or backside, on flat ground, off a ramp, or over a gap.
360 – A complete 360-degree rotation by both the rider and scooter. A key trick in every rider's repertoire and the basis for more complex spins.
540 – One and a half rotations (360 + 180). Typically done on a transition or in the air off a ramp.
720 – Two complete rotations while airborne. A high-level move demanding considerable airtime and dedication.
900 – Two and a half rotations. Rarely achieved, usually witnessed only among elite pro riders with significant airtime.
Air – Any trick carried out with both wheels off the ground. Used broadly: "he caught significant air off that quarter."
Axle – The metal rod that passes through the front fork and rear wheel deck, where the wheels are attached. The width of the axle influences stability and compatibility with decks.
Banger – An outstanding trick, often the most remarkable or impressive in a session or video clip. "That was a highlight."
Bar Spin (Barspin) – A move where the rider lets go of the handlebars, spins them 360 degrees around the steerer tube, and catches them again — all while staying on the scooter. One of the most essential and recognizable scooter tricks.
Barspin to Fakie – Executing a barspin while rolling backwards. Requires the rider to commit to the backward roll rather than stepping off.
Bearings – The small steel ball-bearing units located inside each wheel hub that enable smooth rotation. ABEC ratings indicate precision — higher ratings result in less friction and a smoother ride.
Berm – A banked, curved section of a pump track or skatepark designed to maintain speed through curves.
Body Varial – A trick where the rider jumps and rotates their body independently from the scooter, which remains stationary or continues on its path momentarily.
Brake – The deck-mounted friction pad at the scooter's rear that applies pressure to the back wheel to slow or halt. Most professional scooters use a simple spring-loaded brake plate.
Bri Flip (Briflip) – A move originating from BMX, adapted for scooters: the deck flips outward as the rider performs a jump. Named after BMX rider Brian Castillo.
Bunny Hop – Simultaneously lifting both wheels off the ground without a ramp — relying solely on body movement and the deck’s spring. Essential for overcoming obstacles and linking tricks.
Buttercup – Community slang for a rider who easily bails out or avoids committing to challenging tricks.
Caged Bearings – Bearings housed in a plastic or metal cage that keeps them evenly spaced. Standard on most wheels.
Casper – A stall trick where the scooter briefly balances on the underside of the deck with the wheels airborne, requiring the rider to maintain the position before returning to the riding stance.
Clamp – The component that attaches the handlebars to the fork steerer tube. Available in single, double, triple, and quad clamp configurations — more clamps generally provide a more secure connection under stress.
Combo – A series of two or more tricks performed in quick succession without pausing. Competition runs are typically structured around combos.
Complete – A fully assembled scooter ready for riding, as opposed to a custom build made from individual components. A complete is the typical starting point for beginners.
Compression System – The mechanism holding the fork and headset together inside the scooter's neck. The main types include HIC (Hidden Internal Compression), IHC (Inverted HIC), SCS (Standard Compression System), and ICS (Internal Compression System). Selecting the appropriate compression is crucial when building a custom scooter.
Crankflip – A trick where the deck flips horizontally (rotating around its vertical axis) while the rider is in the air. Similar to a skateboard kickflip.
Crossfooted – A stance in which the rider's feet are crossed during a trick or stall, adding difficulty and style points.
Cutback – A sharp turn where the rider changes direction to return to their starting point, often used to reset position in a bowl or on a transition.
Dead Sailor – A position in the air where the rider goes limp and extends both arms and legs outward while still holding the handlebars. Purely for style.
Deck – The standing platform of the scooter. Deck width, length, and concave shape vary between models and impact how tricks feel underfoot. Professional decks generally measure 4–5.5 inches in width.
Deck Width – Measured in inches. Wider decks offer more stability, while narrower ones are lighter and favored by technical riders.
Drop In – Entering a ramp or bowl from the top lip instead of riding in from the flat ground. This requires committing to the steep angle and leaning into the transition.
Fakie – Riding backward — opposite to your usual stance. Tricks done fakie are generally considered more challenging than their forward variants.
Flair – A backflip combined with a 180-degree spin, usually executed on a quarter pipe. It stands out as one of the most visually striking tricks in scootering.
Flat Ground – Tricks performed on flat surfaces without ramps or obstacles. Flat ground is where the basic trick vocabulary is typically developed.
Flow – Smooth, seamless riding with natural transitions between tricks. A rider with good flow makes a complete run appear effortless.
Fork – The part that connects the front wheel to the steering tube. The strength and design of the fork impact how the scooter handles, especially during landings.
Frontside – Approaching or spinning in the direction your toes point. This is the opposite of backside.
Gap – The distance between two surfaces that a rider jumps over or across. Gap tricks are partly evaluated based on the distance cleared.
Grind – A trick where the rider slides or grinds along an edge or rail using the axle, deck, or brake. Common grinds include the 50-50 (both axles on the rail), feeble (front axle on the rail, back wheel over), and smith (rear axle on the rail with the deck angled downward).
Grips – The rubber or foam grips at the end of the bars. Bar end plugs are inserted inside the grip ends for safety.
Grom – A young or less experienced rider. It's a term used in skateboarding, BMX, and scootering without any negative connotation — simply indicating someone at the start of their riding journey.
Handlebar Height – The measurement from the deck to the top of the bars. Preferences vary; taller bars are suitable for taller riders or those who favor a more upright stance for barspins.
Headset – The bearing system in the scooter's neck that enables smooth steering of the fork and bars. Integrated headsets are standard in modern pro scooters.
HIC (Hidden Internal Compression) – A compression system that utilizes an oversized fork steerer tube. It is popular for its easy height adjustment and compatibility with standard handlebars.
Hip – A ramp feature where two quarter pipes meet at an angle, creating a corner in the transition. Riders use hips to change direction while remaining on the ramp.
ICS (Internal Compression System) – A compression system incorporated into the steerer tube, commonly found in entry-level and mid-range complete scooters.
IHC (Inverted HIC) – A compression system similar to HIC but uses a shim instead of an oversized fork. It is lighter than SCS and works with slit clamps.
Inward – A trick direction that rotates towards the rider's heelside (inward relative to their stance). For example, an inward barspin requires the bars to spin opposite to a standard barspin.
Jam – An informal, unstructured session where riders gather, try tricks, and motivate each other without competitive scoring.
Kickless – A barspin executed without the rider kicking the bars to initiate the spin — relying solely on wrist motion. It is considered a cleaner style.
Kicker – A small portable or fixed ramp with a steep angle, used for launching into the air for tricks. It is popular for street riding when a full skatepark isn't available.
Ledge – A raised concrete or metal edge used for grinding and stalling. It is a key element in street-style riding.
Line – The path a rider chooses through a skatepark or street section, linking obstacles and tricks into one continuous sequence. A strong line is as important as the difficulty of individual tricks in competitions.
Lock In – The moment a grind trick locks into place on an edge or rail. A clean lock-in indicates the rider is balanced and committed to the grind.
Manual – Balancing on only the rear wheel while moving, without pedalling (since there are no pedals). This is the scooter's version of a skateboard manual.
Nose Manual – Balancing on only the front wheel while moving forward. It is harder to control than a standard manual.
Opposite (Oppo) – Performing a trick in the non-dominant direction. For instance, an opposite barspin spins the bars in the reverse direction of the rider's natural spin.
Park – This scooter discipline is concentrated on skatepark obstacles such as ramps, bowls, quarters, and hips. Park riding is a key format in competitive scootering.
Pegs – Metal pegs that can be attached to the axles of some scooters for grinding on rails and ledges, or to serve as a foot platform. Less frequently used on scooters than on BMX bikes, but featured in certain riding styles.
Pro Scooter – A stunt scooter specifically engineered for tricks and skatepark usage. It's non-adjustable, non-foldable, and constructed to endure the repeated impacts of park and street riding. Not to be confused with scooters meant for commuting or recreational use.
Pump – Generating speed by utilizing body movements to propel through transitions without touching the ground. Crucial for building momentum on ramps.
Quarter Pipe – A curved ramp that rises from flat ground to a vertical or nearly vertical wall, named for its quarter-circle shape. The most frequent transition feature in skateparks.
Rail – A metal bar, which can be straight or curved, used for grinding tricks. Rails are generally freestanding or attached to a kicker.
Rewind – Spinning in one direction and then reversing the spin before landing. For instance, a rewind barspin involves spinning the bars out and then returning them to the original position.
Run – A timed competitive session where a rider performs their best tricks. Competition runs typically last 45–60 seconds.
SCS (Standard Compression System) – A compression system employing a split clamp around the steerer tube. Stronger and more stable than HIC or IHC, making it favored by heavier or more aggressive riders. It is slightly heavier than the alternatives.
Scoot – Abbreviation for scooter, used by riders similarly to how skaters use "board."
Session – A period of unstructured riding. It can take place at a skatepark, a street spot, or any rideable location.
Shred – To ride skillfully and aggressively. "He completely shredded that bowl."
Signature (Sig) Trick – A trick closely linked to a specific rider — their signature move. Often named after or popularized by that rider.
Smith Grind – A grind performed solely on the rear axle, with the front wheel hanging over the obstacle and the deck inclined downward. Borrowed from skateboarding.
Spine – A ramp feature consisting of two quarter pipes aligned back-to-back and sharing a common peak, allowing riders to transition between the two sides.
Stall – A trick where the rider momentarily stops on an obstacle — such as a coping, ledge, or rail — in a balanced position before riding back in. Common stalls include the axle stall, deck stall, and tail stall.
Steerer Tube – The vertical tube on top of the fork that fits into the neck of the scooter deck. The compression system is located inside the steerer tube.
Street – The discipline of riding using real-world urban obstacles like ledges, stairs, rails, gaps, and walls, rather than purpose-built skatepark features. Street riding and park riding each have distinct competition formats.
T-Bar – Handlebar configuration shaped like the letter T. This is the most common bar shape in professional scootering.
Tail Whip (Whip) – A trick where the rider kicks the deck around the bars in a full 360-degree rotation while airborne and catches it with their feet before landing. One of the most iconic scooter tricks, forming the basis for many combo variations.
Tech – Technically demanding riding that emphasizes complex, precise tricks over raw aggression or height. A tech rider typically prefers flat ground or low obstacles.
Threaded Fork – An older fork design employing a threaded steerer tube and locknut compression. Largely replaced by modern threadless compression systems on professional-level scooters.
Toe Jam – Catching a toe on the deck or bars during a trick, usually resulting in a fall. The scooter equivalent of a shinner.
Transition (Tranny) – The curved part of a ramp that connects the flat bottom to the vertical wall. Riding transition requires a different technique from flat ground.
Truck – The front axle assembly (fork and wheel). Sometimes used interchangeably with "fork" in casual conversation, though technically distinct.
Vert – Ramps that curve from horizontal to vertical, typically found on a half-pipe. Vert riding demands significantly more speed and air time than park or street riding.
Wallride – Riding up and along a near-vertical wall surface using momentum, then dropping back to the ground. This can be used to perform tricks off the wall.
Wax – Applied to ledges and rails to reduce friction and make grinds and stalls slide more smoothly. Skate wax functions the same way across all board and wheel sports.
Whiplash – Commonly used slang within the community to describe a rider who regularly performs complex whip variations.
Whip – Abbreviation for tail whip. Often used independently, as in "he executed a whip out of the bowl."
Y-Bar – A handlebar design where the cross brace forms a Y shape instead of a straight T, providing extra stiffness when under significant pressure.