Calling tricks in a game of SKATE

Landing tricks keeps you in a game of SKATE. Calling the right tricks wins it. The skater with the biggest bag doesn't always win; the one who sets smart usually does.

Play your strengths

Set what you land most, not your hardest trick. The set only counts if you land it first, and a miss hands the set to your opponent.

A good way to think about it: you want tricks you land eight or nine times out of ten that your opponent lands less often. A trick you land half the time is a coin flip you're giving away.

Use stances

The same trick in a different stance is a different trick:

• Regular: your normal stance.
• Fakie: your normal stance, rolling backwards.
• Switch: your opposite stance.
• Nollie: your normal stance, popping off the nose.

If your fakie game is strong, a fakie shove-it can be harder for your opponent than a regular kickflip. One trick you're comfortable with becomes four chances to set.

Read your opponent

Watch what they skate while you warm up and while you play:

• What do they avoid? If they never ride switch, switch tricks are a pressure point.
• Which way do they spin? Lots of skaters are much stronger frontside than backside, or the other way around.
• What do they land sketchy? A trick they land with one foot off is one they might miss under pressure.
• What do they set themselves? Those are their strengths. Don't feed them a chance to set those back.

Build a game plan, step by step

1. List your sure tricks. The ones you land almost every time, in every stance you can.
2. Mark the ones your opponent avoids.
3. Start with something safe to settle in.
4. Use pressure tricks when they're on a letter or two, so a miss hurts them more.
5. Save your riskiest trick for when you need it, like when you're behind and need a letter fast.

A worked example: Mia's plan

Mia knows Jay is strong in his regular stance but rarely rides switch. She lands fakie and switch shove-its almost every time, and switch ollies too.

• She opens with a regular ollie. Both land it.
• She sets a switch pop shove-it. Jay misses: S.
• She sets a fakie frontside shove-it. Jay lands it.
• She sets a switch ollie. Jay misses: K.

She hasn't tried a single trick she might miss. Jay is on S-K, and he hasn't had a chance to set his nollie heelflip once.

Say it clearly

Call the trick before you go, with the stance and the direction: "fakie frontside shove-it", not "shove-it". In person, it saves arguments. In Global SKATE, the trick is set from the game's list of 25 flat-ground tricks in Regular, Switch, Fakie or Nollie, so both of you know exactly what has to be matched.

When to change it up

If your opponent lands everything you set, change the type of trick, not just the stance. Flip, then spin, then a manual-style trick if your game allows it. If they're matching all your fakie tricks, go switch. Patterns are easy to match; surprises aren't.

Calling under pressure

The game changes when someone's close to losing:

• When they're on E, don't get greedy. Set something you're sure of that they don't love. They need one miss.
• When you're on E, you can't afford to lose the set. Stick with tricks you basically never miss.
• When it's even and late, a tough trick you land most of the time is worth more than a safe one they'll match. You need to get ahead.

Matching well is half the game

You can't control what gets set on you, but you can be ready. Practice the standard flat-ground list in every stance you can, not just your favorite ones. The skater who can match almost anything only needs a couple of good sets to win.

Common mistakes

• Setting to show off. A missed set is a free turn for them.
• Ignoring stance. You're throwing away three-quarters of your options.
• Feeding their strengths. If you miss, they set, and you might have warmed them up for their best trick.
• Calling it vaguely. "Flip trick" isn't a call.

FAQ

Should I ever set my hardest trick?

Sometimes, when you're behind and need a letter fast, or when they're on their last letter. Just know you're risking the set.

Does stance always count as a different trick?

In most house rules, yes. In Global SKATE, tricks come in Regular, Switch, Fakie or Nollie.

How do I learn what my opponent can't do?

Watch their warm-up and what they never set. Players protect their weak spots.

Next: How to ollie

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