Fakie and switch, explained

Fakie and switch are two words that confuse a lot of people, including people who've been skating for a while. Both feel "backwards", but they're different things, and in a game of SKATE they're different tricks.

Stance first

Your stance is which foot you ride with in front:

• Regular: left foot forward.
• Goofy: right foot forward.

Most people have one that feels natural. That's your normal stance.

Fakie

Fakie means you're in your normal stance, but rolling backwards. Your feet are in their usual spots; you're just going the other way. The tail is now leading.

Fakie is usually easier to learn than switch because your feet are where they always are. You end up riding fakie every time you roll back down a ramp without turning, or land a 180.

Switch

Switch means riding with your opposite stance: if you're regular, you ride goofy, and the other way around. You're rolling forward, but everything is mirrored. It's like a righty writing with their left hand.

Switch is usually much harder to learn, because your body has to do everything the other way.

How to tell them apart

Look at the feet and the direction:

• Same feet as usual, rolling backward: fakie.
• Opposite feet, rolling forward: switch.
• Same feet, rolling forward, popping off the nose: nollie.

Learning fakie

1. Roll fakie on flat ground. Push normally, then let yourself roll backward a little on a slight hill or after a push.
2. Roll fakie down ramps. Every time you go up a ramp and come back down without turning.
3. Fakie ollies: pop the tail (which is now leading) and slide your front foot.
4. Fakie tricks: fakie shove-its, fakie kickflips, half-cabs.

Learning switch

1. Push switch around a parking lot. It'll feel awful at first.
2. Ride switch until it feels normal.
3. Switch ollies: pop with your opposite foot.
4. Your easiest trick switch: usually a shove-it or a 180.

A worked example: a three-trick set

Jay's game of SKATE plan is built around one trick, the pop shove-it:

1. Regular pop shove-it. His opponent matches.
2. Fakie pop shove-it. His opponent matches.
3. Switch pop shove-it. His opponent misses: letter.

Same trick, three stances, three different sets. Learning fakie and switch gives you more sets from tricks you already have.

In SKATE

Fakie and switch versions count as different tricks. In Global SKATE, tricks come in Regular, Switch, Fakie or Nollie. Calling tricks in a game of SKATE covers how to use them.

Pushing switch, step by step

Switch skating starts with just riding. Most people find switch pushing the hardest part, so get it out of the way:

1. Put your switch front foot (your normal back foot) over the front bolts.
2. Push with your switch back foot, your normal front foot.
3. Start slow, in a parking lot or a smooth, empty place.
4. Practice turning, carving both ways, and stopping.
5. Do it every session for a while. It gets better quickly with repetition.

Switch on ramps

On a mini ramp, you ride fakie every time you come back down without turning, so fakie gets practiced naturally. Switch on ramps is harder: dropping in switch, pumping switch and doing kickturns switch all feel new. Many ramp skaters work on their switch dropping in and carving once their regular stance is comfortable.

Fakie on flat ground

Rolling fakie on flat ground is good practice for landing 180s and for fakie tricks. Push forward, then let the board roll backward on a very slight slope, or do a 180 and roll away fakie. Keep your knees bent and look where you're going, over your shoulder.

Why bother with switch?

Switch makes you a more complete skater: every trick you learn switch is a new trick, and you can do lines that go both ways. In a game of SKATE, switch is a whole new set of tricks to set and match. And it's fun to feel like a beginner again on a trick you already know.

Common mistakes

• Mixing up fakie and switch. Fakie is normal stance, backward. Switch is opposite stance, forward.
• Only learning regular. You're missing three stances of sets.
• Giving up on switch fast. It takes a long time to feel normal.

FAQ

Is fakie easier than switch?

Usually, yes. Your feet stay in their normal spots.

What's a half-cab?

A fakie frontside 180.

What's the hardest stance?

For most people, switch.

Does riding fakie down a ramp count as a trick?

Rolling fakie is just a direction. Tricks done from it are fakie tricks.

Next: Finding good spots

Join the testers at skatelabs.app/testers and play a Game of SKATE with your friends. Global SKATE is free and in testing on iPhone and Android.