In our recent ‘5 minutes with…the World Freestyle Edition’, we asked Portuguese skater Fransisco Patrone what he teaches new-to-freestyle skateboarders. Wheelies were second on his list of foundational tricks:
I usually start with that and I [then] move onto manuals like wheelies, one-wheelers, one-footers, all sorts of manual variations.
But what is a wheelie? Wheelies are any kind of trick that involves riding on two wheels instead of four. They are also known as manuals, but in freestyle circles, you’re more likely to hear the original term ‘wheelie’.
‘I know 99% of the skateboard world calls these manuals now. There’s a difference, though – a manual is done on an obstacle, a wheelie is done on the flat – and I’m stubbornly clinging on to that…’ (Tony Gale, 2018)
‘Wheelies are if you just roll into it. Manuals are if you trick into or pop into it.’ (Robby Williams, 2017)
Regardless of what people call it, the wheelie/manual (the ‘wheenual’ or ‘manlie’?) is key to all forms of skateboarding. In the first week of his Skate IQ program, Mitchie Brusco (2024) talks about the necessity of the two-wheeled balance: ‘Being able to put your tail on the ground, being able to hold manuals—these are skills that sit underneath every trick you do.’ And if you think about it, Brusco is right. It’s there at the start of every ollie, just before you pop the tail. It’s also there to save you from the concrete when you unintentionally shift your weight too far back during a kickturn on transition (or, in the case of freestyle, land too far back on the board after exiting truck stand).
Like a decent kick push, a competent wheelie is a great confidence builder. But it’s a skill that doesn’t happen overnight, so the sooner you start working on them, the sooner you’ll get them. Squeeze in ten minutes of wheelie practice every session. While catching up with the crew, instead of standing around, chuck in some stationary wheelie work. Give your knees a break from high-intensity tricks by mixing things up with some rolling wheelies.
For skaters who have difficulty committing to the monotony that is wheelie practice, Sarah Park-Matott has posted a video on how she makes things more fun.
Some freestylers might not immediately see the benefits of working on wheelies, since they’re not hung up on ollie-based tricks. Nevertheless, wheelies are good to have in the trick bag if you’re planning to participate in freestyle competitions. They help you move around a lot, meeting the ‘use of floor space’ judging criteria. At this year’s World Freestyle Skateboarding Championships (WFSC 2025), Danny Klahold rolled out stylish one-footed wheelies and nose wheelies to take over most of the contest area.
They also add much-needed movement and variety to a run. Yep, wheelies come in all shapes, speeds, and sizes and it takes a good freestyler to make use of some of the gnarlier variants, such as the coconut wheelie and the tuck-knee nose wheelie.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the various weird and wonderful subcategories of wheelies, Open Source’s Beau Trifiro was good enough to demonstrate the main ones, with help from Robby Williams.
Each subcategory has a bunch of variations. WFSC 2025 showcased hang ten spacewalks from Tobias Bamacher, one-foot coconut wheelies from Kai Tanabe, heelside coconut wheelies from Yuzuki Kawazaki, and a handstand wheelie from Ismal Pérez. Also, Hitome Komatsu used all kinds of daffy/yeah-right-manual variations in her ninety-second run. All of these tricks are proof that wheelies, when done well, can be ‘bangers’ in their own right.
So, yeah, wheelies will help you skate better, but they’ll also give your freestyle lines a boost too. Give them the attention they deserve: dedicate some time to two-wheeled balance practice today.
REFERENCES
- Brusco, M (19 October 2024), ‘Day 4‘, YouTube, accessed 30 June 2025
- Gale, T (27 June 2018), ‘Re: Freestyle Tricktip 8: Wheelies‘ , YouTube, accessed 28 July 2025
- Trifiro B and Williams R (18 August 2017), ‘Different Types of Wheelies and Manuals‘, YouTube, accessed 28 July 2025
Must practice more wheelies…