Flatlandia

Optimising your skateboard for truck stands

A skateboarder pogos their longboard. — Longboard pogos.

You can truck stand on most things skateboard-shaped.

But you probably wouldn’t want to fan flip, carousel, turkey wrap, or try any of the weird and wonderful truck transfers on anything other than a setup optimised for truck-stand tricks.

“Setup matters…every half a percent you can gain in your favor from mods or shape, is a half a percent closer to the big moves you want.’

Dan Harrigan on truck modifcations (2025)

So what hardware makes truck stands easier?

Boards for truck stands

Certain board shapes will fight or facilitate freestyle tricks, and truck stands are no exception to the rule.

Single kicks with a flat nose, or a double kick with one very mellow kick, will stand more upright in pogo and handed truck stand.

‘Single kicks are a must if you want to actually do truck tricks consistently….as having an angle makes it so hard to actually get an understanding of the movement you need to do.’

Rohan Cowley on board shapes for truck stands (2026)

4 different skateboard kick angles — Kick angles: 1) flat (Toxic’s Denny Riordon reissue) 2) very mellow kick (Waltz Skateboarding’s Karaoke) 3) mellow kick (Moonshine Skateboards’ Capra) 4) standard popsicle kick

On a flat or mellow kick, avoid too much length. The longer the kick, the higher the centre of gravity while in truck stand. You want a low centre of gravity while doing these types of tricks, since this allows you to tilt the board at greater angles before gravity pulls you down.

Also, if you plan on doing a lot of no-handed 50-50s, zero or minimal concave will help minimise foot ouchies.

Trucks for truck stands

Trucks are the main point of contact you have with your skateboard while doing truck stands, so even the smallest design details can affect how these types of tricks feel.

Some trucks have a blocky section on the baseplate; others have a cylindrical section. If you have options and you aren’t planning on grinding curbs (and why would you with a freestyle board), always choose blocky trucks. Squarish, flat things are easier to stand and balance on; rounded things are not.

Close up on a Paris 108 truck and a Bullet 110 truck — Blocky Paris 108 trucks (left) versus cylindrical Bullet 110 trucks (right).

Trucks also come in different heights: low, mid and high. High-profile trucks, such as the ones from Ace and Paris, give you more space to stand on while in truck stand. There are trade-offs, like reduced stability when rolling fast and a heavier setup that takes more effort to flip, so going for taller trucks may not always be the best option.

Also, trucks with flattish hangers are less likely to dig into the legs while pogoing.

A Decomposed Gashadokuro truck with a Decomposed sticker and ACE skate tool. — In regards to Gashadokuro trucks: ‘Every super small detail on that truck has a reason behind its design’ (Decomposed’s Witter Cheng), including flat hangers for happy legs.

Modifications for better balance

Skid plates! Not only do they prolong the life of the kicks, they also increase their thickness, effectively doubling the surface area in contact with the ground and therefore making balancing easier. In Australia, skid plates are available from the Flatlandia shop or Aikenheads (Perth).

Risers are sometimes used to create a bigger platform for the foot to stand on. But, similar to high-profile trucks, they have their disadvantages.

Longer bolts and extra nuts are a good option for freestylers who prefer low-profile trucks but still want a bigger platform to stand on for truck tricks.

A close up of Paolo Virgilio Demurtas' skateboard truck. — For easier truck stands, Never Enough freestyler Paolo Virgilio Demurtas uses extra long bolts on his setup.

You can find a variety of risers and bolts at most skate shops.

Modifications for better traction

Trucks are shiny, slippery things to stand on, especially if it’s been a sweaty kind of session. Land the foot slightly wrong and it’s going to slide off and you’ll end up with a credit-card situation. So stick some griptape offcuts on your trucks.

Close up of a skateboard truck with griptape on the baseplate. — A small square of griptape on the trucks makes a big difference.

Some flatground can be quite slippery too. This isn’t a problem if you can choose how and where you skate. However, sometimes you might not have either option available.

This is what happened to Dan Harrigan who found himself having to deal with what he describes as the ‘glassy smooth surface’ at the World Round-Up. ‘Being truck heavy in my trick selection, it was absolutely necessary to not die every trick.

He created more grip by taping his kicks with Gorilla Tape and survived his run, unlike some other contestants. ‘Then I found other benefits outside of the contest and stuck with it. Dependable traction and reduced board wear at the top for sure. Also [using Gorilla tape] helps protect your fingers a bit too from the griptape.’

Harrigan insists that you must use Gorilla Tape, not hockey tape or duct tape.

Taping up the skateboard kicks with Gorilla Tape. — Dan Harrigan’s process of taping up his kicks.

Modifications for happier legs

Swapping out the factory kingpins with inverted kingpins won’t necessarily make your truck-stand tricks better, but they will save your legs, especially for tricks like multiple saran wraps or multiple pogos.

Or you could invest in some shin guards. We at Flatlandia always put on our Decomposed Bruise Blockers before working on truck tricks; they’re the best.

Finally, if your legs are still turning purple in spite of the inverted kingpins and shin guards, say hello to Hello Kitty foam tape.

A close-up of Witter Cheng's skateboard, with the trucks taped up with foam tape. — Witter Cheng’s solution to trucks digging into his calves: Hello Kitty foam tape!

The new year’s freestyle-community aspirations

A bunch of us were looking forward to attending the first Australian freestyle skateboarding contest in decades, scheduled to happen in March 2026. Freestyle contests have a different vibe to other skateboarding contests. Contestant runs are synced to music, showcasing a creative mix of footwork and unusual flatground tricks.

It’s been decades since we’ve seen a freestyle skateboarding contest Down Under.

Unfortunately, the planned March contest has been put on hold, so the Melbourne crew has started planning another contest for 2027.

The first step towards a national contest is setting up a not-for-profit (NFP) for the Australian freestyle skateboarding community. This will open up access to much-needed government grants and corporate sponsorship.

And because Flatlandia is one of the places for getting info about the local scene, we’re asking you to participate in our survey that will

give us an idea of what the Australian freestyle skateboarding community looks like
what kind of outcomes Aussie freestylers are wanting from the NFP, and
what level of volunteering individuals are able to commit to

The survey will be open until end of March 2026. If you are an Australian or an Australian resident who has an interest in freestyle skateboarding, please participate in the survey and share this post with your like-minded homies.

How to handstand + skateboard without ‘falling on your face’

An illustration of pioneer skateboarder Patti McGee by Veronika Rehm. — *Patti McGee* (2004) by Veronika Rehm (IG: @veronika.rehm)

Handstand tricks have been around since the early days of skateboarding and even featured on the front of Life magazine, thanks to trailblazers like Patti McGee who demoed them for Hobie Skateboards in the 1960s.

Bert Mathieson flips out of a rail handstand during his run at WFSC 2025 (Germany).

Nowadays, practitioners like Bert Mathieson (IG: @gaspskate) and Ismael Pérez (IG: @isma_pl, YT: @isma_pl) continue to push the boundaries of what can be done upside-down.

The handstand is more of a foundational skill for gymnasts than skaters, making it an intimidating skateboarding trick to learn. We’ve gathered some mates, both local and abroad, to share tips on how to safely approach them.

Chunny Baker (Australia)

Melbourne-based Chunny Baker (IG: @chunbaker, YT: @chunbaker) is a body weight coach with experience in parkour and callisthenics.

When it comes to handstands on or off the board, Chunny emphasises the importance of warm-ups in reducing strain and or injury. ‘Even a small couple of minutes before trying a handstand can make the difference of being more successful and an attempt leaving you complaining about body soreness.’

Mobility exercises should focus on wrists and shoulders. Wrists need the TLC because we’re not walking on our hands in everyday life. Shoulders also need some love because they are ‘complicated’ and ‘a quick mobilisation will drastically help not screwing up the shoulder in a handstand attempt’.

For wrists, Chunny recommends the following:

Wrist circles – in a table-top position with palms on the ground (or any flat surface) gently move the shoulders over the wrists in a circular motion in both directions.
Wrist double circles – same as normal wrist circles, but this version slowly rotates the wrists out like a clock every couple of body circles.
Wrist shakes – shaking wrists in a gentle up and down motion after any weight through the wrists can help relieve tension and allow blood flow back through the wrists.
Wrist sweeps – clasp the hands, palms pressed together, and move the wrists through the full range of motion up and down in a prayer-like movement. Then press the back of the wrists together and repeat the movement.

For shoulders, he shares two exercises:

Arm swings/rotations – moving the arms/shoulders through their range of motion (upward swings, side swings, full circles) will help mobilise and open up the shoulders.
Shoulder shrugs – some light shrugs help prep the shoulders for vertical motion. Bonus points given to those who also do a round with arms raised.

‘A quick wrist prep/warm-up can help save your wrists from screaming at you like an angry Karen’ (Chunny Baker), so do your warm-ups, people. And don’t forget those shoulders!

When he’s not freeskating or longboard dancing, Chunny does a bit of handstand practice on a regular skateboard. When doing these types of handstands, he has noticed that balancing over the trucks’ bolts keeps the weight centred. Spreading the fingers also creates a solid base for balancing. Finally, like with off-board handstands, ‘kicking up both feet together from a tucked position…has less torque and momentum than kicking up one leg at a time, but does require a sturdy base through the hands and a more engaged core’.

Jenna Hoffmann (Germany)

East Frisian Skateboards team rider Jenna Hoffmann (IG: @j_to_the_enna) has been working through the gamut of freestyle-skateboarding trick classes. One of her latest projects is handstand tricks and she has been sharing her progress on the socials.

In her quest to avoid the dreaded banana or scorpion back, Jenna is focusing on straight arms. ‘When your hands touch the floor, it is as if you are pushing the floor completely away from you. This is how you get straight arms.’

A series of photos capturing Jenna Hoffmann's handstand. — Straight arms is one key ingredient for a good handstand, according to Jenna Hoffmann.

A ’rounded back’ is another goal of hers, pressing her stomach against her back and keeping her head between her shoulders. With the hips, a controlled swing is what she’s looking for, to avoid flipping over with the legs.

Josh Dunstone (Australia)

Pro freestyler Josh Dunstone (IG: @jdstonefreestyle), who we have interviewed previously, has been practising rolling handstands to add to his repertoire of gymnast plants and rail handstands.

While we filmed his attempts, we asked him how he bails safely out of this trick. He rattled off a bunch of pointers, including off-board training, clearing pebbles, and taking regular breaks during the skate sesh.

Josh Dunstone discusses handstand safety whilst learning a new handstand trick (Dec 2025).

Terry Synnott (USA)

Mode Skateboards founder and freestyle master Terry Synnott made consistent handstand tricks part of his job while working as a performer for Cirque du Soleil. According to his interview with Villa Freestyle, he even had to do one in front of President Clinton (no pressure!).

Being a handstand veteran, he had a couple of safety tips to share:

Proper handstand form (hips over shoulders over hands) is essential. You should be pushing through your shoulders and straightening your arms, extending your legs, and pointing your toes. Proper form not only looks better, but it also allows for making minor handstand adjustments if you need to make corrections while upside down.

A special consideration for rail handstands is to make sure you are beginning the railstand on a level surface, You should reposition if you happen to set up in a dip in the ground. I find that palming the wheels and gripping them tightly helps lock in well and gives you the necessary stability to stall the handstand. And as with everything, practice and adjust your approach to figure out what works best for you.

A final note

All four practitioners highlighted the importance of good handstand form for successful, injury-free handstand attempts on a skateboard, so invest the time and effort into learning good technique before just ‘winging it’. Best of luck with your handstand attempts and don’t forget to share them with us on your socials.

Skate IQ for freestyle: 2025 in review

Last December, I signed up to the Skate IQ program* run by Tyler Stroud and Mitchie Brusco. After a month of lurking on their community forum and muddling through drills, I penned my thoughts on how Skate IQ could help freestyle skateboarders. Since then, it has been the highest read post of 2025, far more interesting to casual readers than Mike Osterman playing UFO 50 in his downtime or interviews from World Freestyle Skateboarding Championships 2025.

The review is at risk of being dated though because the team at Skate IQ are very good at taking on board feedback. So, as the end of 2025 approaches, here are some more freestyler thoughts on the Skate IQ program.

More pricing options

In my original post, I touched on membership pricing as a potential barrier for entry. Not everyone can afford US$49 each month, especially during a cost of living crisis. Luckily, Skate IQ has since switched over to a tiered membership.

Skate IQ now provides tiered membership: US$9, $29, or $49 per month.

If I was joining now, I’d opt for the ‘premium’ option, which grants access to the ‘Three Phase Program’. This is Mitchie and Tyler’s magical formula for success: a series of drills that help improve fundamentals like kick-pushing, wheelies, and ollie pop. None of it is freestyle-specific (except for wheelies), but much of it will cement flatground skills needed for technical skating. And what is freestyle if not technical skating?

There is no fixed minimum term, hence members have the option of going up or down the tiers, depending on their skate needs and or financial circumstances. For instance, if you’re unable to skate due to injury or if you’ve bills to pay, you could downgrade to the the US$9 ‘standard’ tier, which gives you access to the community forum and allows you to watch Mitchie coach other people. If you’re stuck on a particular street flatground trick, such as a treflip, you could move up to the US$49 ‘VIP’ tier and submit clips for personalised feedback. Or you could try submitting freestyle tricks and make Mitchie’s brain melt a little.

‘One of the best bits are the video reviews of others learning similar stuff which inevitably is not freestyle’ (Laura). Video reviews are available to all Skate IQ members.

More IRL skates

The Skate IQ team started doing meets***, including a recent trip Down Under. They spent a day and a half at Sydney Park and Sydenham Green Skate Park, coaching a bunch of Aussies.

Skate IQ’s first Sydney meet (November 2025) at Sydenham Green Skate Park. Photo credit: Tyler Stroud.

It was sweet meeting some of the online community at a real-world skatepark. I put faces to names, got to have coffee with an X Games medallist, and spent much of my weekend indulging in my favourite hobby. Additionally, it kickstarted regular Skate IQ meets back home in Melbourne.

The transition skaters had a great time following Mitchie around the bowl, Everyone did runs to the best of their ability under his watchful eye, and got to work on his suggestions. There was even a mini ollie workshop for the street-inclined. My friend who also attended the workshop noted that the group was a bit big, but ‘as long as you take initiative to seek Mitchie out and ask him the questions you want, he is patient and gives good tips’.

As for me, it was very much like being at a group skate lesson at a bowl/ramp heavy skatepark with a regular skate instructor. I hid most of the time in the out-of-the-way flatground in the corner; I even skived off to the basketball courts next door for an extended period of time. It made me really hanker for a freestyle-only bootcamp, the kind that’s hosted in Japan or Germany. Most likely I’d still be too shy to ask for advice from the freestyle-equivalent of Mitchie Brusco, but at least I’d be learning via osmosis.

More freestyle talk

I highlighted the scarcity of freestyle up for discussion in the Skate IQ forum back in 2024. Some things have not changed. Threads like ‘The path to gnarly transition ollies! Tips for inching upwards?’ far outweigh ones like ‘Flamingo time’.

To counter this, I have tried to carve out a freestyle-safe space on there. Every week, I post a ‘Freestyle Friday’, sharing clips of my own progress, highlighting other freestyle-related threads, and encouraging members to share their own freestyle progress. Do I receive a lot of practical advice from these posts? Not as much as when as I ask for help on shuvits. 🧐 But I feel like I’ve done good work, imparting enthusiasm and knowledge to those unfamiliar with the discipline.

What’s been great is seeing the Skate IQ team and members’ support of this initiative. ‘Freestyle Friday’ often gets pinned by admin, which leads to more views and engagement. Prolifically active members like Netherlands’ Ruth Fraterman are always pairing me up with other freestyle-curious folk. It’s a wholesome community with nary a troll in sight****.

Final thoughts

Will I be keeping my Skate IQ membership for 2026? Yeah, probably. I’m curious to see where my freestyle-shaped Trojan Horse takes us. Hopefully there will be more Skate IQ x freestyler collabs, and a bunch of Skate IQ members well-versed in both vert and freestyle, as well as a half decent shuvit or ollie from yours truly.

*If either of my reviews convinced you to try Skate IQ for a month or two (or forever), please subscribe using this affiliate link. It will go towards paying my ongoing Skate IQ subscription fees. 🙌

**Made-up trick names are quite common in freestyle, a byproduct of freestyle-skateboarder isolationism.

***There’s an additional cost on top of membership for attending these structured meets, though there are also free, more informal seshes aptly named ‘Coffee and Skate’ that happen whenever Mitchie and Tyler are in town. For instance, Brisbane was lucky enough to host one in October this year.

****Yep, not one single troll. The Skate IQ forum is a veritable safe space for female millennials who have no hope of ollie kickflipping in the foreseeable future.

5 minutes with Luke Shaw

South Australian freestyle skateboarder Luke Shaw.

Why freestyle?

I just always thought freestyle was really cool and creative. I guess I’m a bit of a contrarian and like things that are out of left field, and back when I started skating no one I saw was really doing it. It felt like doing tricks like caspers, truck stands, and primos weren’t the intended way to ride a skateboard which appealed to me.

I like the fact that you don’t need a spot or an obstacle. You can do it at the end of a driveway or a footpath. I like technical skating—in theory you should be able to learn anything with enough practice. I’m not a huge fan of big, gnarly stuff so freestyle suits me perfectly.

Where is your favourite bit of flatground at the moment? Or the weirdest/most unconventional spot?

Haha, same answer for both questions. I have a weird spare room in my house that miraculously has a concrete floor (it’s a great surface). It’s big enough for freestyle, so I pretty much only skate there these days. I can skate when it’s raining or dark and I don’t have to battle it out with scooter kids at the skatepark so it’s great.

How does that work with the tail scrapes and boards flying everywhere?

I’ve definitely put some dents in the walls, but it’s my house so I don’t care; I’ll patch them when they get too bad. I have some old decks lining the perimeter to try to mitigate that somewhat. I don’t really mind scratching up the cement, it gives it some character. I even Bondo’d a crack in the ground that was annoying me. I usually film there so I have a green screen set up and a few lights and tripods. I’m surprised I haven’t kicked a board into those by accident yet.

You must freestyle skate mostly alone then. What’s the response like when you freestyle in front of other skaters in Adelaide?

I hide it for the most part as street skaters usually react with disgust. 😂 Nah, most people are pretty cool and think that stuff is way harder than it is; skaters seem to be a lot more open-minded these days. I can see why some people hate freestyle though if all they have seen is really lame stuff. I think lots of freestylers have absolutely no taste or restraint and taint our image. 🙃😂

What do you think is the most approachable class of freestyle tricks for skaters who don’t necessarily identify with freestyle (and why)?

Probably caspers or rail stuff. As actual tricks you flip into or out of like street skating, they’re more relatable to ‘normal’ skaters, as opposed to more traditional footwork ‘dancing’ freestyle. I think a lot of people think that footwork, pogoing, footplants, things where your feet touch the ground are kinda wack and they wouldn’t want to touch that kind of skating anyway, so there’s a better chance of them being interested in tricks they might already have a foundation for.

But as a freestyle skateboarder, what is your favourite trick or class of tricks to watch and or do? Like what gets you stoked?

Even though I do freestyle, I’m more inspired by technical street skating than by other freestylers. I get ideas from ledge and manual skating. I might see someone do something like a nollie heelflip nosegrind that could inspire me to do a nollie heelflip nose stall then go into a freestyle trick from that position. I like mixing more ‘street’, ollie-based flip tricks with traditional freestyle tricks. I also do a lot of switch and nollie stuff that you don’t see often in freestyle. I think there’s a few skaters who would be considered street skaters who take some inspiration from freestyle, but I’d say I’m a freestyler who’s inspired by street skating.

So I’m guessing you’re a fan of Andy Anderson and Kilian Martin’s work?

They’re both amazing and what they do is really hard stuff, but I don’t really like the whole ‘coming to a complete stop on a ledge or rail and doing a handstand or truck stand out of it’ thing. I love Rodney of course. I’m a huge fan of Daewon, Mike Osterman, Ronnie Creager, and Sto Strouss. I recently discovered Joey Brezinski who is amazing. I’ll stop what I’m doing and watch anything those guys put out.

Sto Strouss does a trick for Halloween.

Is there a particular skate part of any of the above skaters that you would watch on repeat? We’ve had so many interviewees refer to the old Powell-Peralta videos but it looks like you take inspo from different things so we’re curious.

I am obsessed with Rodney’s part in Rodney Mullen vs. Daewon Song: Round 2 (1999). I love that it actually tells the story of his career up to that point with his freestyle stuff at the start, going into his current (for the time) street skating, then showing what he would be doing in the future…all without any words.

His Globe Opinion (2001) part is so good too.

I love Round 3 (2004), especially Daewon’s part, which is still mind-boggling to this day. Ronnie Creager’s part in What If (2005)? is amazing. I love the whole Darkstar Battalion (2003) video, Chet Thomas and Sven Kilchenmann are so technical. I really like Baker 3 (2005) as well, it’s just so of its time and fun, even though it’s not really the type of skating I do at all.

Like a lot of Aussies, you’ve been skating a regular board until quite recently. What has it been like switching between popsicle and freestyle shapes?

Yeh! The first freestyle board I had ever even seen in real life was from you, [a Smokin’ Sukkaz]! I had been experimenting with different street-board sizes and decided to try an actual freestyle board. I found that it made freestyle stuff a lot easier, but then made my more ‘street’ tricks harder. Even simple stuff I can do most tries on a street board like kickflips or heelflips were really inconsistent and had no pop on a freestyle board, but then truck stands and caspers were way easier.

So I had to decide between that trade-off: easier street tricks/harder freestyle vs. harder street tricks/easier freestyle. I’ve gone back to a street board for now as I find the freestyle tricks on a street board a bit easier than the other way around, so I’m riding 7.75″ decks at the moment. I recently switched to the first (I guess ‘freestyle’?) wheels I’ve tried too, Powell-Peralta Nano Cubics. It’s great actually having the wheels flush or slightly wider than the axles and is making rail tricks a lot easier. I ride 52mm wheels which seems a bit harder to find in freestyle wheels.

Final question: if Rundle Mall’s Balls was a freestyle trick, what would it look like?

Maybe a kickflip to rail. They both take balance, they both get a lot of attention, and neither is quite as impressive as people make them out to be.

Bert Flugelman’s *The Spheres* (aka ‘Mall’s Balls’) in Adelaide, South Australia. Photo credit: Syed Abdul Khaliq.

Connect: Luke Shaw is a freestyle skateboarder from Adelaide, South Australia. When he’s not skating, he’s doing animator/videographer things like The Household. You’ll rarely catch him rolling around at a skatepark, so find his freestyle on Instagram (@cinderblocz) and TikTok (@cinderblockz).