Penny boards are very limited when it comes to performing tricks but if you know how to ride one, there’s no one stopping you from doing more technical stuff. You’d be surprised what you can pull off on a penny board. Keep in mind that not all those plastic skateboards are actually Penny boards. Penny boards come in 3 different sizes; 22″, 27″, and 32″.
12 tricks you can do on a penny board:
- Hopping curbs
- Hippie jump
- Fakie kickturn
- Manual
- Staple gun
- Shove it
- Nose revert
- No comply
- Tail stall
- Bean plant
- Board slides
- Power slides
Most of these tricks could be considered easy but some are harder to master than others. In fact, it’s much harder to do these tricks on a Penny board than on a regular skateboard. There are a few that are easier compared to others so let’s start with those and gradually work up to the technical stuff.
Contents
1. Hopping curbs
While ollieing on a Penny board might prove a challenge the kicktail allows you to hop a curb or slightly lift the board when you come across cracks or small objects. If you know how to cruise this shouldn’t really be an issue depending on the height of the curb. Pick a small curb first and make sure you have enough speed to make it over the ledge. Hopping off a ledge should be easy, just apply a bit of pressure on the kicktail and make sure you stay balanced. Don’t lean forward or backward too much.
Trick difficulty level:
- 22″ Penny board: Moderate
- 27″ Penny board: Easy
- 32″ Penny board: Easy
2. Hippie Jump
https://youtu.be/nT47gv8v1oU?t=3
A hippy jump is totally doable, even on a 22″ board. A smaller board will be more of a challenge compared to a cruiser and requires more commitment. A hippie jump is pretty easy, it requires you to jump over an obstacle (like a rail) while your board keeps moving and landing on top of your board again. The hardest part here is to commit once you hover over your board and want to land again. You probably bail the first couple of times.
Make sure to bend your knees when you land and maximize the distance between your feet. If your feet or too close together your Penny board will take off without you.
Trick difficulty level:
- 22″ Penny board: Hard
- 27″ Penny board: Moderate
- 32″ Penny board: Easy
3. Fakie Kickturn
Another easy trick! The good news is you can do a fakie kickturn on all types Penny boards. Obviously it requires you to ride fakie (backward and placing back foot in front near the kicktail). Ride at moderate speed, turn your upper body 180 degrees inwards (backside) and let your lower body and board follow.
Trick difficulty level:
- 22″ Penny board: Easy
- 27″ Penny board: Easy
- 32″ Penny board: Easy
4. Manual
A manual requires you to apply pressure on your nose or tail and balance on two wheels while riding your board. I advise starting with a ‘kicktail’ manual first because a nose manual is quite difficult.
Place your back foot on your tail (not at the end, somewhere in between) apply pressure and lean a bit backward while keeping your upper body near the center. You probably can’t keep up for a long time at first, maybe a few seconds, but practice makes perfect. If you dedicated yourself to this trick you can keep it up for a long time.
It’s also the perfect combo trick. Hop curbs to manual, fakie shove it to manual, etc.
Trick difficulty level:
- 22″ Penny board: Hard
- 27″ Penny board: Moderate
- 32″ Penny board: Moderate
5. Staple Gun
Couldn’t find a video of someone doing this trick on a Penny board so this will have to do, same principle. This is quite a fun trick which you can do on ledges, curbs and small banks. It requires you to roll towards an elevated platform (not too high) and an ollie-like movement. Hop your board on a curb while leaving your front foot on the board and your back foot on the ground. Pull back your board using your front foot and place your back foot back on your board again.
Make sure not to place your board too far out as it will be harder to pull back and jump on your board.
Trick difficulty level:
- 22″ Penny board: Moderate
- 27″ Penny board: Moderate
- 32″ Penny board: Moderate
6. Shove It
This requires you to know your board well and a bit more difficult, especially on a Penny Board. It’s a very common basic trick for popsicle skateboarders but you can also pull it off on Penny boards.
Ride face forward, slightly bend your knees, apply pressure on your kicktail and kick the board using your back foot (heel side direction) and your front foot outward. Your board will spin 180 degrees and your body should stay neutral above your board.
Trick difficulty level:
- 22″ Penny board: Moderate
- 27″ Penny board: Moderate
- 32″ Penny board: Moderate
7. Nose Revert
This one should be doable even though a Penny board doesn’t really have a nose like a regular skateboard. A nose revert requires you to lean forward while applying some pressure on the nose of your Penny board using your front foot. Turn your upper body 180 degrees and turn your lower body once you nearly turned 180. Your board should follow automatically.
Trick difficulty level:
- 22″ Penny board: Moderate
- 27″ Penny board: Easy
- 32″ Penny board: Easy
8. Bean Plant
https://youtu.be/tDzNncBQVgU?t=48s
This requires you to pop your board while stepping off using your front foot and grabbing the nose using your arm that’s closest to the nose. Your back foot should remain on your board all the time and in order to finish the trick, you need to jump back on. It looks harder than it is, but it requires some commitment. It’s harder to do on a small 22″ board than on a cruiser sized Penny board.
Trick difficulty level:
- 22″ Penny board: Hard
- 27″ Penny board: Moderate
- 32″ Penny board: Moderate
9. No Comply
Another one you can do on any type of Penny board. The No comply is a really cool trick and I personally think it’s a great looking trick that doesn’t require a lot of commitment. You need to step off with your front foot while gently pushing the back of your board forward using your back foot. The board will spin 180 degrees and all you have to do is jump back on. Sounds easy but it still takes some practice.
Trick difficulty level:
- 22″ Penny board: Moderate
- 27″ Penny board: Moderate
- 32″ Penny board: Moderate
10. Tail Stall
This can be done on a quarter pipe and requires you to ride fakie. Make sure you have some decent speed to be able to get near the coping. Once you reach the coping transfer your weight to your back foot while still leaning a bit forward. If you don’t, you’ll have a harder time making it back.
Kick your tail at the right moment and lift your front foot but make sure it stays on your board. Once you are in the stall position, drop back in by leaning forward and slightly kicking your front foot down.
Trick difficulty level:
- 22″ Penny board: Hard
- 27″ Penny board: Moderate
- 32″ Penny board: Moderate
11. Board Slide
https://youtu.be/Vzqu58JEdqM?t=327
Time for something more difficult and I applaud you if you can pull this off. Penny boards are made of plastic so that means they are very slippery. It’s important to keep your balance as the plastic board will slip away easily so you need to make sure not going in to fast and position the deck right in the center and slightly at an angle. Another problem you’ll face is the flexibility of the deck, making it harder to balance when you want to perform a boardslide.
Trick difficulty level:
- 22″ Penny board: Very hard
- 27″ Penny board: Hard
- 32″ Penny board: Moderate
12. Power Slide
https://youtu.be/GCNasL8gljU?t=4
It doesn’t get more old school than this although Power slides aren’t exactly easy. It requires quite a lot of control of your board and experience.
Make sure your front foot is on the front bolts (first two bolts) and place your back foot slightly in front of the kicktail. Commit and lean backward, take a sharp turn and apply pressure on your tail and push your board outward. You may want to wear gloves! The video should explain what exactly requires you to do to pull this off.
Trick difficulty level:
- 22″ Penny board: Hard
- 27″ Penny board: Hard
- 32″ Penny board: Hard
Conclusion
In theory, you should be able to pull off many tricks on a Penny board but let’s be real here, it isn’t exactly easy. I have mad respect for skaters than are able to do technical tricks on Penny boards. Many skateboarders who are proficient at tricks on these types of boards also rock popsicles.
If you also ride a regular skateboard or thinking about getting one, check out my easy beginner skateboard tricks. It’s a list of tricks that will help you progress faster before you attempt all sorts of technical tricks. like kickflips, 50-50’s and other advanced stuff.
Can’t get enough watching Penny board tricks? Check out this guy!
I’m an aged skateboarder and still shred responsibly. Started skateboarding 25 years ago, peaked in the 2000’s, and still ride to this day. I am a total geek when it comes to skateboard gear, love test to stuff and share my findings.