Manual

also known as: Manny · Wheelie

balance flatgroundstreet difficulty 2/10

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roll yaw pitch body

Shown for a regular-footed rider. Teal ring + arrow = the rider's facing direction; teal band = the tail; a dot is where a hand holds the board - bright yellow for the front hand, amber for the back one, which is the whole difference between a mute and an indy. Board and rider rotate independently - each follows its own component. Drag to orbit.

How it works

Rolling on the rear wheels only, with the front truck held airborne by balancing the rider's center of mass directly over the rear axle. The board is a first-class lever pitched around the rear axle: back-foot pressure on the tail lifts the nose, front-foot pressure lowers it, and continuous millimeter-scale corrections keep the tail off the ground and the nose from dropping.

Step by step

  1. Roll at moderate speed, back foot covering the tail pocket, front foot near the front bolts.
  2. Shift hips back while pressing the tail to lift the front wheels to a shallow angle.
  3. Find the balance point where your weight is stacked over the rear axle.
  4. Make constant small ankle corrections - front foot presses down, back foot lifts - to hold the pitch.
  5. Set the front wheels down smoothly by easing pressure off the tail.

Body mechanics

Front footNear the front bolts, feathering downward pressure to stop over-rotation of the pitch.
Back footBall of the foot on the tail, holding it a few centimeters off the ground - never touching.
ShouldersLevel and square; fore-aft balance lives in the hips, not the shoulders.
ArmsOut to the sides, making continuous counterweight corrections.
GazeA few meters ahead, not down at the nose - the horizon steadies the balance.