Tailstop

also known as: Tail Stop · Tail Stall (flat)

balance freestyleflatground difficulty 2/10
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roll 0° yaw 0° pitch 0° body 0°

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 to a dead stop on the tail: the rider steps back onto the tail, the nose lifts, the tail scrapes down onto the ground and the board decelerates against it until it is standing still, balanced on the tail with the wheels off the floor. It is the freestyle equivalent of a brake, and much more than that in practice - half the standing-start tricks in freestyle begin from a tailstop, because it is how you convert a roll into a stationary board without stepping off. The whole thing is a friction problem: too much weight and the tail bites and stops you dead, too little and the board keeps rolling out from under you.

Step by step

  1. Roll at a slow, controlled pace with the back foot over the tail.
  2. Slide the back foot right onto the tip of the tail and shift your weight onto it.
  3. Let the nose come up and the tail settle onto the ground behind you.
  4. Feed weight into the tail gradually - the scrape is the brake, so meter it rather than stamping.
  5. Balance over the tail as the board comes to rest, front foot light on the deck.
  6. Hold it there, or step off, or use it as the start of the next trick.

Body mechanics

Front footStays light over the front bolts, holding the nose up without levering the board off the tail.
Back footThe brake: on the very tip of the tail, taking the rider's weight and metering how hard it scrapes.
ShouldersSquare and upright, weight stacked over the tail rather than leaning back past it.
ArmsOut and low for balance as the board decelerates.
GazeAhead while braking, then down at the nose once the board is still.