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The ollie is the name for a jump on a skateboard. It was invented by a man called Oliver back in the 1970s when skateboarding was big the first time around. It solves the problem that skateboarders had when they wanted to jump but keep their feet on the board. As you know, when you ride a skateboard your feet aren’t attached so to make the board jump up takes a lot of skill and practise.

The first step to making the board jump is to use your back foot to stamp on the back which makes the board pop up. You can try this without even being on the board, just run up and stamp on the end. Watch your face though because the board will fly up into the air, safety first. When you’re on the board you’ll need to use the front foot to stop the board from flying out of control, so use it to steady the board while you jump with the momentum.

The ollie enabled skateboarders to leap up onto previously unreachable objects and ledges. They could leap down stairs and over things, greatly increasing the range of tricks they could pull off. By using the ollie to jump skateboarders opened the door to a huge range of flips and tricks that were impossible before. Boards evolved to have a big tail to give maximum pop, helping skaters reach new heights. Without the ollie there would be no kickflip, heelflip, pop shove it or three sixty flip, it really is the defining skateboarding move.

In the 90s skateboarding enjoyed a revival after the dark times of the 1980s. A new breed of skateboarders had invented a whole new range of technical tricks, pushing the boundries even further than before. Skating had moved from the ramps and into the streets where boarders would use anything and everything to their advantage as the growing cities became their playground. A select few had such mastery of their boards that they looked to make things even harder to really separate them from the masses. It was because of this desire that tricks such as the nollie were invented.

The nollie is best described as a nose ollie, and this is where it gets its name. In an ollie you pop the back of the board to generate lift, with a nollie you pop the front in a reverse motion. It is much harder to pull off as you’re using your opposite feet and pushing the board in a motion that feels entirely unnatural. It is this supernatural property that gives the nollie that unique feeling and its instant respect from other skaters. Pull off a successful nollie and you’ll have proved yourself a capable skateboarder.

The great thing about the nollie is that with enough practise you can perform any regular trick with it. Tricks such as nollie kickflips and nollie heelfips are renowned as being some of the most technical and difficult to successfully complete. Many skateboarders have broken and sprained ankles performing these gravity-defying tricks so take care and make sure you’re ready to make the transition into nollie-land with firm, confident ankles.

There have been many skateboarders come and go over the years and you can be sure that all will have mastered the ollie and the nollie with equal finesse. One of the best ollie masters I’ve seen is British skateboarder Jon Cottrell, a man able to ollie over a four foot wall of skateboards. Just make sure than when you try to replicate your idol’s heroics that you wear pads and a helmet, they save lives and maybe will save yours one day.

Patrick is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest is in Luton airport parking, Birmingham airport parking and Gatwick hotels.