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Lip tricks: a series of tricks so named because they are done using the coping and decks of a ramp. The beginning: When freestyle started out, the only ramps people really rode were sketchy quarterpipes, wedge ramps, and cement skateparks (if you lived in Southern California and had balls of steel). Even then riders were doing lip tricks, but it was more kick turns, fly-outs, and drop-in variations than anything else. Ron Wilkerson was one of the guys pushing lip tricks the hardest, and he was responsible for things like Miami Hopper drop-ins, pedal-picker drop-ins, and abubacas- and he was blowing peoples minds in the process. Around the early-to-mid '80s, the mini ramp slowly started to show up. As Dennis McCoy remembers, "We had a quarterpipe n my parents' backyard (in 1984) that we were tearing down, and we decided to cut it down to a mini ramp size. I actually learned 540-tailtaps and stuff that's common now a long time ago. We didn't really name tricks back then. It was just, 'Let's do this on this little ramp.' " Mini ramps really started gaining popularity a few years later, but McCoy and the Kansas City crew didn't consider lip tricks really pulled until they did them on vert. Wilkerson had somewhat the same mentality when mini ramps showed up. Ron says, "It was kind of like a cop-out. Like, if you can't do stuff on a big ramp you go to a mini ramp. If you weren't man enough, you'd ride a mini ramp. That's how t used to be. » Ron did appreciate the less damaging effect of a mini ramp crash, though. He says, "Before (mini ramps) you'd come up with an idea for a lip trick on a vert ramp and you'd have to bust your ass learning it. Then you could learn them on a mini ramp and you wouldn't fall as hard." The Rampage Crew: Around 1987, the original Standard Bykes crew of Rick Moliterno, Krt Schmidt, and Bill Nitschke got into the mini ramp game, and then things really started picking up. For an example of how hard these guys were pushing it, look no further than Standard's first video, "Rogers Garage." Those three were doing things ten years ago that most riders still can't do today. Moliterno and Schmidt even added a twist by doing a lot of amazing fakie tricks that never really became as popular as their other tricks. Clink, Clank, Clunk: The mini ramp craze was in full-force by the mid-90s, and it almost became a game of, "How many lip tricks can you do at once?" At contests it was pretty common to watch riders do something like tailtap-to-nosepick-to-icepick-to-toothpick all in one trick. Wilkerson remembers, "Lip tricks became like 'clank clank' tricks." Begiinig of the century: The level lip tricks are at today is flat-out incredible, and now a new crop of riders is helping to push things even further. Dave Freimuth, Dave Osato, Ruben Alcantara, John Heaton, and others are doing things no one ever thought possible. (...) The Future: Even though so many tricks have been done on a mini, there's still a long way to go. | ||
TRICKS |
INFOS |
LINKS |
| 360 tailtap | Dave Mirra has pulled a 360 tire tap to tailwhip out on a spine March 6, 2003. Scotty Cranmer, double tailwhip to 360 tire tap to tailwhip out on a spine, 2006. |
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| 540 tailtap | 540 tailtap to Tailwhip out by Dave Osato in 2002 | |
| abubaca |
An abubaca is a back tire stall in which the rider jumps or launches to a ledge (rail, deck, etc),
stalls on the back tire & fakies off the ledge. Bob Haro was doing ramp stalls in BMX Action january 1981. A rider named George Conjame was seen doing abubacas at one of the first AFA Masters contest in early '84. Ron Wilkerson later took it to vert. The trick was named by Ron Wilkerson. He named it after a character that Gary Coleman was playing in the '80s sitcom, "Different Stroke". The term "abubaca" is African for "chief". Joe Alder, april 2005: 360 Abubaca (360 fly-out to Abubaca) by Jeremy Alder in 1987. |
Bob Haro ramp stall 1980. Dave Mirra 1993. Dave Voelker 2000. |
| backflip to manual | John Heaton 2000. | |
| backflip to sprocket | Matt Beringer 2000. Matt Beringer, Ride BMX US april 2001: I tried a flip fakie in England last year. I didn't know how to do 'em so I accidentally bashed my sprocket and then fell on my head. The idea's been in my head ever since. Then I was trying to steal John Heaton's flip to manual but I couldn't do it because it's too hard; so I got mad and tried flip to sprocket. I landed sprocket first time and I pulled it third try. |
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| backwards to ... | Krt Schmidt: Backwards to 180 over spine and Backwards to 360 over spine. Kurt Schmidt, may 2005: Backwards 360º jump over a spine? Yup! I actually pulled that first on a 6 foot spine. It's hard to try on smaller spine ramps. You need a little more hang time. I think I looped forward over the bars a few times before pulling a flat-landing one. A few more crashes resulted in pulling three in a row. Rick Moliterno and I always used to say if you can pull a trick three times in a row that means you've "learned" it. Backwards to 180 nosepick over spine, Backwards to 360 nosepick to fakie and Backwards to 360 tailwhip nosepick to fakie. Backwards to 360 fufanu. Backwards to spine manual to busdriver to abubaca. |
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| barspin lip tricks | Dennis McCoy came with barspin lip tricks like barspins into and out of tailtaps, manuals, 540 tailtaps, etc. | |
| canadian nosepick | Howard Avery, august 2008: Legendary UK bmx racer Andy Ruffell was doing front hops on vert riding in and out coming in forwards (like a canadian nosepick) in 1985 at the Kelloggs bmx competition. Canadians nosepicks were not actually invented by a canadian (canadian Jay Miron was reputed to have invented the trick) but in fact Joe Hulbert was the first guy to do the bio air to vert nosepick on the coping. Alex Coleborn - Canadian to Whip in - March 2010 | Jay Miron 1993. Ian Morris 1993. Dave Freimuth 1997. Alex Coleborn 2010. |
| dropin | Fronthop Dropin by Andy Ruffell in early 80’s Miami hopper dropin by Ron Wilkerson. Kurt Schmidt has done 270 ride-in-to-fakie. Keith Schmidt superman-seatgrab-dropin pulled on the FISE Costa Rica contest, february 2012. |
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| feeble | Mat Hoffman The name was borrowed from skateboarding. A Feeble is a grind or stall where the front wheel and the back page are placed on top of the object being rode. So in a grind, the wheel rolls while the peg slides. |
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| footjam nosepick | Taj Mihelich, Ride BMX US april 2005: I really don't know if I was the first to do a footjam. I had never seen anyone do them back in '90-'91 when I did them, but people had been doing tailwhip-nosepicks on flat ground with their foot jammed in the tire for years and years before. At the time, I was pretty much the only person at the freestyle comps without a front brake, so who knows... Jon Taylor was doing nosepicks by sticking his foot on the front tyre in 1991. Footjam nosepick to barspin by Jürgen Funk in 2004. Barspin to footjam nosepick by Seth Kimbrough in 2004. Truck to footjam by Harry Main on january 2009. Flair to foot jam by Harry Main on january 2009. Harry Main, thecomeupbmx.net, march 2009: The flair to footjam… I tried it a bunch of times and landed like in footjam, and kinda waited on getting in and then like 10th go or something just popped it in. It was one of the best tricks I’ve ever pulled, being able to invent a trick for me is so amazing. I’d of never of thought I would have brought lip tricks to another level, I’m just grateful that I’m able to do that trick I guess haha! I don’t know what to say… Decade to footjam by Harry Main on march 2009. 360 No Hander To Footjam by Ondra Slez on september 2009. |
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| footplant | Tinker Juarez 1980. Howard Avery: UK vert legend Craig Campbell was doing footplants at Romford Skatepark in 1984. Steve Grace was doing huge ones back in 1986. Downside can can footplant. Jason Shaffer, january 2011: I'm just trying to find out if anyone has ever done it, cause if not, I'm actually the first. I tried learning it about 3 years ago, and a couple months ago actually landed it. |
Tinker Juarez 1980. Dave Voelker 1999. |
| fufanu | Dennis McCoy was the first to pull fufanu. It's an abubaca into 180° drop in. Joe Alder, april 2005: A "Fufanu" was originally a fly out to sprocket then a 180 drop back in (like a rock-n-roll on a skateboard) invented by John Mueller, done by Jeremy Alder in 1987 at a 2-Hip King of Vert Contest in DC. Dennis McCoy stole the name and used it for his 180 abubaca thing. We gave him a hard time for it. The name Fufanu also came from an episode of Different Strokes like abubaca. I think it was Arnold who made a reference to "little baby Fufanu". |
How to Fufanu by Dennis McCoy in GO #8 june 1990 Stefan Prantl UKKOV90 round 2 Joe Rich 2000 |
| handplant | Handplant by Eric Steel (crazy Eric) in 1986 on a ramp, in 1991 on a spine. Howard Avery: UK vert rider Jon Taylor was doing handplants on vert in 1992. Martyn Tambling performed a busdriver handplant over a volcano at the 2001 Urban Games. Morgan Wade has done what looks to be a 360 backflip handplant over a hitching post in 2005. | Crazy Eric 1986 Crazy Eric 1990 Dennis Wingham KOC 1990. |
| hurricane | Krt Schmidt, Hurricane 360. Kurt Schmidt, may 2005: A Hurricane is like a Canadian nosepick only with the back wheel. Like a tail-tap 360º on the coping. Although I didn't name it, I did it back in early 1989. |
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| icepick | Mat Hoffman 1990 Mat Hoffman has done downside icepicks. Kurt Schmidt has done Icepick grind to busdiver, Over spine to icepick to fakie, Over spine to icepick and back over. October 2007, Tobias Wicke pulls fufanu to NOTHING ICEPICK to nosepick... | Matt Hoffman UKKOV90 round 2 Eirik Strengehagen on the cover of Spokesmen spring 2000 |
| icepick to 270 |
Todd Seligman. Todd Seligman, march 2003: I did Icepick 270s on street and mini around 1990 or so and I used to do opposite feeble grinds to 270 and once icepicks started getting popular, I just started doing opposite icepick 270s. Chris Hargrave aka. Roni (later Editor of Ride), who was my roomate and street riding buddy, shot a sequence of me doing it for The Cookbook, a short-lived riding mag put out by Hal Brindley (2B/Play clothes). |
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| kickturn | www.bmxstunts.com: In 1985, wedge ramps were popular. They were about 3-4 feet high and had no curvature. They were slanted at an angle of about 30 degrees and enabled riders to do kickturns. Not much work went into building these ramps. They were the equivalent of placing a piece of wood against stairs and using it to kickturn on. As simple as they were, they often were seen with elaborate designs. For those of you that don't know. a kickturn is riding up a ramp, pulling up your front tire and spin 180 on your back tire. Kind of like an air on a quarterpipe but your back tire never leaves the surface. Sounds dull, but riders of this era did every kind of kickturn imaginable. Decades, lawnmowers, fakie, powermowers, barspins, tailwhips, barendos, x-ups, you name it. | |
| nosepick | Front Wheel Kick Turns how to by R.L. Osborn in BMX Action april 1984. Howard Avery, august 2008: UK rider Scott Carroll was the first rider to pull a nosepick on vert in 1988. Craig Campbell pulled a nosepick on vert at the 2Hip King Of Vert in Woodward in 1989. Krt Schmidt came with Rocket nosepick/nosewheelie, 180 seatgrab nosepick (Miami hopper nosepick) over spine, Seatgrab nosepick to half-barspin, Seatgrab nosepick busdriver and 360 seatgrab nosepick busdriver. One handed Nofoot Nosepick by Dave Freimuth in the Stylecats video, 1995. Full barspin to nosepick and Half Barspin Nosepick Tailspin by Dave Osato in 1996 1997, Dave Mirra has taken the trick to a different level. He does a nosepick, then gets on the front peg, grabs the seat and puts the bike in a steamroller position, stalls for a second and goes back into the ramp canadian nosepick style. Tailwhip to Nosepick by Dave Osato in 2003 Tailwhip to Nosepick Tailspin by Dave Osato in 2004. Downside whip to nosepick, Clint Millar, june 2005. |
Nosepick to full barspin by Dave Mirra in 1996. |
| nosepick tailwhip | Dave Voelker 1986 Dave Voelker, Ride BMX US february 2001: In 1986, I was trying to learn nosepicks on a boulder and then I thought of trying a nosepick tailwhip. I learned it in one day. After a while I did it on mini ramps and spines. Kurt Schmidt has done Tailwhip nosepick to no foot, No-footed tailwhip nosepick, Wilker-whip nosepick (Boomerang-to-tailwhip) and Nosewheelie to tailwhip nosepick. Anthony Favennec, janvier 2008: Greg Masson a rentré Bus to nosepick whip foot jam au skatepark du mans en 2007, la rafale est dans le Soul #51 et la vidéo dans le dvd du Soul #52. |
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| nose wheelie | Nosewheelies Jay Miron 1990 | |
| pedal picker drop-in |
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Ron Wilkerson october 1987. |
| peg stalls | The first person doing it was Mike Dominguez, but he did it on his pedal not his pegs. Flair to double Pegstall John Heaton 2002. |
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| peg grinds | Steve Swope was the first to peg-grind vert. From there it went to ledges and rails. Brian Tunney, espn.go.com, march 2009: As far as I know, Steve is the first guy to actually grind his pegs on a BMX bike (and also grind to fakie, which on a vert ramp, is no easy task.) Eventually, that one move transcended into the streets, and we all know where it's gone since. So thank Steve next time you peg grind anything. Steve Swope, BMX Business News, 2002: Sometime during the spring of ’89. I was riding with Craig Cambell during practice at the Vista, CA King of Vert comp. He did a peg stall and I asked him if he ever tried to slide it, he said no. Mat and I rode with skaters all the time at home and it was the first thing I started working on when I came back to OKC the following Monday. |
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| rockwalk drop in | Jay Miron july 1987 | |
| smith grinds | Mat Hoffman James Hudson pulled some 270 air to smith in 1990. Backward to forward smith grind by Jay Miron in april 1991. |
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| tailtap | Dave Vanderspek was doing tail tap on ramps in 1983 or earlier except with a lot of hopping. Howard Avery, august 2008: Mike Dominguez was doing tyre taps in October 1985 at the King of the Skateparks finals in Upland during the latter part of his Hutch days. Flair to tailtap Colin Winkelmann 2001. Mark Webb did a decade air to tailtap during the FISE, may 2008. |
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| tailwhip to ... | Tailwhip to abubaca by Rick Moliterno in 1991 Dennis McCoy came with tailwhip lip tricks like tailwhips into tailtaps, manuals, 540 tailtaps, 270 smith grind, etc. Tailwhip to Manual to Tailwhip by Dave Osato in 2001. Tailwhip to fufanu by Dave Osato in 2002. Tailwhip to icepick Mark Losey, www.ridebmx.com: I happened to be in Greenville in early 2003 when Dan Sieg showed up at the Jaycee Park. Dan is a technical master, but I had no idea the banger he was going produce that day. It took him quite a few tries, but he eventually pulled a tailwhip-to-icepick-to-over on a coping spine. He had done the trick a month earlier on a deck spine, but doing it on coping was ridiculous. In 2004, Senad Grosic did Double tailwhip to tailtap and Tailwhip to tailtap to nosepick tailspin to hangfive dropin. 2005, Scotty Cranmer can ride up to a quarter pipe while standing on his seat, do a tailwhip out of the quarter pipe and land in a tire tap. 2006, Scotty Cranmer pulled double tailwhip to tailtap to icepick to fakie. |
Tailwhip to fufanu, Dave Osato 2002 |
| toothpick | Joe Johnson invented this trick in 1990. Dennis McCoy, Transworld BMX june 2003: Joe Johnsonrode the Enchanted Ramp regularly and learned the trick we now call the toothpick with a grip on his peg for traction. Jay Miron did toothpick grinds in april 1991 Kurt Schmidt has done Backwards toothpick grind. Toothpick to half-bar spin in 1994; Krt Schmidt. Over to Toothpick Tailspin to over on a spine by Dave Osato in 1996. Cory Martinez upsidedown toothpickgrind 2007. |
Dave Mirra 1991. Simon Tabron 1994. No foot toothpick Rob Nolli 2000. |
| vader jam | ... or front jam. It's a footjam nosepick with the foot in front of the fork. Jeremiah Smith did a downside whip to vader jam at Woodward on march 2009. |
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