beginner // manuals
Manual
Also known as Manny, Wheelie
Riding on only the back two wheels by balancing with your weight over the tail. The skateboarding equivalent of a wheelie.
The Manual is a beginner Manuals trick. Most skaters land their first one within 2-6 weeks of consistent practice.
Spec
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Complexity
- Learn time
- 2-6 weeksⓘ
- Category
- Manuals
- Stance
- regular
Your progress
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What the tutorials teach
Across every manual tutorial, coaches agree the trick lives or dies on one thing: finding and holding the balance point over the back two wheels. The near-universal beginner mistake is leaning the shoulders back to lift the nose, which throws the body off-center and causes wild over-corrections; the fix is to push the board forward under your body rather than leaning back over it. Knees must stay bent throughout, the moment the back leg straightens, the hip slides out and the manual collapses. Most coaches recommend starting stationary (on carpet or holding a fence) to find the sweet spot before adding rolling speed, and multiple coaches note that even short daily sessions compound into noticeable progress faster than long frustrated ones. The most cited beginner mistake is stomping the tail too hard past the balance point, which causes a tail-scrape; the fix is to think 'lift the front knee' rather than 'push the tail down'.
- Push the board forward under your body to lift the front wheels, do not lean your shoulders back, which throws your balance
- Keep both knees bent throughout; a straight back leg causes the hip to slide back and tips the chest forward, ending the manual
- Find the sweet spot: the narrow balance point where you can relax and hold with minimal effort, this is the entire trick
- Start stationary (on carpet, grass, or holding a fence) to isolate the balance feel before adding rolling speed
- Think 'lift the front knee up' rather than 'stomp the tail down', lighter lift gives you more control over the balance point
- Arms out wide act as a counterbalance; use small deliberate movements, not wild flailing, flailing means you're not on the balance point yet
- Look forward past the end of your target, not down at the board or the ground, your head position directly affects your balance
- Practice short daily sessions rather than long frustrated ones, the balance point is muscle memory that compounds with consistent repetition
Synthesized from the top video tutorials. Watch them
Steps
- 1
Approach at medium speed
Too slow and you'll stall; too fast and you lose control. A comfortable rolling pace is ideal.
- Force
- ●○○○○
- Direction
- forward
- Weight
- centered
TipSlightly more speed is better than slightly less — momentum helps with balance. - 2
Shift weight to your back foot
Gently press down on the tail to lift the nose. You're not jumping, just shifting your center of gravity backward.
- Force
- ●●○○○
- Direction
- back
- Weight
- back
TipThink about it as 'sitting' slightly onto your back foot, not stomping. - 3
Find the balance point
The nose should be 2–3 inches off the ground. Use your arms for balance — they're your counterweights.
- Force
- ●●○○○
- Direction
- back
- Weight
- back
TipIf nose starts dropping, straighten your front knee slightly. If tail drags, bend it. - 4
Maintain and roll
Hold the balance point as long as possible. Your eyes should look forward, not down.
- Force
- ●●○○○
- Direction
- forward
- Weight
- back
TipPick a spot in the distance to focus on — staring at the board kills your balance. - 5
Set the nose down
Gently shift weight forward to bring the nose down level. Don't slam it — a controlled return is a proper manual.
- Force
- ●●○○○
- Direction
- forward
- Weight
- centered
TipCommit to a clean exit. Bailing by stepping off ruins the landing.
The blueprint
Shown for regular stance
Common mistakes
Wobbles and falls
- What
- The board wobbles side-to-side and you can't control it.
- Why
- Your feet are too close together, or you're overcorrecting each wobble.
- Fix
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart for better lateral leverage. Make smaller, earlier corrections.
Nose drops immediately
- What
- You can't hold the nose up for more than a split second.
- Why
- Not enough weight shift back, or front knee is locked straight.
- Fix
- Make sure you're genuinely shifting your center of mass over the back foot, not just pushing the tail down.
Tail dragging
- What
- The tail scrapes the ground as you try to manual.
- Why
- Too much weight on your back foot — you've gone past the balance point.
- Fix
- Reduce the angle. The nose only needs to be a few inches up. Practice the minimum angle needed.
Common problems
I fall backward off the back of the board immediately
- Why
- Too much weight on the tail — you've past the balance point.
- Fix
- Find the pivot point (just before the tail would scrape) and hold it. Micro-adjustments with your front foot keep you balanced. Think of it as standing on a scale that tips — tiny corrections.
My manual only lasts 2-3 feet
- Why
- You're not maintaining active balance — you hit the point and then freeze.
- Fix
- Keep your arms out for counterbalance and stay active throughout. Look ahead, not at your feet. The board should feel alive under you, not locked.
I can manual but can't get into it from rolling
- Why
- Shifting weight back while rolling feels different from stationary. The momentum changes the balance point.
- Fix
- Start rolling slowly and gradually lean back until you find the balance point. Don't try to pop into it — just shift weight backward smoothly.
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Community clips
How other skaters land the Manual. Hype the ones you rate — the most hyped becomes this trick’s cover in the catalog.
Why this works
The mechanics behind the trick
- Board
- The manual works because the deck acts as a lever with the tail trucks as the fulcrum. Your body weight behind the front trucks lifts the nose.
- Feet
- Your back foot does very little — it's just resting. All balance adjustments come from subtle shifts in your front foot's pressure, which acts as a fine counterbalance.
- Weight
- You need just enough weight over the tail to lift the nose, but not so much that the tail drags. It's a constant micro-adjustment around a narrow balance point.
Frequently asked
- How long does it take to learn a Manual?
- Most skaters land their first manual within 2-6 weeks of consistent practice.
- Is the Manual hard to learn?
- The manual is a beginner trick.
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