person on a freestyle scooter

Freestyle scooter: 6 stunts to start practising

What are the basic stunts to learn when starting freestyle scootering? Here’s our advice.

Familiarise yourself with the world of freestyle scooters, a sport that continues to grow in popularity in Canada Learn more about the jargon used in this sport and the different stunts you can try on your first outings.

1. The bunny hop

The first stunt that is important to master is the Bunny Hop (rabbit jump) Also called "ollie" by skateboarders, this jump enables you to better adapt to your scooter and thus progress adequately in the sport. How to do a Bunny Hop? Bending your knees, jump by pulling on the handlebars of the scooter so that its plate remains attached on your feet.14) When landing, remember to drop the front of the scooter first

2. The wheelie

Also called "manual" by snowboarders and known in French as prancing, here is another beginner’s stunt that you must master when practising on your scooter. How is prancing done on your scooter? You must ride on the rear wheel to make the scooter pitch up or “prance” for as long as possible . To begin, the trick in this stunt is to pick up speed and raise the handlebar of the scooter to a reasonable height. You can also place one foot on the outside of the board, along the side, for better balance.

The challenge: at the intermediate or advanced stage, you can reverse this stunt by balancing yourself on the front wheel. Don't forget to bring your friends; wear your mouthguard and helmet to perform this all-smile variation!

3. The 180 degrees

Most beginners know this stunt. Simple to execute on a scooter, it consists in doing a rapid rotation of a half turn of the handlebar.

The challenge: add the 180-degree variation which is normally done from the front, but this time do it from your back. Make sure that you’re not alone when doing this new movement and never forget to wear your helmet.

4. The bar spin

In French, this stunt involves twisting the handlebar.

Like the BMX, the scooter’s handlebar turns 360 degrees. It involves doing a complete rotation of the scooter’s handlebar once you’re in the air (off the ground) We’re referring to a 360-degree movement. To do a complete turn of the handlebar and to recover it before landing on the ground successfully, you must jump as high as possible to have sufficient time to execute the stunt.

5. The x up

Called the T grip in French, the X Up is a double stunt This is therefore executed in two stages: a Bunny Hop stunt followed by a 180-degree stunt. First, you must gain speed, then do your first movement; when you’re off the ground, turn the handlebar quickly to 180 degrees.

6. The feeble grind

Commonly referred to as the daredevil slide, this rather perilous stunt involves performing a slide along a module ramp or on a sidewalk. In concrete terms, after doing a Bunny Hop, you must land at a slight angle on the platform of the scooter, with the front wheel on the edge of the ramp and the rear wheel on the outside of the edge.

girl performing a Feeble Grind in a skate park

Freestyle scootering is a very interesting and disciplined activity for kids, teenagers, and even adults who like challenges, but especially to feel high levels of exhiliration. For others, the city scooter  is another option. It’s an excellent means of daily transportation.

When speaking of scooters, think of protective equipment. Regardless of the scooter model you’re planning to buy, set aside a budget for essential safety gear: helmet, protective guards for the wrists, elbows and knees. Now, go out and impress the spectators!

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