How to Do the Casper Slide

The Casper is a skateboarding trick invented by Bobby Boyd in the 1970s as part of the freestyle genre. It's largely fallen out of style, and is rarely seen, except for video parts by pros with a heavy freestyle influence. One such skater is Rodney Mullen, who executes a number of Casper variations in the Globe Shoes video, "Opinion." One variant is the Casper Slide, a moving version of the normally-stationary Casper.

Instructions

    • 1

      Attempt the Casper from a stationary position first, in order to master the catch, then attempt it in motion. Stand in a regular ollie stance, back foot on the top of the tail, front foot around 2/3 of the way up the board. Bend your knees and compress downward.

    • 2

      Snap the tail against the floor and pop the board up, just as you would with an ollie. Drag your front foot off the board on the heel side, much as you would for a kickflip, but use a little more sideways motion, and a little less forward. The board doesn't need to to a full 360, just a 180, so it makes the catch easier if it spins more slowly.

    • 3

      Stop the board from spinning, using your front foot. Catch the underside of the board on top of your shoe. It can help to point your toe down at the floor as you start the flip, and then bring it back up so your sole is parallel to the ground as you stop the board.

    • 4

      Place your back foot on the underside of the tail, so the base of the truck sits on the instep of your foot. Bring your back foot down to the ground first, leaning back slightly as you do so. Balancing the Casper is mainly about bending the knee of your back leg. The front leg remains largely static.

    • 5

      Turn the standing Casper into a Casper Slide by repeating the movements while in motion. Practice on a smooth, low-friction surface to begin with, and pitch your weight backward more on landing to compensate for the friction of the tail on the ground. You will likely fall over the nose of the board a few times while learning this, as the amount of stopping force generated by the tail on the ground is surprising.