How to Axle Stall (Step by Step Guide)

An axle stall is one of the basic transition tricks. But before you try to do an axle stall practice and become confident in three things:

  • Dropping in on a ramp: dropping in is when you are roll down on the ramp from the coping.
  • Pumping on a transition. Pumping is just riding on the transition from one side to the other.
  • Kickturn on a ramp: Kickturn is basically when you turn 90 degrees on a transition to go to the opposite side of the ramp.

These are the basics that will make the axle stall easier for you to perform.

The axle stall helps you to balance yourself on the coping while performing other tricks and also in pumping on the transition after other tricks. Skateboarders use it to compose themselves before performing different lip tricks.

An Axle stall is quite similar to the backside 50-50, minus the moving along the coping. As the name suggests axle stall is when you stall, that is wait for a few seconds on the coping of the ramp with both the trucks of your board fixed in the coping, before falling down.

Once you know the real trick behind the axle stall it is quite simple to perform.

All you have to do is ride your skateboard up to the ramp. Just when your back truck hits the edge of the coping and your front truck goes straight above the edge of the ramp turn your body 90 degrees and push the nose of your board down on the coping while leaning back on your heels. This will fix both the trucks on the coping.

After stalling for a few seconds, you need to lift your front truck and then lean forward and again pivot 90 degrees and drop into the ramp. Do not to lean back while turning and dropping in as you might fall off the board.

Sounds easy right? Well let’s break it into simple steps.

Pump

Speed is the secret of this trick. Pump your way up on the transition with enough speed to reach the coping and stall there. You have to place your back foot close to the bolts of your back truck and in the middle of the tail. Put your front foot between the front truck bolts and the middle of your board. You can garner the speed needed for the trick either by Pumping or by Dropping in from the opposite side. Don’t go too fast as you might end up on the deck.

Focus

While you are on the curve of the transition fix your eye on the spot where you will perform the stall and maintain your balance. And also keep on pumping.

Pivot/ Kickturn

As soon as the front trucks of your board leave the transition and your rear wheels hit the coping, you will need to make a 90 degree pivot / kickturn by using your shoulders and hips bringing them parallel to the coping.

Remember to turn when your back trucks hit the coping. Waiting until your back truck catches the coping will make the stall easier as you just have to pivot then to put your front trucks on the coping. If you turn before that you might end up at a 45 degree angle rock stance.

Try to stay on the centre of the board. Push down on the tail of your board when you turn to lift the front truck like a backside kickturn. By turning you have to put both your front and back truck on the coping.

Lock

This is the most crucial Part of the trick where you have to lock both your trucks on the coping of the quarter pipe. First let your back trucks fix in the coping and then the front trucks. The outside wheels of your board maybe touching the deck. Make sure your trucks are on the coping

The difficult part of this trick is the locking part and the dropping in from the axle stall.

Stall

After you have accomplished fixing your trucks into the coping you have to stand on the axle and pause for a few seconds while concentrating all your weight on the trucks and also try to lean back slightly so that you can stand properly on the top of the quarter pipe. Also remember to bend your legs a little.

The real trick here is that you have to just stand up on the coping when your wheels hit the coping.

As you stall remember to Slide your back trucks to the edge of the coping hanging off towards the ramp. If you don’t slide your back trucks your board might not come down

Pivot/ Drop In

After a second or two stall, turn with the help of your shoulders into the ramp and lift your front trucks first. Again you will have to push down the tail slightly to lift the nose of your board off the coping and then turn your hips towards the ramp and pivot bringing your back trucks off the coping also and drop in to the ramp. Once the wheels are down on the ramp, put your weight down on the ramp and roll.

Learning to do this trick on a mini-ramp or smallest quarter-pipe (Some 2-3 feet) possible would be best.

Many people find learning this trick backwards easier and faster to master the axle stall.

So for that, you would have to first learn to stall on the coping separately and then drop in from there. After you are comfortable with dropping in from the stall you can try to pump your way up on the transition and then do an axle stall.

There are also two ways of doing an axle stall.

One where you just stall on the side of the coping with your weight leaning towards the ramp and you just have to tap your front trucks to come down the ramp from the stall. The second way is where you stand upright on the coping with your body leaning slightly towards the deck.

Just remember speed and timing and a lot of practice is all you need to master this simple technique.

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