Casper
The Classic Freestyle Trick
The Casper is a freestyle trick where the board is upside down, resting on the ground on its concave, and balanced by the skater's back foot on the tail and front foot underneath the board. It's a foundational trick for many other freestyle maneuvers.
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🎯 Get Technical
Learning the Casper opens up a whole new world of technical freestyle tricks. It improves your balance and board control in a unique way.
👟 Foot Positioning
1. Front Foot Position
Place your front foot on the HEEL SIDE EDGE of the board, a few inches behind the front truck bolts. When entering the casper, this foot will press down and eventually elevate the board from underneath (and must be OFF THE GROUND in the full casper position).
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2. Back Foot Position
Place your back foot on the nose or tail with MOST of the foot hanging off the TOE SIDE EDGE. When rolling the board over, arch your back foot and wrap it around the edge. The goal is to end with your back foot in the CENTER of the tail in the casper position.
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📈 Detailed Casper Execution
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Entry - Rolling the Board Over
Press down HARD on your front foot (heel side edge) and SHIFT YOUR WEIGHT BACK, allowing the board to roll over. Arch your back foot and wrap it around the edge of the tail as the board flips. Focus on letting the board roll under your back foot naturally. When learning, practice this with your front foot on the ground first.
Casper Position - Both Feet Off Ground
Once the board is upside down, your back foot should be in the CENTER of the tail and your front foot should be ELEVATING the board and ABOVE THE GROUND (not touching). Keep ALL of your body weight over your BACK FOOT. Lean back and balance. Both feet must be firmly OFF the ground - this is crucial.
Dismount - Flipping Back
To flip the board back end over end: LIFT the board UP and FORWARD with your front foot while DRIVING your back foot BACK in the heel side direction and under the board. It's like a shove-it motion - a push-pull action. Practice this dismount separately first with your front foot on the ground, then with it elevated.
Learning Progression
Break down the trick: (1) Practice the dismount with front foot on ground, (2) Practice the dismount with front foot elevated and balancing on back foot briefly, (3) Practice the entry with front foot on ground, (4) Practice the entry with front foot elevated (lean back, weight over back foot), (5) Put it all together.
Golden Tip!
BOTH feet must be OFF THE GROUND in a proper casper - your front foot should NOT be touching the ground. Keep ALL your weight over your BACK FOOT and lean back. Break down the trick and practice each part separately before putting it together.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Keeping front foot on the ground: Both feet must be OFF the ground in a proper casper.
Back foot not in center of tail: Focus on arching and wrapping your back foot to land it centered.
Not shifting weight back: You need to lean back and keep all weight over your back foot.
Not breaking down the trick: Practice the dismount and entry separately before combining them.
Front foot not elevated enough: Your front foot should be holding the board up at an angle, not resting on it.
This tutorial will help you learn the Casper:
Video Tutorial
Credits: Mike Osterman
Watch on YouTube →🏆 Congratulations! You made it to the end!
Now it's time to practice! Remember: consistency is the key to success.