In skateboarding, some tricks are reserved for advanced skaters. For example, you won’t be able to laser flip without first learning to ollie. Sometimes, however, there are tricks that you can learn at any level. Even if you haven’t worked out your ollies yet, you can still learn some great tricks. We’re here to let you know about one of our favorite tricks, the Strawberry Milkshake. And yes, YOU can learn it.

The Strawberry Milkshake is a fun trick to learn at all levels of skateboarding. Whether you’re a seasoned skater or just starting out, this is a great trick to know. It also happens to be a favorite here across the Braille Team.

This isn’t the same Strawberry Milkshake that cools you down with its frothy, delicious goodness on a hot summer day. Today we’ll be discussing the Strawberry Milkshake of skateboarding; a trick that any skateboarder can learn. A good place to start is by looking at the definition of a Strawberry Milkshake.

Strawberry Milkshake Definition

Strawberry Milkshakes are achieved by stepping off the skateboard with your front foot while simultaneously pushing the board down onto its side with your back foot, then using your back foot to scoop the board around like an Ollie Impossible. As the board finishes the rotation, the skater jumps back onto the board with their front foot, and rides away. 

It seems simple enough, right? Well, once you get the hang of them, they can feel very easy! Getting to that point, however, will take some practice and persistence. Below is a video tutorial that will cover the fine details of this trick.

Strawberry Milkshake Video Tutorial

We hope you enjoyed the tutorial and that you gained some insight on how to do a Strawberry Milkshake. Let’s take a look at this trick and really break it down. When learning the Strawberry Milkshake, it helps to go over these 4 crucial steps:

1. Foot Position
2. Practice Step #1
3. Practice Step #2
4. Putting it All Together

Let’s Get Into It!

Foot Position

For the Strawberry Milkshake, the foot position is extremely important. Setting up your feet properly is vital for landing this trick. The first thing we’ll go over is the foot position of your back foot.

Place the ball of your foot right on the toe-side edge of the board, just over the back truck. Apply pressure to the ball of your back foot so that your heel is perched up, not making contact with the skateboard.

Your front foot also has to be very close to the edge of the skateboard. Your front foot will be hanging off the heel-side edge of the skateboard while the ball of your foot is weighted and your toes are facing toward the nose of the skateboard. It’s important to apply pressure to the ball of your front foot.

As you apply pressure to the ball of your front foot, with your heel perched up, you’ll be set up to take your front foot off the board quickly and get it out of the way so that you can start the trick. 

Practice Step #1

This practice step is designed to help you build muscle memory for the Strawberry Milkshake. This step will break down the basic technique that you’ll be using to push the board over onto your back foot, which will set you up to finish the trick using your back foot.

For this practice step, set your feet up in the Strawberry Milkshake foot position as discussed above. Once your feet are in the appropriate position, simply step off the board with your front foot, and push down with your back foot to roll the board over onto that same foot.

For the purpose of this practice step, that’s all there is to it! Just practice stepping off with your front foot, pushing the board over onto your back foot and you will begin to develop the speed required to perform the Strawberry Milkshake while rolling. 

Back Foot Rotation

The second practice step that we’ll be going over will train your back foot to properly flip/ rotate/ wrap the skateboard for the Strawberry Milkshake. You can forget about your front foot during this practice step as your back foot will be in complete control of the skateboard.

For this practice step, set your board up on its side (primo). Put your front foot on the ground to the side of the board, and put your back foot up against the grip tape at the tail of the skateboard. Before you try this step, refer to the image below to ensure your feet and board are in the appropriate position.

Now that you’re properly set up, you can begin using your back foot in a swirling motion to half-flip and rotate the board 360-degrees, back to a neutral riding position. We aren’t trying to land the trick here, so once again, forget about your front foot.

Simply practice the motion with your back foot until you feel like you have complete and total control of the board. Dialing in this motion will take some practice. There are a lot of ways to lose control of your board during this trick, so practicing these steps will improve your consistency.

Remember, as your back foot performs the Strawberry Milkshake technique, try to keep that back foot as close to the board as possible as it spins. During a Strawberry Milkshake the back foot will also act as a stopper, or fail-safe, to minimize the chances of your board landing upside down or in primo position. When you’re comfortable with practice steps one and two, all that is left is to put it all together!

Practice Step #2

Now it’s time to put the practice steps to work and land that Strawberry Milkshake while rolling. Ride at a comfortable speed, not too fast, but not too slow either. With your feet in the proper position, your front foot moves first. Quickly step off the board with your front foot. As you are stepping off, immediately put your back foot into action. Push down with that back foot to force the board over onto its side.

The ankle of your back foot should roll down with the board which will cause the board to rest on top of your back foot momentarily. With your front foot now firmly planted on the ground, your back foot will begin wrapping the board 360-degrees. As the rotation completes, jump forward slightly off your front foot. Now both feet will be in the air with the board.

Your back foot should be close to the board near the tail, acting as a point of control and following the board as it rotates, which prevents the board from landing primo or upside down. You’ll be able to spot your landing as both of your feet are now in the air, so once that board comes around the full 360-degrees, place your front foot back on the board. Bend your knees to absorb the impact and ride away clean!

In Conclusion

Braille Skateboarding wants to see your best Strawberry Milkshake! Film a quick clip of you landing your best Strawberry Milkshake. Tag us on Instagram @brailleskate, #brailleskate, and #brailleskateboarding.  Let us know which piece of advice helped you the most so we can highlight that and we can get more people landing Strawberry Milkshakes! Now get out there and skate, Milkshakes are on us!

If you’re new to skateboarding and looking to improve your skills, definitely check out Skateboarding Made Simple. It’s the most detailed lesson plan for skateboarding that exists. With 9 different volumes, you’ll go from learning how to ride on a board, to skating skateparks and landing more advanced flatground tricks in no time!