Common skateboarding trick. Used mostly in flatland, though used quite often in street and sometimes in freestyle. To manual all you require is balance.

Start off at a medium speed, if you go too slow it will be harder to balance. Once you are ready put your back foot on the kick and put your weight on it; the nose of the board will lift up. Apply enough pressure to your front foot so that the tail does not scrape the ground, while keeping enough pressure on your back foot so that the front wheels do not return to the ground.

The nose manual is the same, though you use your front foot to lift the tail up rather than your back foot to lift the nose.

This is also another: Freelance Nodeshell Rescue!


A manual is a balancing maneuver performed on many small recreational vehicles such as bicycles and skateboards.

A manual is much like a wheelie in that the rider causes one end of the vehicle to rise off the ground and above the other end, but is not the same thing by any means. A wheelie is performed by delivering excessive torque to the rear wheels, and causing the entire front end of the vehicle to lurch skyward from the "kick" reaction of the sudden torque increase. Once the front end is above the rear, the rear may accelerate faster than the front end, causing the height and angle of the wheelie to increase.

On a bicycle a true wheelie can be performed by rolling at a moderate speed and then suddenly pulling back on the handlebars and delivering a strong thrust to the pedals, raising the front end. Once the front end is in the air, you can adjust the angle of the wheelie by pedaling to increase it, or braking to slow down the rear and allow the front to move forward to decrease the angle.

A manual is achieved in a much different way. In order to manual, you must lean back, pulling the front into the air by the handlebars and pushing the pedals forward to raise the front. Another method is to slowly lean back and ease the front off the ground. The angle is adjusted through strategic braking and leaning.

If you wish to do a manual on a skateboard, you should attain a fair amount of speed and then lean back slightly with your front foot near or directly above the front truck (skateboard axle and turning apparatus), and the ball of your rear foot on the tip of the tail. Press down on the tail with your foot to raise the front. You are now in the process of manualing, a small accomplishment.

The difficult part of manualing is holding the manual position, which will require much practice and frantic flailing of limbs. Use your entire body to balance. When your manual begins to rise and the tail is at risk of scraping the ground, use your hips to pull the board back and lean forward. If the manual is leaning to far forward and is at risk of toughing down for a premature end, thrust the board forward with your hips and lean back. A nose manual can be achieved by following the same methods bet reversed and changed to be more appropriate. Nose manuals are much more difficult.

Man"u*al (?), a. [OE. manuel, F. manuel, L. manualis, fr. manus hand; prob. akin to AS. mund hand, protection, OHG. munt, G. mundel a ward, vormund guardian, Icel. mund hand. Cf. Emancipate, Legerdemain, Maintain, Manage, Manner, Manur, Mound a hill.]

Of or pertaining to the hand; done or made by the hand; as, manual labor; the king's sign manual.

"Manual and ocular examination."


Manual alphabet. See Dactylology. -- Manual exercise Mil. the exercise by which soldiers are taught the use of their muskets and other arms. -- Seal manual, the impression of a seal worn on the hand as a ring. -- Sign manual. See under Sign.


© Webster 1913.

Man"u*al (?), n. [Cf. F. manuel, LL. manuale. See Manual, a.]



This manual of laws, styled the Confessor's Laws. Sir M. Hale.

2. Mus.


Moore (Encyc. of Music).

3. Mil.

A prescribed exercise in the systematic handing of a weapon; as, the manual of arms; the manual of the sword; the manual of the piece (cannon, mortar, etc.).


© Webster 1913.
