Trick Tutorials
Learning new pro pogo stick tricks is one of the things that makes our pogo sticks so awesomely fun. No matter how good you get, there are always new tricks to try and push the limits with. Landing new tricks can be a time consuming and risky process.
It’s best to have someone show you exactly how to do the new pogo stick stunt and walk you through the process. With the pogo stick videos below, we’ve worked with Biff Hutchison to provide a safe roadmap for you to follow in order to learn just about every trick in the book, from your first jumps all the way up to flips.
Scroll down to view the pogo stick trick list.
POGO 101
Place your feet on the middle of the pegs.
Hold the handlebars against your legs while jumping.
The spring should not compress until you apply a ‘jumping load’.
Look ten feet in front of you or further while you are learning. As you get better you can start looking down.
Find a solid surface to jump on. We recommend grass for beginners.
Wear a safety helmet.
If you get off balance just throw the stick to the side and land on your feet for a safe dismount.
Download course 1 here: https://goo.gl/bwXMr9
Download course 2 here: https://goo.gl/qoxvhg
Moving around on a pogo stick is where the fun really begins. We’ve created a fun way to learn different skills for moving around, called Pogo Parkour.
Practice both of these until they become second nature. They’ll be really important later on.
To move forward, lean your upper body forward just a bit. To slow your forward momentum, just stop leaning forward!
To jump sideways, tilt the stick a bit and lean your body in the direction you want to go.
Once you’re comfortable with jumping up and down and moving around, you can start doing some basic tricks. Here are 5 great tricks to start with.
One-handers will come naturally to many people because it helps to maintain balance while in the air.
For the no-hander it is vitally important to squeeze the tube with your knees.
Practice the one-hander, one-footer, and B-Spence on the switch side. This will definitely come in handy later on.
Start with the smallest possible trick. Take your hands or feet off just a tiny bit. Once you get comfortable go a little bit bigger. Repeat until you’re doing a huge trick and can’t get any more extension.
Learning tricks can be dangerous, so make sure and learn how to safely bail from your pogo stick.
Before you try a trick spend some time planning how to bail out of it in case you get into trouble.
Try landing on your toes and bend your knees & hips to absorb impact and prevent joint pain.
The pogo stick is covered in round surfaces, so make sure to throw it away from you so you don’t land on it and potentially sprain an ankle.
If you’re coming in at a questionable angle, ditch the stick and land on your feet.
If you’re moving forward, throw the stick to the side. If you’re moving to the side, throw it forward.
Hold your hands in front of you in case the pogo stick bounces back toward you.
If you’re moving forward really quickly, consider rolling out of the bail like those parkour dudes.
Determine which way to pass the handlebars. Interlock your fingers. If your left thumb is on top you will probably pass the stick from right to left.
Practice the pass on the ground to get used to spinning the bars. Once you’re really comfortable, take it to the air.
Keep your feet above the pegs while spinning the handlebars. Doing so will make the trick easier to learn at first.
An easy way to pass the handlebar from one hand to the other is to clap your hands together. This will place the handlebar directly into the palm of your other hand.
Once you get comfortable with the trick, start moving your feet outward to add some style.
If you feel like the pegs are floating away from you, try jumping forward slightly to force them back under your feet.
Tweaks are oftentimes used for jumping over things or pulling the stick up as high as possible.
Tucks are usually used to maintain balance while moving around.
You can practice both tricks on the ground to get a feel for them before trying in the air.
To tuck the pogo stick, pull up on the handlebars and tuck your feet right under your booty. While you are pulling your feet upward, push the handlebars forward to get the pogo stick somewhat parallel with the ground.
Tweaks are similar, but instead of pulling the pogo stick upward in front you need to push it sideways and hold one hand overhead to provide a sense of balance.
Start both by moving the pogo stick ever so slightly. As you get comfortable with the movement you can start to extend it.
Learn how to do a tuck really well before learning the peg grab. It’ll make the learning process really simple.
The peg grab is one of the most important tricks to master because it will be used in tons of pogo stick tricks down the line.
Think of the peg grab as two distinct movements: (1) a tweak, which gets the pogo stick underneath you, and (2) a reach down to the pegs with your hand.
You don’t need to start by actually grabbing the peg. If necessary, you can start by grabbing your knee, then your shin, then your foot, and then finally the peg. This process will help to dial things in without losing your balance in the air.
Grab on the side of your foot and underneath the peg. The pegs themselves have holes in them for you to grab onto and pull up.
If you reach down too far, you’ll probably lose your balance forward. If you pull the stick up too hard, you’ll probably fall backward. Figure out the right balance!
Download the course template here: https://goo.gl/Kf5Uba
This course will help you learn to control side to side movement and a slow forward pace.
The main key to this course is to keep your jump height really low. If you jump too high you will overjump the boxes.
There are two straight boxes followed by a left – then a return to the straight boxes. When it comes time jumping sideways to the left or right boxes, you’ll need to lean your body in the direction you want to jump. The pogo stick will react and send you in the direction.
While you are in the air, tilt your body back in the other direction to set up your next jump. When you land, you’ll be able to spring back to the center line again.
The judo is a skill that will transfer to tons of future pogo stick tricks, so take the time to learn it well.
To perform a judo, kick your foot forward in front of the stick. Pull the stick up into a tuck, squat down, and grab the pegs.
To get a feel for the trick, remove the air from your stick and practice on the ground. Get used to the feeling before taking it to the air.
Start by kicking your foot forward ever so slightly, and then reach down to the pegs.
As you get more comfortable you can kick your foot forward more.
Find a sense of balance between the kick and grab. If you kick your foot too far forward and don’t grab the pegs enough you’ll lose your balance and fall forward. If you reach down too far with only a small kick you’ll fall backward.
Take it slow. Work your way up to big kicks and solid grabs.
The nothing is a no-hander combined with a no-footer.
For this trick, starting small and working your way up is absolutely crucial for avoiding injuries.
Start by doing a no-footer and just opening your hands above the grips.
Once you get comfortable with that, you can move your hands away from the pogo stick.
One good tip is to drag your thumbs upward on the grips to give the stick a little upward momentum, which will make it easier to grab at the last second.
Watch the handlebars throughout the trick until you get your hands back on – then immediately spot the pegs to get your feet back on.
This is a track that you must commit to. If you do not commit to it the stick will float away in front of you, making it dangerous to land back on.
Download the course template here: https://goo.gl/PySVtZ
This course will teach you to build up and stop your forward momentum on command.
Jump in each box two times before continuing to the next.
To do this you will need to angle your body forward to move forward, and then slightly backward to stay in place.
When you can easily get through this course, start adding in tricks between the boxes. We suggest no-footers, no-handers, 180 barspins, and peg grabs.
Jumping high is a combination of things that you must master in order to pull off the big air.
You will need to understand the timing of the bounce. This comes from practice, but you’ll want to push your weight into the pogo stick once the tip hits the ground. Then wait for the pogo stick to reverse direction back upward.
As the pogo stick start to travel upward, jump and pull up on the handlebars.
At the height of your jump you should pull the pogo stick into a tuck to help keep your balance.
If you need to swing your hand off the pogo stick, that’s fine. Many people do it. It is like a monkey swinging its tail for balance.
If you can get the timing of the bounce down and string 5-6 well-balanced jumps together, you will be able to start building up some height.
If you are really high, it might make sense to try and land on the pogo stick to absorb your bounce. Landing on your feet from higher than 5 feet can hurt your feet and ankles.
The switch cheese is a one-foot peg grab where you grab the foot that stays on the pegs.
If you’re used to standard one-foot peg grabs, this one will feel a bit awkward.
Start by practicing on the ground with no air in the stick. Push your foot out, grab the pegs under your foot, and get used to the feeling.
It’s really important to kick at the same time you lean down to grab the pegs.
At peak height you should be fully extended with the leg extended and the peg pulled upward.
Start with a peg grab where you take your foot off the peg just a bit. Work your way to bigger extension.
A big kick requires a strong grab. This equal and opposite reaction helps you achieve a sense of balance in the air.
To get more extension pull up on the bars and tuck into a nice, tight ball.
The busdriver is a reverse grip in which one hand faces the opposite way from normal.
This grip is useful in more complicated tricks, and it can also come in handy when learning the 360 barspin.
There are two types of busdriver grip: into and out of.
To go into busdriver, flip your hand around while you’re in the air.
To 360 out of busdriver, you’ll need to whip your hand around and then use your opposite hand to grab the handlebar and pull it the rest of the way.
One of the most common mistakes is performing the busdriver 360 too slowly. Make sure to do it as quickly as possible!
The can-can is a two step process: you will first pull the pogo stick to the side to create a gap between the cylinder and your legs, and then you will kick your foot through that hole.
Practice this trick on the ground. Find a seat and let the air out of your stick. Get used to the movement of creating a gap and sticking your foot through it.
It’s easy to get your feet tangled up while doing this trick. Find somewhere soft to learn in case you end up on your butt.
Before trying a can-can, you should do some one-footed tweaks. This is essentially a can-can without the kick portion.
Once you’re really comfortable with a one-footed tweak the only thing left to do is to stick your foot through the gap and commit to it.
If your feet get tangled up, take it back a few steps and practice on the ground some more.
The no hand peg grab is a flashy trick that can get dangerous if not done properly.
This trick requires 100% commitment to pull off.
Make sure you have a really good tweak before trying it.
Once you have the tweak mastered, start letting go of the handlebars.
Since your hands aren’t on the handlebars the pogo stick can easily fall. Be absolutely sure to GRIP THE TUBE WITH YOUR KNEES so that you don’t drop the stick.
As you get more comfortable with the no hand tweak you can start reaching down toward the pegs.
Make sure to use your free hand to balance yourself in the air.
Download the course template here: https://goo.gl/qVHD6K
This course course is designed to force you to turn your hips in order to control your direction.
While in the air, gently turn the handlebars to control your direction. Your shoulders and hips should point in the same direction as your handlebars.
You won’t be able to see the boxes you are jumping in because your focus should be one the upcoming boxes. That doesn’t really matter though – all that matters is that you learn to turn your body while jumping.
Practice both directions, to the right and to the left.
This video is a long one, and there’s no way we can cover all three jumping styles in text format…so watch the video!
Biff covers Candybar, Tilt, and Reverse. Each of these jumping styles is a blast to learn and can be used in all kinds of different variations.
Learn each of these tricks on the ground, and it’ll make things pretty easy when you get to the air.
Make sure to use a lower PSI than you normally would.
Jumping in Candybar is a great way to learn how to do an ULBS.
Jumping in Tilt can be tough, but it will add some cool flair to standard jumping without putting yourself at risk for getting hurt.
Reverse is used for all kinds of tricks, like Leapfrog, Canuck Flip, Reverse Front Dismount, and a whole bunch of others.
With a brand new Vurtego pogo stick, there are some thigns that Biff Hutchison recommends getting:
An air pump is the first thing you’ll need, but just any old air pump won’t work. You’ll need to get a Schrader valve pump, which is used for car tires.
Two allen keys (3/16″ and 1/4″) and some spare lube are all you need to keep your stick running in top shape.
A helmet – they’re stylish, and they protect your noggin from getting cracked open like an egg.
Some nice thick-soled shoes will keep your feet protected when you land back on planet earth from orbit.
You might wanna think about getting some insoles to cushion your feet even more.
Ankle braces will come in handy when you start jumping high and doing big tricks.
A camera to film yourself and impress the ladies is a must.
360 Barspin
If you’ve mastered the 180 barspin, it’s time to move on to bigger and better things.
The 360 barspin can be really scary to learn…unless you have the right tips to follow.
To do a 360 barspin, concentrate on missing the first handlebar. Once the first handlebar has passed your catching hand stick your hand into the path of the second bar. It’ll slam home, and you’ll have an easy catch and landing.
Practice this on the ground over and over and over again. Once you’ve done it 1,000 times you should be able to transfer to the air with ease.
Once you’ve made the catch, pull the handlebars back into your hips to get the pegs under your feet.
Make sure to watch the pegs so that you know where to put your feet before landing!
Under the Leg Barspin
The ULBS is the kickflip of the pogo world. Landing your first ULBS means that you’re officially a pogo sticker.
You are going to bail this trick on purpose. Lots of times. So find somewhere nice and soft.
Practice on the ground before taking it to the skies. Jump, kick your right foot forward, pass the stick to your other hand under your leg, and land back on the ground.
After you’ve gotten used to this movement, practice a Candybar 180 Out.
The next step is to try the pass for real, but make sure you bail the trick and land on the ground. This will get you familiar with the pass without putting your nards in jeopardy.
Once you’ve practiced the bail several times, the last step is to pull the handlebars back into your hips, commit to the trick and land on the pegs.
It’s really important to spot the pegs before putting your feet back on. Blindly committing to the trick can put you in serious jeopardy.
Leapfrog
The leapfrog is where you jump over the handlebars and land on the pogo stick in reverse.
If you haven’t practiced reverse jumping, make sure to check out this pogo stick video tutorial first.
Practice jumping in reverse before you give this one a shot.
It’s best to practice the pass on the ground before you try this one in the air.
To do the leapfrog, open up your legs into a no footer and pass the pogo stick between your legs. Spot the pegs behind your back and then land on the pogo stick in reverse position.
To get back into normal jumping position you’ll reverse leapfrog. Jump back into the air, open your legs up, and pass the pogo stick between them back in front of you again. Landing in this position is much easier because it’s just like landing a B Spence.
One of the most common problems is not carrying enough height into the second bounce when jumping in reverse. Practice jumping in reverse to make sure you can keep your height into the second part of the trick.
If the ULBS is the kickflip of the skateboard world, the 180 Wrap is the heelflip.
The process is the exact same as the ULBS except backwards.
Rather than passing the pogo stick toward the outside of your body, you will start with the pogo stick on the outside of your body and pass it inward.
Start by bringing the pogo stick to the side. Then kick your foot forward, pass the stick under your leg, and land back on the pegs.
Practice on the ground before trying it in the air.
When ready, find a soft spot to practice in the air and bail several times in a row. Because the pogo stick ends up in front of your body this trick is a piece of cake to bail.
When you’re ready to land it, make sure to yank the handlebars back to your hips and then commit to landing on the pegs.
The cannonball takes the peg grab to a whole new level.
This one requires some flexibility, so make sure to stretch those hips out before giving it a go.
Pull the stick directly up, and squeeze the tube with your knees.
Start with medium height, and grab your knees. Reach further down as you get more comfortable.
Reach down and grab the pegs with both hands. Find a sense of balance. If you reach too far you’ll fall forward.
If you start to lose the stick, push it out of the way and land on your feet.
This is a really cool looking trick that doesn’t take tons of practice to pull off.
Start by kicking the stick with your foot and pulling up on the handlebar as hard as you can. If you kick with your left foot, use your right hand to pull up. If you kick with your right foot, use your left hand to pull up.
Your goal is to get the pogo stick as parallel with the ground as you can.
Try to keep the stick centered with your body. If it strays too far to either side it will pull you in that direction.
When the stick is parallel with the ground, grab the tube and throw it back down as hard as you can.
Use your foot to stop the momentum of the stick, and get your feet back onto the pegs to land it.
The heelclicker is a popular trick borrowed from dirtbikes and BMX in which you bring your legs up over the handlebars and click your heels together in front of your body.
The heelclicker is a two step process: (1) do a huge no footer and push the stick down, and (2)pull your legs up and slam your feet together.
Practice this on the ground to get a feel for the balance required for this trick.
Start small and work your way up. Click your feet together near the pegs in front of the tube to start this process off. Make sure you keep your balance while you do this.
Once you’ve landed a few and feel comfortable, push the stick down slightly and click your feet together a little higher in front of the tube.
Get used to the balance between pushing the stick down and leaning your body forward.
As you get comfortable with small heelclickers you can work your way up to larger and larger ones.
Bailing out of a heelclicker gone wrong is pretty simple. Just pull the stick up out of the way and land on the ground as normal.
Before you event think about trying a backflip dismount you need to be really good at doing flips on a trampoline or even on the ground.
It is really, really important that you learn this one onto something soft, like pads!
You must fully commit to it in order to pull it off. Not committing can land you on your head.
Jump at medium height. Push the handlebars forward so your feet don’t catch on them. Look back, drop your shoulders, and bring your knees into a tuck. Spot the ground and absorb the impact.
Do this 50 times in a row before you take it to the grass.
When your flip is looking good you can start adding some style to the flip.
The wraparound is a 540 degree barspin while wrapping the pogo stick around your body.
This is a dangerous and complicated trick, and you can easily fumble the pass while it’s behind your back. It’s crucial to practice the pass on the ground over and over again until it becomes second nature.
While you can practice the pass on the ground, you can’t practice tucking your feet into a ball during the motion. Visualize this process before trying it in the air. As you pass the pogo stick around your body you will need to pull your feet up out of the way.
When catching the pass, make sure to grab the same handlebar as the hand that’s passing.
To finish the trick off you’ll simply finish off a 180 barspin, pull the handlebars into your hips, and land on the pegs.
Before you try this trick for real, do a bunch of practice bails to get comfortable with the motion. Once you’ve done a bunch of successful ones you can try it for real.
One of the most common mistakes is passing the stick too slow. It’s very important to whip the stick as fast as you can in order to flatten it out underneath you.
The pegs should stay under your feet throughout this trick. After catching the pass you will need to look for the pegs and judge if they are under your feet or not. If they are, commit to the trick and land it!
If you want to get upside down you’d better be a pogo badass! This trick is really dangerous and can land you in the hospital in a heartbeat.
Before even thinking about trying this trick on the ground, you need to try it a ton of times into a foam pit, onto matts, into a pool…some way for you to not get hurt if you land on your head.
The pogo stick will slow your rotation down A LOT compared to a normal backflip, so getting a really good tuck is vital to keeping your speed up throughout the rotation.
Your first simulated ground flips will need to be onto pads. Mark two lines on the ground in front of your landing area: one about a foot from the pad and the other about three feet away. These will be your two jumps prior to attempting the backflip. Start by jumping on the further line and jump backwards slightly to the first line. Use this backward motion to help kickstart your rotation and jump onto the pads.
You’ll need some good height to complete the flip but not so much that you’re out of control.
Lead the backflip with your head and shoulders, then pull up on the bars quickly. Keep your chest high when you’re starting the flip, and as you start to flip tuck your knees up tightly. A good tuck will help you to flip quickly.
You will need to pull on the bars throughout the entire trick to keep your feet on the pegs.
You’ll need to practice this process in a series of steps. First you’ll want to go into foam pits or deep water. Next you’ll want very thick pads. After you’re good there, move onto smaller pads and then to grass. Keep this progression in order to keep yourself safe throughout the learning process.
The Superman is a two step process. Start by reaching down and grab the tube a little above the breather holes. This will get you into a balled-up position. From that point explode, pushing the stick in front of you and kicking your feet backward. Reverse this motion to pull everything back together.
The Superman requires a lot of hang-time to pull off, so it will be scary getting your body horizontal in the air.
Make sure to practice this trick onto matts before ever thinking about taking it to the ground.
Start by practicing small Supermans onto matts. Make sure you can pull everything back together.
Once you have small Supermans dialed in, you can take them to the ground.
As you get comfortable landing your small Supermans, start increasing your extension and push your feet back a little more.
Work your way up to huge ones.
The stick flip is a tough one to learn. Having access to a trampoline is key to learning it quickly.
Because the movement is pretty complicated you should start by standing on a curb or bench without air in the stick.
Pull up sharply on the left handlebar to get the rotation started. At the same time pull the right handlebar toward your chin.
Some people (oftentimes skaters) kick the pogo stick in order to help get the rotation started.
At this point you need to whip the handlebars and draw a D shape with your right hand very quickly. This D shape will help spin the stick around and get the pegs up and over your head.
When the pogo stick rotates 270 degrees and is out to the side, reach down with your left hand and grab onto the handlebar to finish the rotation. This final movement is extremely important to landing the trick.
As soon as you get your left hand onto the handlebar, pull the bars into your hips and slap your feet back onto the pegs.
This is a tough trick and you’ll probably fall a bunch of times while learning it, so find somewhere really soft to learn.
Since there is so much going on with this trick you should let the air out of your pogo stick and practice on the ground to get used to the movement.
Pull the pogo stick out to the side and let the handlebar rotate freely in your hand so that it can spin.
Your goal is to get the pogo stick flattened out. The flatter you can get the stick the easier it will be to land. So pull hard on the bars.
You will pass the pogo stick between your legs, so kick your feet nice and wide.
As soon as you pass the pogo stick into your other hand, get your foot onto the peg. Doing so will coax the pegs downward and under your body so that you can easily land on them.
Pull the bars into your hips as quickly as possible and get your feet onto the pegs.
