There's a few tricks I like to show to the kids I see struggle on flatground ollies at the skatepark when they start looking so frustrated about the process their face reads 'I'm about to start hating skating', usually based on 'alternative' ways to get height when cruising around even with zero technical skill:
- early grabs (I like early mute/ideally japan, also because I never really did any other variation myself);
- beanplants;
- pop the nose into your leading hand/run/bomb drop back onto the board;
- kickback (the no-pop half kickflip Ben Kadow brought back);
- no-pop nose shuvs/powerslide shoves if I notice they can powerslide or revert, also one-footed reverts;
- step hop front shove;
- kick the board around so that it does like a 720 spin on the ground as you run next to it then catch it again;
- if there's a wall, approach backside then pop and kick the board up into a wallride but you stay on the ground and lead it into your hand to grab it, then run and bomb drop;
- bunch of classic Neil Blender fun moves;
- walk the dog;
- 'ollie main' or hand ollie, it's a normal ollie but your front foot instantly comes out like a one-foot and it's your leading hand that reaches down and does the motion the front foot normally would by rubbing against the grip tape (no grab so it's not a scarewalk; instead you 'karate chop');
- if they can do like frontside 180's and fakie shuvs or bigspins, I show them how to connect those tricks together and challenge them to do them in succession with no push and just flow, also introduce them to the idea of body varials or one-footed landings;
- I never expect them to try it, but 360 flip step hop seems especially fascinating to kids when they first see it;
I think it's just cool to show kids skating doesn't have to be linear and especially not boring, every single time I've done it all have appreciated it and sometimes I'll run into them years later and they've incorporated some of what I've showed them into their own style, always feels like a blessing and a win for skating as a communication tool.