Rodney Mullen - Freestyle Contest Oceanside 1986

[@jacobwilldoit3921]

Never seen someone so comfortable on a board.

[@amuroray9115]

He was born on a skateboard.

[@TheGeekwad]

Imagine following that

[@ohlookitsmikey]

That man was more comfortable on wheels than I am on my own two feet

[@jnsharrisjr]

I got my son one. I want him to be this good

[@jessegonzalez4518]

And you will never see another!!!

[@TheAnimeist]

All these decades later, and that run could still win freestyle contests today.

[@dougkuerschner1735]

Thank you Rodney for basically every skate board trick ever.

[@colbyholmes4310]

Fuckin right

[@st7728]

A perfectionist, passionately obsessed with skate tricks, this will never happen again in skateboarding, one of a kind.

[@ForTheOmnissiah]

I wish it would. I don't skate anymore but I still follow the scene. Freestyle skating is so unexplored, and there is so much potential there. We need a super-human to compare to Rodney, but I hope for that person to come along.

[@jonathanswink2682]

Dude the fact that this was recorded....so epic

[@roosterartskc1227]

Thats what I was thinking. Literally watching history is so coool

[@brasstacksboxing409]

Best board control ever. There will never be another like him.

[@TheAGCteam]

Holy fuck.. This is a whole nother level..

[@been_rly_n2_paragliding_lately]

His board control is unparalleled, and he did it all with a nearly flat board. The evolution of skating is so interesting, and he's responsible for like 90% of it. Truly one of a kind.

[@retro_alex]

Facts. Although I'd argue 95%

[@larryj440]

Freestyle boards are supposed to be flat to extremely mellow

[@mevinsmiley5210]

Crazy to think almost 40 years later, this would still win a comp.

[@The-baked-bear]

And with ease

[@adr3naline23]

I haven’t seen anything like that since , it’s like he was born with a board

[@L1VE3V1L]

This is complete and utter mastery. No skater has ever been as impressive as Mullen. Even people who don’t give a shit about skating are captivated.

[@guillo888]

Little did this kid know how he will be credited with inventing most of the base tricks of today's modern skateboarding as well as the shape of the modern skateboard. Rodney Mullen... A living legend.

[@zenmindstate110]

I’m still watching this in 2022 I hope I’m not the only one. Like this up if you still here let’s keep this video alive always.This will always be one of my favourites, one that clearly shows Rodney is a master/manipulator in the Physics of Skateboarding. No one still has yet to master their craft in the same way as Rodney Mullen? Who else has complete board control, creativity and ingenuity to invent and redefine skateboarding, and have more simply just mastered their craft. Man’s a wizard and should be remembered forever when people think of skateboarding.

[@chesspunk489]

Begging for likes is lame dude.

[@TonySpotlight]

2023 going strong. This was the best years of skating and I was all for it!

[@TonySpotlight]

@@chesspunk489you’re lame dude

[@kevinyates5519]

This dude basically invented every flip trick we do today. So much respect and love for his innovation and contribution to skating. He changed the sport forever

[@johndlc1983]

The 80s and 90s are the golden era of everything.

[@Айзек-й4ы]

i can see that theese are not only my words !!! Just like you said / i said so like a couple of months ago = glad im not alone ))

[@rickyism1576]

Nobody could replicate this even today.. absolute legend.

[@Kept939]

Rodney Mullen is without a doubt the godfather of street skating

[@RCisMe64]

This is why Rodney Mullen will go down as the best skater in history for me. Not only did he create some of the most iconic skate tricks, but this performance is still incredibly mind boggling 35+ years later.

[@kasperchristensen8416]

I love this little statement I found in an article: "If you ask a random person on the street who the greatest skateboarder of all-time is the answer you’re most likely going to get is ‘Tony Hawk.’ But if you ask Tony Hawk, or many of the OGs of skating, who the greatest skater of all time is the answer you’re almost certainly going to get is ‘Rodney Mullen.’"

[@markmullen1852]

Rodney is 1 of a kind. Nobody could compete with him. He invented so many tricks it's ridiculous. A true pioneer.

[@tylerm968]

This footage should be preserved. I know that not everybody is into skateboarding, but this footage has high historical significance for the sport.

[@jwizdum2103]

Def should be in a museum of some sort

[@DUKEHadToDoItToEm]

An absolute legend, the greatest street skater of all time, invented half of the worlds known street tricks, won't ever be touched

[@chefjeff1366]

not just the fancy footwork, but also the routine -- this still feels so fresh, it seems like those watching from the crowd and cheering didn't even really understand what they were seeing at the time. in the words of Michael J. Fox in "Back To The Future": "I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet... but your kids are gonna love it" Rodney Mullen is the patron saint of passion, innovation and happiness in skateboarding

[@BNatoAk]

Literally 99.5% of boarders in 2024 still can't do these 40 year old moves!

[@TfortLo-q8m]

99.99%

[@sebastiansullivan4770]

No one can do them as fast I don't think​@@TfortLo-q8m

[@javijuberiasluque5079]

And that's probably one of the best skateboarding performances ever filmed..

[@Ez_Brzy]

It's 2021 and it is still mind blowing what he could do with a skateboard.

[@bad_boy8269]

The 80s were a beautiful time

[@telophasemusic]

Rodney Mullen going hard af on a skateboard to Oingo Boingo is too cool

[@RicardoPowellardo]

Jason Ellis describing being around Rodney when they were younger: "Wow, Holy F$*k who's that guy with all those crazy moves over there, wtf is that called?" "Oh. , those moves don't have any name. They're just stuff that Rodney guy does all day over there in the corner."

[@DennisBjerregaard]

This would still beat most skaters in a competition today

[@ceosturdy4465]

Rodney Mullen is unarguably the best skater to ever exist. Dude was doing impossibles with a cruiser board. Wicked to see how effortless he does it, not To mention none of these tricks existed yet or werent really out there. Ik for a fact no one in the 80’s was doing flat impossibles or kick flips. shoutout to the Skate father 🦾😎

[@jonathandantonio649]

Mullen is one of those rare talents that is so superior to all others around him that it seems entirely superhuman.

[@friendlyplayer92]

True

[@sleepytigger1]

Growing up in Gainesville I had the opportunity to meet him several times (and watch him skate). He is one of the kindest, most modest person I've ever met.

[@coolbrotherf127]

The crazy part is how consistent he was. He barely messed up any tricks.

[@RevanMartinez]

He missed one trick and made like 300 others

[@samoinsinno279]

in what other sport would a guy from 40 years ago be leaps and bounds better than anyone in the current era? literal absolute legend savant

[@JJFX-]

I've always said the TRUE greats of nearly every individual skill with a high ceiling are some of the most humble people you'll find. You have to be willing to accept there's always room for improvement and put in that work for nobody but yourself. Mullen, Hawk, Shawn White, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Efren Reyes, Tom Brady, Novak Djokovic, and the list goes on... Those walking around telling everyone they're the best at have major self-confidence issues that will bite them sooner than later.... with few exceptions.

[@jacksonvreal_904]

Kelly Slater comes pretty close. It's different but he's been ripping for 40+ years and is still winning contests against the best of the best

[@jmg999]

It's incredible to think that he was doing this 40 years ago.

[@shagcali]

His skill and talent at this point in time is mind blowing. I don’t even know if anybody can pull this off in 2022.

[@israelsrealm]

Skaters are just now entering into Mullen land after all these years. We're seeing more and more great skaters tap into what he invented decades earlier. Truly amazing his impact.

[@nenhumnome4149]

No one can. Just look at today's champions on freestyle skating, they are not even close to Rodney even with all modern equipment and the internet to help learn faster than ever before.

[@jaxonmoon9815]

I cant believe later on in an interview he said that he was playing it safe all those years ago in competitions. Makes you think what he was really capable of.

[@Demi-kid]

I was at the spot where he preformed over the summer. I could just feel the skate life in that place.

[@chris2kostya]

Me too

[@lucaswilkens5240]

The board is like an extension of his body. He has such good control.

[@yvonnegabin467]

As he said practice, practice ,practice. this guy is my insipiration.

[@gennaro4941]

This is over 35 Years ago..and this is still better than what i see from Skateboarders in 2022...that's insane!!.. This guy is a legend...

[@nonomanrectoris9412]

He did practically invent street skating!

[@PM_kingCB]

Understanding that an Ollie in flat ground had never been done before this man is crazy

[@igorcywinski7477]

Can you explain me how did they do tricks without ollie? I know that Mullen invented flatground ollie but how its possible that fristyle existed without this basic trick ?

[@dogbot55]

@@igorcywinski7477 the way that the other tricks were performed was different. They didn't pop and lift the same way mostly, you can see it in how most of the flat ground tricks he does are done

[@meteorheartofficial]

"Just another day" How beautiful the irony? It was history in the making, it was an Icon of modern day culture at the beginning of his career, it was a philosophy, a way of life, and for Rodney, it was "just another day".

[@stoneyrules]

I love the fact that an 11 year old video of a 36 year old recording Is still popular today with new age skaters and old school. Skating truly Is versatile

[@MaxRubyMetin2]

I was Born with Rodney mullen and first games like pro sketars with him. A legend

[@xn0n_999]

those tricks are just as killer today, and who knows where skating would have evolved to without his influence.

[@stoneyrules]

@@davidmccallum3950 I mean, I'm 16, came here from the love of skate history. Every decade said the same thing, "skateboarding will die soon" since the 1960s. Never happened, never will.

[@stoneyrules]

@@davidmccallum3950 Eh, maybe. Alot of people I know In school enjoy It. As long as Flat Surfaces, a Board, and Creativity exists, It will never become less prevalent anytime soon

[@stoneyrules]

@@davidmccallum3950 Plus, It's an Olympic sport. BMX was said to be dead too... In 1991.

[@andrewheino1644]

Hard to say he isn't the best street skater of all time for all around technical tricks. He basically invented more than people can do.

[@reesegreenland7766]

Best skateboarder of all time. Invented at least 90% of street style tricks

[@kazuhirala]

What’s wild is most people can’t even do a majority of his moves this till this day. Bravo

[@NihilHS]

The fact he linked them all together and as far as I can see made only *one* mistake is unbelievable. I couldn't agree with you more. The mastery is on another level.

[@plexyglass429]

Ikr? Rodney Mullen has always been in a league of his own

[@christinemurray1444]

He's a living cheat code. Those 80s boards were HEAVY. The guy nails everything so effortlessly. Plus he invented most of the stuff you've seen here and more. Genius.

[@Snadwicj]

The board he’s using is a freestyle board. They’re a lot lighter than your average 80’s board. Freestyle boards are thinner and smaller than what others were using at that time

[@thatsmallrockshop]

I want my 80's back 😫 😩 😪 😢

[@steveford9294]

This is still mind blowing 36 yrs after the fact. The balance and board control are next level, in my mind he is still next level. The younger skaters that have not seen this need to , it adds to the full understanding of his greatness. I watch this and can see how he still does a lot of this on modern street boards. Meeting him in 2010 in Denver was a. Crown jewel for me along with two signed decks. I try to emulate his dedication and tenacity every time I skate. Watch this video then watch his Liminal video to bridge the gap and see the amazing progression and talent. Forever grateful for Rodney!

[@_ripVanWinkle_]

born in 2003 but something so nostalgic about the 80s, a time before phones must've been special

[@atodamadre3197]

The only way I can figure out how some of these moves happened is by slowing the video down. This stuff is lightning quick. I was so obsessed with guys like Hosoi and Cab in the 80s and never gave Rodney enough respect. The whole time he was a pioneer for what skating would evolve into and he had no idea.

[@coolerthanafrieza4726]

He's goated dude

[@TangentChaos]

no joke! I identify with him a lot, he really inspired me. So much so I made my first board an Almost. :)

[@ButchLotus1]

Absolutely insane how ahead of his time he was. That’s probably the first time a tre flip or 540 shuv was filmed in contest.

[@sonofthefather4371]

Rodney Mullen is the best skater of all time the true Godfather of skateboarding.

[@coolerthanafrieza4726]

Thank fuck someone recorded this!

[@grizzlywhisker]

I miss the 80's and 90's. A totally different world.

[@MK-su6eg]

I miss those days too, especially living in San Diego and north county Cali ! It was a good time! Peace and Aloha from Hawaii

[@mordecaidrake]

Greatest skateboarder of all time

[@concernedfriend.9329]

I hope this guy know that in 2022 8.5 million people have watched him do this and every single one of them were amazed.

[@sIacker]

Rodney Mullen isn't just a random guy, he's the grandfather of modern skating

[@SamMaki]

It's a rarity you see someone clearly decades ahead of their time with talent, mind and everything. Rodney was that for skateboarding, quite literally decades ahead of his time.

[@waynehumphries6970]

Godfather of street skateboarding Ollie, kick flip, 360 kick flip and dark slides all Rodney

[@wanderinwolf3804]

and straight up heavy spins. You don't see anybody doing those spins like he does nowadays. mostly around me is transition skaters and don't really have many street/freestyle skaters around where I live. Even with videos I watch on youtube, nobody is really doing spins like that anymore.

[@wss2191]

Caspers, primos, impossible. The guy practically created every trick, a god

[@unknown_individual7050]

And the list goes on. He made the words and people like Gonz wrote poetry with them. The Godfather of all that is present in street skateboarding.

[@Steve_643]

Good thing for skateboarding someone introduced Rodney into him to it as a kid. It wouldn’t look the same today without what he did.

[@erbsndspoices]

Rodney Mullen pioneered street skating, and skating as a whole would not be what it is today without him.

[@Melaramaa]

I started learning how to skate last week and now my recommended is filled with skate videos lmao

[@lucasscott_94]

this statement may be extreme, but Rodney is truly one of the most talented people of all time. a true artist.

[@TheClassicWorld]

This is clearly true. I just went through some of the best athletes of all sports, and Rodney came out on top.

[@lucasscott_94]

@@TheClassicWorld doesn’t surprise me. his skill alone sets him apart, but his INNOVATION man…

[@johananav218]

That was the most incredible thing I’ve seen

[@chkrbrdvans]

The 80’s was a decade of culture shock….it was amazing! Rodney was one of the most gifted skateboarders to ever ride.

[@TJ-VtP]

At first I was like, what a pretty combo of early skating, and Olympic style ribbon twirling; then he starts throwing these crazy flip tricks. Okay, I’m humbled. This video is legendary.

[@HerbertBoyerJr-q3q]

This song ,this era and this skateboard God warms my heart.

[@Taterhead-wh3im]

You can tell he was actually just having a lot of fun while skating it just wasn’t about winning he actually enjoyed it

[@bigwon5883]

I don't skate, know nothing about it, but I've seen it enough to know how talented this dude is. Incredible.

[@Tropicsca]

The 80s looks like best era to ever exist in the universe

[@SeaOrcRonnie]

They were. Just enough analog technology to make things fun but not enough to distract you from pursuing fun like this.

[@Underhills]

It was. I'm a witness to that.

[@moos5221]

sure had the best taste in clothing colors

[@liquidationdf7723]

Watched this when youtube wasnt a thing and im still so impressed. Rodney is still unbeaten

[@ViNNYDICEnice]

Is there anyone more impactful to modern skating then Rodney? He literally invented everything at a time where so many people had no idea what they were even looking at.

[@itsnicksharpbro]

One of the most important people for this sport. Dude is timeless.

[@tyharris3263]

nollie 5 shuvs, flat impossibles and nollie gazelles in the late 80s a madman !!

[@ergopropterhoc]

mullen basically invented flat ground skateboarding, including the flat ground ollie, ollie impossible, and gazelle flip

[@Coleman_H]

He invented most kickflip and heelflip variations on flat ground. He would do a trick one way (360 flip) then learn the opposite (laser flip) and so on. Same with the shuvits, he would learn it backside and frontside

[@TheJacklikesvideos]

i must have watched this a dozen times. this whole routine has zero pushes. he gets all his motion with leaning and swaying. i think that's pretty neat.

[@Dimaz42]

Rodney Mullen was born to skate.. his creativity and the ability to pull it off were next level, even till this day 😁

[@anthonyhutchins2300]

How is it even possible to be so innovative... I respect people that create new things. It's hard to see something when it's not there.

[@stevengray8663]

I'm not a skateboarding fan but how could you not be impressed

[@victorstriga]

35 years later and this footage continues to inspire new skaters every day...

[@TampaTec]

1986 or 2022 that's still impressive.

[@Eskayel0077]

He was the most special thing to happen for skateboarding

[@leroyc5866]

2021 still here watching how crazy this is more impressive as time goes on

[@dw2261]

Literally every single street trick done today started with this man. The god father.

[@dallinferguson994]

Seriously mind blowing. He makes the THPS games look realistic by comparison. Superhuman, I swear.

[@DestroyerTV]

I've never seen most of those moves before. This is like the human max potential on a skate board

[@artemisclydefrogger]

Damn this man really fathered a whole style and class of skateboarding that some of the best skaters of today are bringing back.

[@Caustyler10]

Godfather of Skateboarding.

[@mike_viking]

Usually u can do more things in a videogame than in real life. With Rodney is the opposite.

[@monte2115]

Just watched the documentary on the Bones Brigade and this dude had to have been 20 years ahead of his time. Absolute savant.

[@AkaruLanfear-on3mp]

Really because i still watch xgames and havent seen this level of talent last year.

[@The-nn6kr]

40 years later and still no one can touch this guy.

[@kenmasters2231]

the 80's just had this vibe like there was something in the air and i didn't even grow up in the 80's.

[@jimbosmith6327]

The 80s were THE BEST.

[@carramrod8232]

80’s and 90s were incredible

[@MisterFuturtastic]

This is a freaking time machine!

[@thebenefactor6744]

If I tried this, I'd be writing you from the hospital, letting you know that my ankles are healing nicely, thank you, and that the doctors think I might walk again one day.

[@Punch_Rockgroin]

Tony Hawk is one of the biggest names in skateboarding, but even HE will tell you Rodney Mullen was one of the best to ever do it.

[@noor-rx1ij]

Tony was the vert king, Rodney the street king.

[@jacobd8826]

I grew up in this era of skateboarding and back then everyone knew Rodney was on another level, but we had NO IDEA how far ahead of his time he was. Almost 40 years later so may of these tricks are still top shelf.

[@djcrazy8578]

I've never seen anybody today even do anything like this n its great!!

[@HublyTrades]

Do not get me wrong tony hawk, and tony Alva drop in on bowls and verts was awesome but rodney mullen god of skateboarding. Blows my mind the style he has and it's so unique.

[@TheHipHopVlog]

I mean, yeah, he paved the road for modern street skating.

[@fafafooey4126]

Mullen is the king of street and tony is the king of vert. Both did amazing things in their own way.

[@ScottK-op2gx]

One of the best videos on KZbin.

[@2haveitall1]

Dude was decades ahead of his time.

[@stonedViking304]

Mullen don’t get talked bout as much as he should or the way he should…dude was insane talented and jus as creative

[@leonidasenetanya]

That’s because it goes without saying. It’s just a basic fact.

[@n0tk0sher]

Still is.

[@Pillowcase]

Theres something so zen about the way he moves. Its just pure grace.

[@alexweddle8219]

It's the smoothest transitions of skating mastery