You're at the local park, just trying to find your flow. You kick off, get some speed, and suddenly you feel it—the collective side-eye from the guys near the bowl. If you've been told you're pushing mongo, you probably felt like you just committed a federal crime in the eyes of the "real" skaters.
But what actually is it? Basically, pushing mongo means you’re using your front foot to propel the board while your back foot stays planted. Most people do the opposite. They keep their front foot near the bolts and kick with their back foot.
It sounds like a tiny detail. It isn't. In the skating world, this one habit can brand you a "poser" before you even try your first ollie.
What is Pushing Mongo and Why Does it Happen?
Most beginners don't choose to push mongo because they want to be rebellious. It just feels... natural. When you’re first stepping on a piece of wood with wheels, your brain wants to keep its dominant foot on the board for "stability."
If you're regular-footed (left foot forward), pushing mongo means you're kicking with that left foot. If you're goofy (right foot forward), you're kicking with the right. Honestly, it feels safer at first because you feel like you have a "brake" right at the front.
But that's a bit of a trap.
The Mechanical Nightmare
Here is the real problem. When you push with your front foot, your weight is shifted way back over the rear trucks. Have you ever tried to steer a shopping cart by pushing it from the front while standing on the back? It’s wobbly. It’s sketchy.
When your weight is on the back, the front of the board is light. If you hit a pebble—even a tiny one—the front wheels are going to bounce. Since there’s no weight holding them down, the board can fly out from under you.
The Technical Reasons Skaters Hate It
It isn't just about looking "cool," though let’s be real, aesthetics matter in skating. There are genuine performance bottlenecks that happen when you're pushing mongo.
- The Setup Lag: This is the big one. If you push regular, your front foot is already where it needs to be. You just hop your back foot onto the tail and boom—you’re ready to pop. With mongo, you have to move your kicking foot from the ground to the front, then adjust your back foot to the tail. It’s an extra step. In a line where timing is everything, that half-second is an eternity.
- Balance and Speed Wobbles: High speeds and mongo pushing are a recipe for disaster. Because your center of gravity is behind the midpoint of the board, you lose significant leverage over your front trucks. That leads to the dreaded speed wobbles.
- Foot Placement: You end up doing this weird "shuffle" every time you want to do a trick. It makes your skating look choppy rather than fluid.
The "Switch" Exception
Now, if you want to see a pro skater push mongo and get away with it, watch them ride switch. Switch is when a skater rides in their non-dominant stance. It's incredibly hard.
Even legendary pros like Eric Koston or Stevie Williams have been known to push mongo when riding switch. Why? Because sometimes, your brain just cannot compute the "regular" push in a mirror stance. In these cases, the community usually gives it a pass. It’s like a "get out of jail free" card for technical difficulty.
Is it Actually Offensive?
The term "mongo" itself has a pretty dark history. It's likely derived from a derogatory slur used for people with Down Syndrome (mongoloid). Most skaters today don't even realize that's where the word comes from; they just use it as shorthand for "wrong way to push."
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Some people are trying to move away from the word because of that baggage. You might hear people call it "paddy pushing" or just "front-foot pushing."
Whatever you call it, the stigma is real. If you show up to a pro-level competition pushing mongo, the judges are going to dock points for style. It just doesn't have the "proper" silhouette that defines modern skateboarding.
How to Fix It (If You Care)
Look, at the end of the day, it's your board. If you just want to cruise to the grocery store and you don't care about tricks, push however you want. But if you want to progress, you’ve gotta break the habit.
- Force the "Wrong" Foot: Spend an entire afternoon only pushing with your back foot. It will feel like you're learning to walk again. It will suck. Your balance will be gone.
- Focus on the Bolts: Keep your front foot directly over the front four bolts. Don't let it move. Use your back foot to take small, tiny "baby pushes" until the muscle memory starts to click.
- The "Throw Down": Practice throwing your board down and stepping onto it with your front foot first. This forces the correct sequence.
If you're struggling to balance on one leg while pushing, try tightening your trucks. It gives you a more stable platform while you're getting used to the new weight distribution.
Moving Forward
The goal isn't to please the "skate police." It's to make the board an extension of your body. Once you master the regular push, you'll notice you can hit cracks easier, turn sharper while pushing, and get into your tricks way faster.
Start by spending 10 minutes of every session consciously pushing regular. Your future self (and your shins) will thank you.