Rodney Mullen 2026: Still Shredding with Kids at 59

Contents

The May 6 Program in Malibu

The city of Malibu is organizing two events. 4 PM, Malibu Bluffs Park: session open to youth, helmet and protective gear mandatory (knees, elbows, wrists). You show up with your board, you session with Rodney. Cost: zero. Registration: none, it's open.

7 PM, Malibu City Hall: he takes the stage for the Malibu Library Speaker Series. Conference — reservation required. He knows the format, he's the guy who delivered two TED talks in 2012 and 2014, with 7 million cumulative views.

For the kids, bring a standard-compliant kids' skateboarding helmet and a set of elbow-knee pads. It's non-negotiable, the organizers will turn you away without them.

This guy invented your skateboarding. Literally.

We're repeating it because it's easy to forget. Without Rodney Mullen, your skateboarding wouldn't have half its vocabulary. The flatground ollie in 1982. The kickflip — which he called "magic flip" at the time — in 1983. The 360 flip, the impossible, the casper slide, the helipop, the darkslide. About twenty foundational tricks from a single brain.

In 1991, he co-founded World Industries with Steve Rocco. Cultural bombs in the 90s: Plan B, Blind, A-Team, Almost. When he sold his shares in 2002, it was tens of millions. You might imagine he'd buy a villa in Hawaii and we'd never see him again. That's not what he did.

Why the guy who could do nothing still teaches

Mullen never stopped skateboarding alone. The legend — confirmed by himself in several interviews — is that he'd take out his Almost board at 1 AM, in an empty industrial parking lot, and stay there for four hours iterating on a trick. Not for a part. Not for a video. For the practice itself.

Since 2010, he's shifted his obsession towards neurological research — collaborations with MIT and UCLA on movement, creativity, muscle memory. Conferences in Asia, Europe, Stanford. The guy talks to robotics engineers like they're 12-year-old kids: he lays it out simply, breaks down the movement, makes it accessible.

That's how he passes it on. No gatekeeping. No "I was there when the kickflip came out" attitude. A youth session in Malibu, open, free, helmet mandatory. You show up with your kid, your kid lands their ollie in front of the guy who invented it. Full circle.

What this tells us about skateboarding in 2026

We live in a skateboarding world where SLS hands out six-figure checks, where Nyjah Huston is a Nike ambassador for the Olympics, where Drake makes memes with a switch BS tailslide. That's cool. It's also a world where the other version of skateboarding — the solitary practice, the parking lot, the night — could disappear.

Mullen embodies this other version. And he continues to defend it publicly, without resentment. Not by saying the Olympics are shit. By doing the opposite: a free session with kids, no broadcast cameras, no media plan. May 6 at 4 PM. You go or you miss out.

FAQ

How old is Rodney Mullen in 2026?

59 years old. Born August 17, 1966, in Gainesville, Florida. He will celebrate his 60th birthday in August 2026.

How many tricks did he invent?

About twenty foundational tricks are attributed to Mullen — flatground ollie, kickflip, heelflip, 360 flip, impossible, casper slide, helipop, darkslide, primo slide among others. Most between 1982 and 1990.

Can you attend the youth session?

Yes, it's open and free. Malibu Bluffs Park, May 6, 2026, at 4 PM. Helmet, kneepads, elbow pads, wrist guards mandatory for skateboarding. Spectators: free access.

Where can you watch his TED talks?

On ted.com — "Pop an Ollie and Innovate!" (2012) and "On Getting Up Again" (2014). FR subtitles available. A must-see at least once in a skater's life.

Mullen still running sessions with kids at 59 — would you skate Malibu with him? What would you ask him? Drop a comment ↓