The ollie is the most important skateboarding trick to learn as it is the foundation for many other tricks. To perform an ollie, one must push or stand stationary on their board, place their front foot near the middle and back foot on the tail. They then squat and pop their back foot down while jumping and sliding their front foot up to level the board in the air before landing with both feet on the board over the bolts and rolling away. Practice, patience, and never giving up are keys to mastering the ollie.