Jump Boost

A trick (also known as a stunt) is a technical move that first appeared in Mario Kart Wii. After jumping off most ramps, characters can perform tricks.

Mario Kart Wii
Tricks are introduced in Mario Kart Wii. When executed during jumps caused by small ramps, they cause a short boost after landing. If launching off of Dash Panels, the vehicle flips before the trick, the tricks increase the length of the boost received upon landing and special animations can be seen when pressing Up or Down. Karts flip horizontally (similar to a corkscrew motion) while bikes flip vertically if using the Up or Down controls. Many basic tricks include Mario and Luigi looking backwards and waving or wagging their feet, but more notable tricks include Yoshi sticking out his tongue, King Boo shrinking and laughing, or Funky Kong's and Donkey Kong's one-handed upside down flip.

Mario Kart 7
Tricks reappear in Mario Kart 7, where they are known as jump actions. They can be activated by pressing while going over a ramp or an element of the course which causes the kart to jump. They now are the sole way to obtain a boost, known as Jump Boost, when landing from said jumps. However, characters no longer spin or flip at all when performing one. Unlike Tricks in Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7 has only 2 variations of a stunt per character. Each character in Mario Kart 7 has at least one animation of them facing the screen, while the other animation does not (for Metal Mario's case, however, both of his animations show him not facing the screen, making him the only character with this trait). For example, Luigi has two stunts, the first being an animation of him punching the air, and the second being Luigi flailing his arms about.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
In Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the trick and Jump Boost mechanics are the same of Mario Kart 7. There is a new sound effect when a character performs a trick. There are a total of nine tricks for each character, three for karts, three for standard bikes and ATVs and three for sport bikes, although all of the sport bikes tricks, despite their slightly different coding, end up being the same ones performed on standard bikes and ATVs, with the exception of the tricks of Peach, Larry Koopa, and Baby Daisy, who have a trick which is different when performed on a sport bike. Two of the three trick types have no special requirements, though the second type is always used as a glider pad trick. The third type is only seen at anti-gravity segments where the player can spin or flip their vehicle when performing a trick. When tricking, how karts/bikes/ATVs spin/flip can also be controlled by which button from the +Control Pad is pressed, or which way the Wii Remote/Wii U GamePad is tilted.

Mario Kart Tour
Tricks and Jump Boosts return in Mario Kart Tour. This time, the trick triggering a Jump Boost is automatically executed when the player runs over a ramp or an obstacle. It reuses the sound effect from Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7 and many animations from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, including the anti-gravity jump animations.

Additionally, nearly every course within the game gains a Trick and Reverse/Trick variant where players can rapidly rack up combos from executing several Jump Boosts. There is also an entire tour based on tricks, aptly named the Trick Tour, where all the courses within that tour are R/T variants of several courses. Though not named as such, the Mario vs. Luigi Tour also follows this very concept. Coincidentally, Builder Mario, Builder Toad, and Builder Luigi all have only Trick and Reverse/Trick variants as their favored courses.

The following karts increase the boosting time and points from Jump Boosts.

Hang-on type bikes
Note: only medium-sized drivers perform different tricks while riding a hang-on type bike.

Bike/ATV
Note: when a trick on sport bikes is the same, or similar to the corresponding trick on standard bikes and ATVs, only one trick is shown.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
All characters from Mario Kart 8 retain the same tricks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Additionally, the added characters each perform their own set of three tricks, regardless of vehicle type.

Bike/ATV
Note: when a trick on sport bikes is the same, or similar to the corresponding trick on standard bikes and ATVs, only one trick is shown.

Mario Kart Tour
All characters from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe reuse the same tricks in Mario Kart Tour. As bikes/ATVs do not return, all characters have a set of three tricks, including new characters, returning characters that are not playable in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and variants. Despite anti-gravity sections being absent in the game, the anti-gravity trick still retains and the animations only plays when the kart spins or does not flip in any directions.

Mario Kart 7

 * Digital instruction manual description: "Press at the moment you jump off a ramp or similar object to perform a jump action. When performed correctly, this will give you a short speed boost upon landing."

Mario Kart 8

 * Digital instruction manual description: "Press when jumping over ramps and similar objects to perform a trick in midair. Get the timing right to get a brief speed boost when you land."

Mario Kart Tour

 * Tips & Tricks: "When you hit a ramp, you'll automatically perform a Jump Boost and get a burst of speed upon landing."
 * Mario Kart Tour Twitter: "Perform a Jump Boost and get a burst of speed by driving off ramps and other bumps in the road! Just hit the ramp and let your driver take care of the rest. Ramps come in all shapes and sizes, so be sure to try jumping off of everything you can!"

Trivia

 * In an American commercial for Mario Kart DS, a CG animation has Mario performing a trick over a ramp, even though the first game to introduce tricks is the next game, Mario Kart Wii.
 * In Mario Kart 7, a jump action will have a different sound effect when performed in two courses; Rainbow Road and SNES Rainbow Road.
 * Likewise, in Mario Kart 8, playing as Villager will also result in a different sound.