MANUALs and WHEELIEs
A manual is a balancing maneuver performed on many small recreational vehicles such as bicycles and skateboards.
A manual is much like a wheelie in that the rider causes one end of the vehicle to rise off the ground and above the other end, but is not the same thing by any means. A wheelie is performed by delivering excessive torque to the rear wheels, and causing the entire front end of the vehicle to lurch skyward from the "kick" reaction of the sudden torque increase. Once the front end is above the rear, the rear may accelerate faster than the front end, causing the height and angle of the wheelie to increase.
On a bicycle a true wheelie can be performed by rolling at a moderate speed and then suddenly pulling back on the handlebars and delivering a strong thrust to the pedals, raising the front end. Once the front end is in the air, you can adjust the angle of the wheelie by pedaling to increase it, or braking to slow down the rear and allow the front to move forward to decrease the angle.
A manual is achieved in a much different way. In order to manual, you must lean back, pulling the front into the air by the handlebars and pushing the pedals forward to raise the front. Another method is to slowly lean back and ease the front off the ground. The angle is adjusted through strategic braking and leaning.
If you wish to do a manual on a skateboard, you should attain a fair amount of speed and then lean back slightly with your front foot near or directly above the front truck (skateboard axle and turning apparatus), and the ball of your rear foot on the tip of the tail. Press down on the tail with your foot to raise the front. You are now in the process of manualing, a small accomplishment.
The difficult part of manualing is holding the manual position, which will require much practice and frantic flailing of limbs. Use your entire body to balance. When your manual begins to rise and the tail is at risk of scraping the ground, use your hips to pull the board back and lean forward. If the manual is leaning to far forward and is at risk of toughing down for a premature end, thrust the board forward with your hips and lean back. A nose manual can be achieved by following the same methods bet reversed and changed to be more appropriate. Nose manuals are much more difficult.