Techniques

Boost

Carrier View

Pressing A when the green light first lights up allows you to boost in most vehicles. The thunderfist, J-bomb, sideswipe, and cyclone suit cannot boost. Boosting is often required for or extremely helpful for getting platinum medals in time attack mode.

Delayed Boost

Pressing C-Down after zooming the camera out will change your camera to view the current position of the carrier. In most cases this reduces the lag caused by explosions from buildings. It can only be used on stages where the carrier or space shuttle is present.

Edging

Instead of boosting immediately, if you press both A and C-Down to enter carrier view at the same time, you can store your boost to use whenever you exit carrier view. This is only useful in time-attack mode.

Cyclone Suit Angle Change

If you drive along the side of a building or clip the corner of a building, you deal significant damage and are able to destroy tough buildings much faster than traditional techniques. This is used mostly with the backlash.

PBJs (Nudging)

If you hold Z while in the middle of a dance animation, you can turn in any direction you wish. This can allow you to correct your trajectory should you make a mistake.

Super Z-Trick

When using the backlash, you can nudge against a wall that a building is touching and instantly destroy it. This works with most racing vehicles as well. PBJ stands for the PBJ sandwich, which is what peaches was eating when he discovered this trick.

Fishtail Swipe

Falling into a vehicle from a higher position stores your vertical position and retains it the moment you exit again. This allows you to instantly destroy buildings that require TNT. The Super Z-Trick is useful for versions that cannot use the normal Z-Trick.

J-Bomb Building Boost

While using the backlash, there are certain levels in which being able to continuously swipe in a straight line is beneficial. To do this, take a wide angle swipe and alternate your control stick position every time your back end crosses in front of you. This requires a lot of practice.

Citizen Stomp

While in the J-bomb, slamming just before you reach a building can allow you to both destroy the building and get a helpful boost back up. This prevents the few steps of walking between slams and is helpful in both full runs and time attack.

Z-Trick

Your person has the ability to destroy any and all things in his way if you manage to find a way to launch yourself in the air. This trick is most useful for the Japanese version, since the Z-Trick negates the need for citizen stomping.

Quick Rolling

Holding Z to exit your vehicle while a building is in your way will allow you to destroy it after a few seconds. This is most useful for buildings that require TNT blocks as they often take a very long time to obtain. You will exit the vehicle from the same direction that the carrier is traveling.

Coasting

In certain instances, being able to cancel your roll animation with the thunderfist can allow you to complete levels faster (most notably in time attack). There is no real setup for quick rolling, since every building has a unique way in which a quick roll is possible. 

J-Bomb Step Boost

When you drive through rough terrain, you will slow down to under half your normal speed. Just before driving through any such terrain, release the A button and let your vehicle coast through it to retain your speed.

AB Slide

The J-bomb normally has a relatively slow take-off boost, so taking a single step helps you reach your maximum speed more quickly. 

Pressing A and B at the same time while moving allows you to power slide with most vehicles. The skyfall makes best use of this, as sliding off of ramps can destroy buildings easily.