How to Kickflip

Dateline: 15 September 2000

Part 1: Basic strategy for first attempts at the trick.

Ok. Time to get back to business. For you guys out there who've spent these past few weeks tweaking your ollie, who've got it down and would like to move on to something slightly more spectacular, we give you - The Kickflip. Oooh. Aaah. Here we go:

The kickflip is a great deal like the ollie. The difference is in the placement and the action of the front foot. The result is a jump of the rider and the board and a 360 degree turn of the board around its horizontal axis. (It flips over, but does not rotate around.) With exception of the ollie this is a skateboarder's most important skill. The Foot Placement:

The first thing you need to do is set your feet up like an ollie. This means putting your front foot about halfway between the front trucks and the back trucks or if it's your personal preference, just slightly to the rear of the front trucks, and putting the ball of your back foot over the top of the back kick. Remember that people are different and this type of thing (placement of the feet) will tend vary among them. The simple truth is it will take a great deal of practice before you figure out what's best for you. So be patient.

Note:

• Rather than perpendicular to the board the front foot should be placed at a 45 degree angle.
• The farther back your front foot is, the greater height you'll get, but it's also less stable. If you're suffering any balance problems at all, move it forward before executing a jump.

The Action:

Second, kick down with your back foot on the back kicktail but instead of dragging your front foot toward the front of the board as you would with an ollie, drag it forward and slightly sideways. Then with a flick of the toe, shoot the foot off the board to execute the flip.

Note:

• It's the flick of the toe that makes it happen. This should be done as quickly as possible. The faster the kick, the faster the flip.
• It's the drag of the foot that gives you the height. Drag it high, flick it off.

During your jump raise your knees to your chest and remember to stay over the board at all costs. Hover. Hover. Hover. The Landing:

Once the board has flipped and you're on your way back down, catch the board with your feet, land it over the bolts and ride it out. When learning it is better to land an upside down board than to not land it at all so be sure to land on top of it.

As always, wear your safety gear. Skateboarding is a dangerous activity that can result in serious injury. Please keep it in mind.