Features

Skate Tips: Round 2

E365> Feature - Friday February 15 2008

So do you know how to ollie now? What about the kickflip? If you found our previous little how-to guide helpful you might wanna check this out. We've got a brand new selection of tricks and a step-by-step guide on how to do them. Read on!

The Nollie

1. Put your front foot on the nose of your board and your back foot in the middle of your board.
2. Pop your front foot and slide your back foot to the tail of your board.
3. Bring your knees up so you can be higher.
4. Land on all wheels at once.
5. If you are nollie-ing something, keep in mind you will have to nollie sooner so you can clear the thing without hitting your front trucks on it.
6. This trick should help you learn switch ollies.

The Heelflip

1. Put your feet in the ollie position except have your toes hanging over the edge of your board.
2. Pop your rear foot down and kick your front foot diagonally over the side of the nose of your board, so the board spins in the opposite way of a kickflip.
3. While the board spins I think it helps to look at your rear foot instead of your front feet.
4. Land and roll away!

Pop Shove It

1. To set up, put the ball of your back foot on the tail and your front foot in the middle.
2. Now ollie but push down and behind you with the ball of your foot (shove) so the board will rotate in the direction that you are facing.
3. Jump in the air so the board will rotate freely under you.
4. When the board has gone around 180 degrees, place your feet down on the board and land.
5. Try to catch the board with your front foot and always land with your feet over the bolts.

The Hardflip

As usual, we leave you with a tough one. Like its name suggests, the hardflip isn't for beginners, but hey, it's good to have something to strive for.

1. Front foot placement is important: put it at a 45~55 degree angle between the center of the deck and the heel edge at the middle length.
2. You pop the board a bit like a frontside pop shove-it (so you have to be comfortable with those), but flip it like a frontside kickflip (the board is doing a 180 and flip at the same time).
3. Make room for the board to flip by getting your feet out of the way.
4. Try to catch the board with your front foot and stomp it down with both feet.
5. Roll Away.

Ok, that should be enough to keep you busy for the time being. Like we said before, these tricks may seem really hard, but it's really just a matter of the correct technique. Enjoy!