A kickflip is a classic trick on a skateboard – but it’s far harder than it looks if you’re a beginner at skateboarding. Although it might feel tricky to accomplish, if you practice it enough, you will master the process.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to perform a kickflip, you’ve come to the right place. From learning the fundamentals to adding variations to the process, there are tons of things you can do once you master the kickflip. Read on to learn more about how to get comfortable on a skateboard, the fundamentals of a kickflip, and more.
Get Comfortable On A Skateboard
First, you need to get comfortable on a skateboard. It will be impossible to master the kickflip if you can’t even stand up on a skateboard without being afraid or don’t have some of the skateboarding fundamental tricks down.
Here’s our advice for getting comfortable on a skateboard:
- Understand the fundamentals of standing and moving
- Learn a basic ollie, frontside and backside 180, pop-shuvit, and frontside-shuvit first
- Practice rolling and stationary basic tricks
With these under your belt, you’ll be ready for the kickflip.
Although it might seem tempting to go straight from 0-100 with the skateboard, we recommend starting with balance, learning the list of basic tricks, and then moving into the kickflip. Take it one step at a time to remain safe.
Learn The Fundamentals
Once you’re comfortable, it’s time to learn the fundamentals of a kickflip. Again, this process will take time – start with the first step and slowly work your way up until you master each part.
Let’s dive into each of the steps you must follow to perform a kickflip. It might seem complicated at first – but it isn’t too tricky.
Place Feet Correctly
First, put your feet in the right place. If they aren’t in the correct spot, you don’t have a fighting chance at accomplishing a kickflip.
Place your feet in the right place by putting your front foot behind the bolts on the skateboard. Point it at a slight 45-degree angle. Place the ball of your foot on the back of the board and keep your shoulders in line.
Do An Ollie
Next, it’s time to perform a basic ollie. Ideally, you should know how to do an ollie – but practice it here again, just in case.
To ollie:
- Bend your front knee, put the weight on your back foot
- Ollie as high as possible
Practice this move over and over again.
To perform a kickflip, your ollie must be high enough to allow time for the board to move. Perfect your ollie before taking the next step.
Flick the Board
Once you’ve mastered your high ollie, it’s time to flick the board. As you hit the air with your ollie, use your front foot and push your foot towards the front heel-side edge. Move your leg, then flick the deck with your smallest toe.
This movement should result in a spin from the board. Ensure you kick upwards and outwards, not down – otherwise, your foot will fall beneath the skateboard.
Catch the Board
Once you flick the board, catch it. Once it does a complete rotation, you should hit it with your back foot and push it hard to the ground. Use your front foot to follow and secure the board on the concrete.
Remember – keep your eyes on the board while you jump to ensure you can see when it does a full circle. Also, keep your shoulders as level as possible to avoid falling when performing the back and front foot slam.
Absorb the Impact
Landing will be tricky – you’ll need to absorb the impact to protect your body. Ensure you bend your knees when your feet push to the ground, or you could seriously hurt yourself. Time it so your knees bend as your feet slam.
Also, bending your knees will help you keep control as the skateboard lands. Ensure you keep your face cool for maximum cred to the other skaters around you.
Continue Practice
Practice these steps over and over again, improving from any mistakes that happen. The more you practice, the easier it will become to kickflip. It’s a basic trick, but it’s easily the hardest of basic tricks.
Wear protective gear as you practice the kickflip. Chances are, you’ll fall at least once before mastering the movement.
Add Variations
Once you’ve learned the fundamentals of the kickflip, practice it over and over again. If you feel like you’ve mastered it you can move onto the variations of the kickflip for an extra challenge.
There are dozens of kickflip variations, but we’re going to go over three to start with. These will add to your cred at any skate park and make you look flawlessly cool.
Varial
First is the varial kickflip. This trick takes a kickflip and combines it with a shuvit which causes the board to twist 180 degrees around as it spins in a circle. It’s very easy to trip over this trick if you aren’t careful.
To perform a varial kickflip, pop the board on the toe-side of the rear tail area of the skateboard. Then, use your front foot to flick the nose.
Double
The double kickflip is self-explanatory. Instead of the skateboard flipping around once, it will flip around twice before you slam the board to the ground.
Do all the steps the same as the regular kickflip – flick it a little harder to ensure it goes around twice. If you master the double and you’re ready to try the triple, flick with a firmer foot and see what happens.
Indy
Finally, there’s the indy kickflip. All you do is perform a kickflip and kick the board away from you. Then, grab the board and pull it closer before landing.
Roll fast and jump high for this trick. Otherwise, it might be impossible to accomplish.
Sources:
Wikihow
Skateboarding.com
