Learning to Kickflip
Get the right foot position. The first thing you need to look at is your foot placement: Your front foot should be placed just behind the bolts on your board, pointing slightly towards the front at a 45 degree angle. If you're just starting it may also help to put it a little bit lower to make the board flip faster. The ball of your back foot should be perched on the tail of your board. Don't hunch forwards, keep your shoulders in line with your board.
Ollie. Hopefully you already know how to ollie, but just to recap: Bend your front knee and put all of your weight on the ball of your back foot. This causes the front of the board to lift, while the back pops off the ground and then bounces up. Try to ollie as high as you can, as this will give you more time to complete the kickflip. Ollie involves quite simple steps. But you need a lot of practice to become good at it. To learn Ollie, you have to practice timing, watch slow-motion videos, and look at the details.
Use your front foot to flick the board. While you're in the air, slide your front foot towards the front heel-side edge of the board. Kick your leg out, flicking the edge of your deck with your baby toe. This is what gives it its spin. When kicking make sure to flick up and off the nose so rather than down so you can get your front foot back on. This move is a little tricky, so make sure you understand it fully before you try it. Make sure you are kicking your leg outwards and upwards, not downwards. Otherwise your foot will end up beneath the board and you won't be able to land properly. Don't kick too hard either, otherwise you'll send your board spinning away from you. Also be sure to jump high enough so that your back foot comes off the board (though not as high as the front foot).
Catch the skateboard with your back foot, then your front. Once the skateboard has completed a full rotation in the air, catch it with your back foot and slam it towards the ground. Once your back foot hits the board, your front foot should follow suit. In order to figure out when your skateboard has a full rotation, you will need to keep your eyes on it as you jump, which can be tricky. Do your best to get the timing right, and land with your feet over the bolts on the front and back of your deck. Another important point to remember is to try to keep your shoulders level (as opposed to having one higher than the other) and facing in the direction you're going. This will help you to keep your balance as you land your flip.
Bend your knees as you land. As your board hits the ground, bend your knees in order to absorb the shock. This will also help you to maintain control of the skateboard. If you're practicing your kickflip while rolling, just continue on, trying your best to look cool.
Practice, practice practice. Kickflips are the most difficult of the basic tricks, so it can take a while to get them down perfectly. Don't let yourself get frustrated - just keep practicing until you get it right.
Kickflip Variations
Do a double kickflip. A double kickflip is when the board flips over twice in the air before you land. It involves the same technique as a regular ollie, you just need to flick the board a little harder and faster. You can also try for a triple kickflip, where the board flips over three times before landing.
Do a varial kickflip. A varial kickflip is a combination of a kickflip and a shove-it, where the board spins around 180 degrees as it flips. You can achieve the shove-it rotation by popping the board on the toe side of the tail, then flicking the nose with your front foot to achieve the flip.
Do a kickflip body varial. A kickflip body varial involves the skater switching their position mid-air, instead of the board. With this particular trick, the skater flips their body 180 degrees frontside, then lands in a switch stance.
Do a kickflip indy. With a kickflip indy, you do a kickflip, flicking the board a little further out than you normally would, and grab the board in your hand before you land. You need to be rolling pretty fast and jumping high for this one.
Do a kickflip underflip. The kickflip underflip is a very advanced trick that takes lots of practice to master. After the board has completed one rotation during a kickflip, you use the top of your toe to flick the board so it spins in the opposite direction.
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