Kickflipping Tips

Kickflipping isn’t as easy as some skateboarders can make it look to be.  It takes a whole lot of practice to execute a kickflip and make a smooth landing on a consistent basis. Here are a few kickflipping tips:

Kickflipping Tip: Jump above the Board

The most important tip is to remember to jump high and forward. Just like an ollie, you have to remember to take that jump and it need to be even more exaggerated than with the ollie. You have to jump forward so you will stay above the board, otherwise your leading foot will kick the board out of place when you flick your toes. This will happen every single time. You need to keep your body above the skateboard to keep it from spinning off to the side when you do the flip.

Kickflipping Tip: Correct Foot Position

Leave the toe part of your shoe on the deck of the skateboard and let your heel hang off the edge. It makes it easier to flip the board with your foot positioned this way. Then you must crouch and realize that the lower your crouch is, the more force you can utilize with your make your jump.

Kickflipping Tip: Flick the Toes

The flick is a variation on the movement for an ollie when you do the foot slide. For the kickflip, flick those toes outward, to the side, and flick them hard to get a spin on the board. Although it is easier to flip the skateboard by flicking your toes downward, it is harder to make a landing with this technique so there is no reason to learn it that way. Kick out to the side so your foot will stay out from under the board and you can make a clean landing.

Kickflipping Tip: Move your Foot out of the Way

Just like with an ollie, you have to first pull your foot up so it gets out of the way and gives the skateboard room to rise. Let the board spin back towards your foot and then stop the spin by stepping back onto the deck.

As soon as you catch the skateboard with your foot then just come down on it as you would with an ollie. That is the easy part. The hard part of kickflipping is getting the jump over the deck so the kickflip comes straight up instead of off to the side.

Of course to be able to do a kickflip, you will have to practice it a lot. Like any other skateboarding skill, it is something that has to be learned through trial and error. Even the pro skateboarders mess up on kickflips now and then so don’t get discouraged and just keep practicing.