How Do You Do a Kickflip

Before doing anything on your skateboard, you should wear your pads. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of your skull on concrete, and you won’t soon forget it. Be sure to wear a helmet, and also your pads.

I must also say this disclaimer before I continue: It’s not my fault if you get hurt while skating! You know the risks, and you should protect yourself from them by being cautious and using your safety equipment.

Now that the spiel is out of the way, we’re ready to do a kickflip. If you didn’t already know, you’re going to need to be able to ollie before doing a kickflip. 

You may not know how to ollie. This isn’t a tutorial for that, but it’s pretty simple. Learn from a friend or find a tutorial on the web. You won’t be able to kickflip without first being able to ollie. 

You are finally ready to start kickflipping! Get on your board, and ollie once or twice to get ready for the kickflip. When you’re feeling it, place your front foot near the middle of the deck, and let your heel hang off a couple of inches. Your back foot goes on the tail of the deck. 

This footing position should give you the maximum amount of leverage to perform an ollie. Having your heel 3 or 4 inches off the deck should let you ollie, but also let you spin the board.

Ollie, and then flick your foot to the right or left, depending on your stance on the board. If you’re goofy, flick your foot to the right. If you’re regular, flick your foot to the left. 

While you’re in the air, your board should do one spin underneath you and then hit the ground on all four wheels. Of course, it won’t work out this way at first.

One problem with the kickflip is that it’s majorly skill based. The only way to really get people to learn it is to teach them the basic foot positioning, and then let them have at it. It’s nearly impossible to teach a skater how to actually land a kickflip; but it’s easy to teach them to get it started. 

Just practice, practice, practice. Sooner or later, you’re bound to land a kickflip. Remember: This trick is all about timing. If you keep practicing your timing, you will land a kick flip. 

Don’t forget to wear your safety gear, and keep practicing! Don’t get frustrated and give up if you don’t land a kickflip the first time; that’s impossible.