If you are able to cruise down streets with ease on a skateboard, congratulations are in order. You can now blend in at the skate parks and rail sessions. Gaining acceptance among the better skaters, however, will require a few more tricks in your bag. These tricks include: the 360 flip, heelflip and nollying. Learning to skate at the next level is guaranteed to be frustrating, but the payoff will be sweet.
360 Flip
Everything about this trick is counter-intuitive. Start with your front foot 1 inch behind the front screws of the skateboard. Your back foot should be balanced on the tail with your heel hanging off. A medium push with your front foot should give you enough speed for the trick. Once you have gained speed, stomp on the tail of the board as you would for an Ollie. However, instead of simply pressing down, sweep your back foot in a semicircular clockwise motion. At the same time, kick your front foot up and out on a 45 degree line as you would for a kickflip. Bring your feet up so that they don’t interfere with the motion of the board. As the board comes around, begin to spot its rotation and location. Let your feet land on the ground if the board is off target. Catch the board underneath your feet if you have executed the motion properly. Finally, ride away and adjust your balance.
Heelflip
This trick may seem to be in the same vein as a kickflip but it is not. Give the board a medium push again with your front toe barely hanging off the side of the board. When you slam on the tail with your back foot, don’t bring your front foot up and out diagonally. Kick straight out as the board starts to ascend and immediately begin to bring your front foot back to its starting point. Too often with heelflips, riders land with one foot on the board because the front foot is out of place. It should be much easier to spot the board and catch it with your feet since it is only spinning one direction.
Nollie
A nollie is an ollie that launches from the nose of the board. Begin with your back foot in the middle of the board. Your front foot is usually unable to derive as much power as your back foot, which means you’ll need extra board space to slide your foot back. Stomp on the nose of the board with authority before you do anything else. Otherwise, you’ll project yourself forward off of the board. It is usually easier to nollie if you delay the back foot for a half second. Slide your back foot toward the tail when you hear the pop of the nose against the pavement. Then, bring your front foot up so the board can level out. Catch the board at least two inches back from your starting point and riding away is a piece of cake.
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