kickflip help

hi guys

struggling to get the kickflip
i try static and motion
i get the flip motion some days but the board tends to spin 90 degrees and only about 1/2 to 3/4 flip
i get days when the board flips all the way but spins slightly enough that my front foot misses by a hair
i dont really understand the motion of the drag and flip part enough that i can figure out what to do trial and error style
my ollies tend to average at about 8 inches high idk if thats enough or too much

does anyone have any tips for me that could help?

Rolling is better, concentrate on popping higher and not doing the flip bit too early. Have your foot more or less in the ollie position not too far to the side

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You need nine inch ollies to kickflip so it’s probably that.

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Building up your confidence with ollieing will help. I used to find practising on a static surface like grass or carpet helped with getting used to the rotation and landing. Flicking through the nose is better than flicking off to the side

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This may help, especially the emphasis on getting super comfortable with ollies first, and a good bit about 2:50 re getting used to flipping the board before trying to catch it:

Who told you that was average?!

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i ollie over my pals 8 inch board

On grindr it would seem so

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where exactly do i have to concentrate on flicking my toe?
some say just above the dip
some say edge of the nose

lol.

Anyone can make their dick look big with a creative angle.

I wouldn’t worry too much about stressing on where exactly you flick - that motion comes quite naturally to your body shape and it varies depending on how you place your feet when setting up. But generally speaking, you want your front foot to flip the board just to the side the nose - imagine the dead centre of the nose is 12 o’clock. If you’re goofy your front foot should be aiming for 1 o’ clock when flicking. If regular, 11 o’ clock. Flick your front foot at this angle and upwards (not towards the ground).

When I was learning it helped by holding on to something to stabilise and lift myself up in order to focus purely on just how to flip the board properly - best is if you can find something like a flat railing to rest your hands on at about chest height.

But others are right - doing the trick whilst moving is actually easier in terms of distributing balance and generating momentum for the board to flip properly.

Just practice. Don’t worry too much. It comes naturally.

try setting a wheelie bin on fire and doing it in front of that

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Lmfao. Took me a sec.

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For me (goofy foot) just under/on the first bolt. Flick like you have a bit of dog shit on your toe you’re trying to flick off. Flick more from the ankle than kicking your leg out.

Also what I’ve seen from beginners trying flips is that they always try and Ollie and flip at exactly the same time . the board goes everywhere and if it does flip they can’t get their feet back in position to land.

So delay the flip from the Ollie .
And your shoulders are best in line with the board for balance . Try not to face forward on the board, it will throw you out of place.

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Actually, yeah. This is the best advice.

Tangent, but I honestly reckon this is why many people have better switch flips and switch heels - as the shoulder alignment is almost always in line with the board when skating switch. Whereas when we’re regular, we tend to more naturally face forward and so the distribution of weight isn’t quite right.

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Ignore everything anyone ever tells you apart from this. Put your feet where you think and pop and flick however BUT just concentrate on returning and landing your feet in the same position you started. The board will do what it wants but at least your feet will have been in the right place. Now all you have to do is to finely tune your position and flick and when you find the right one, you’ll just land it instead of most people who work out the flick but end up spending far too long trying to commit their feet to land on it.

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I like the 11 or 1 on a clock face analogy. The best kickflips when you kick your foot straight off the nose and not to the side too much.

It’s all about timing and less about foot placement.

Practice.

Everyone else has said it but Roll while you’re trying them. Trying them on grass, or holding onto something is harder, you don’t keep your shoulders parallel and you end up having to learn them again once you try them rolling.
Relax your front foot as you flick it towards 11 o’clock (or 1 o’clock if you’re goofy), and allow your foot to roll, so that your shoe ‘upper’ slides up the griptape. Hard to explain but I’m sure there will be some slow motion vids on YouTube.

When I learnt kickflips, I didn’t understand the parallel shoulders thing and ended up learning them with a body varial (or a sex change as they were called in the olden days). Took ages to learn them properly. Didn’t have this issue with switch flips, as parallel shoulders feel more natural when skating switch.

The main thing is, to just practice, practice, practice. You’re spinning a bit of wood with four wheels around and trying to land back on it. It’s not going to be easy :slightly_smiling_face:

Hi all!

Long time lurker. Saw this and thought I’d add my 2 cents.

For me the most important discovery in learning kickflips was that the chest should come down over your front foot when you squat in preparation for jumping, and it should remain over that part of the board through out.

If you bring your chest towards the back of the board as you jump, you will likely land with your weight on your back foot behind the board. If you rotate you shoulders, bringing your lead shoulder back, you will land with your front foot on the ground beside the board.

The kick should be firm and very sudden, like the strike of a match. The part of your front foot that you’re most heavy on should be closer to the heel edge of the board than on an ollie.

When learning you don’t need to worry too much about lifting your knees or kicking forwards; that comes later when you’re going for height.