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.
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. [3] X Research source But you need a lot of practice to become good at it. [4] X Research source To learn Ollie, you have to practice timing, watch slow-motion videos, and look at the details.
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). [6] X Research source
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.
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.
You should be familiar with all the parts on a skateboard, have decent balance and know how to ollie. You can practice your kickflip while rolling or stationary - it really depends on personal preference. Extremely important to have learnt before you even attempt to practice Kickflips: Ollie, Frontside 180, Backside 180, Pop-shuvit, and Frontside Pop-shuvit. Successfully learning these tricks will have increased your board control significantly for much faster progression when learning the Kickflip. Some people find it easier to learn while rolling, while others prefer to get their technique down in a stationary position first.
