How to Do the Kickflip

As a skateboarding enthusiast, you know that doing tricks is the best way to impress your fellow skateboarders. Learning how to do skateboard tricks is easy once you get your balance and are comfortable riding the board.

One trick is called the Kickflip. This trick is a variation of the Ollie and it is also considered to be one of the most difficult and popular beginner skateboarding tricks known.

With the Kickflip, you will start with an Ollie. Then you flick the board with your foot to make the board spin underneath while you are in the air. After the you get the board to spin once under your feet, get back on board, land and continue riding.

To do the Kickflip, you need to start with the most basic trick in skateboarding, which is the Ollie. If you don't know how to do the Ollie, then you will need to learn it first as the Kickflip is a variation of the Ollie.

It is also important that you know how to ride your skateboard comfortably in order to get used to your board and know how to balance it well.

Before you attempt the Kickflip trick, be sure that you are wearing all the necessary safety equipment, such as knee padding, elbow padding and a helmet.

The stance is basically the same when you do the Ollie. You need to get your back foot on the tail of the board and your front foot on the middle of the board or just behind the front trucks. You may want to try this trick when you are stationary by placing it on grass or carpet, which will prevent the board from sliding off as you are practicing. Or, you can also attempt to learn this trick while you are rolling at a comfortable speed.

Now, when you are ready, try to Ollie as high as you can. While in the air, flick the board with your front foot. This will be like flicking something with you hand like you would with a fly buzzing around your food but do it with your front foot and with the skateboard. Try kicking your front foot towards the heel side of the skateboard and use your toes to flick the board. It is important that the motion of your foot should be out and a little down. Do not kick the skateboard down, just flick it.

After flicking the board, get your feet out of the way in order for the board to make a complete spin. This happens so quickly so try to practice getting your feet out of the way.

While the board is flipping under you, try to keep your body level to the ground. This will help you maintain balance and also help you achieve a good landing.

After the board has done a complete spin, bout your back foot on it to catch it and prepare for landing by getting your knees bent. After catching the board with your back foot, you will want to put your front foot on the board too.

Remember that this trick takes time to master. So, try practicing over and over again. It may take time for you to get the board to do a complete spin, but after a few tries, you will be able to get it right.

Skateboarding Help for Beginners

You have probably seen the sport on TV or have played it in a video game but you have never really tried it yourself. Now, you want to try it. What should you do? After solving the problem of getting your own skateboard, you need to learn how to ride.

Riding the skateboard for the first time can be hard but with proper techniques, you will learn better.

First, know the gears. Never, attempt to ride a skateboard without padding up and wearing a helmet. They are very important. You may feel that you look like an idiot but who cares? Remember, if you don't know what you are doing, it is better to suit up for the occasion than to be sorry after a major cut or a broken bone. Riding the skateboard for the first time may involve falling and hurting yourself. Do not ignore the importance of these gears.

Now that you are fully prepared, it is time to step on your skateboard. Do not do anything stupid. Start standing on your board on the grass or on the carpet. Decide which stance you will use. You have 2 choices: the regular and the goofy. Once you are comfortable standing on your skate, push forward.

Take your skateboard to a skate park or in your garage or anywhere you can skate safely. Place your front foot right behind the front truck and your back foot, on the ground. With your back foot, push forward. If you are doing it correctly, you should be rolling by now. Push 2 or 3 times and put your back foot above the rear tracks. Get the feel of moving. Relax your body. Balance. If you slow down push off some more.

Now, learn how to stop. There are 4 ways to stop your skateboard: bailing out, power sliding, heel dragging, and foot breaking. Since it is your first time, use your foot to stop. This is the simplest among all the techniques. Do this by pressing your back foot against the ground to slow down.

Then you need to learn how to turn. Just bend the board slightly to your left and you go left; bend the board slightly to the right and you turn right - that easy.

If you find these to be overwhelming, then take it nice and slow. Do not force yourself to learn too quickly because it is not an overnight process. Practice and master the basics first and you are on your way to your first skateboarding trick.

Proper Technique for Executing the Ollie

Now that you know how to properly balance yourself on your skateboard and you know how to skate, it may now be the right time for you to start learning a few tricks on your skateboard which will catch the attention of your fellow skaters.

Everyone who loves to skateboard obviously wants to be like the pros and execute tricks with comfort, and style. However, you need to remember that most pro skaters practice different tricks for years before they catch big air and execute them in a fluid like motion.

Always remember that when performing skateboard tricks, you need to practice, practice and practice some more. Although you may experience falls, you will see that in time, you will be able to execute them perfectly and awe your fellow skateboard buddies.
One of the most common tricks in skateboarding is the Ollie. This is the most used trick out there and most of the tricks are based on the Ollie. If you research the web, you will see that a lot of websites will tell you how to do the Ollie but only a few will tell you how to do it easily.

So, here is the step by step proper execution of the Ollie which will help you get it done faster.

Firstly, you should obviously be on the board to perform the trick. Your back foot should be on the tail of the board and your front foot should be in the middle. Your knees should also be slightly bent to execute the Ollie properly.

It is important that you don't ride very fast when you are learning to do this trick. Surely you wouldn't want to hit your face on the pavement on your first attempt, would you?

When you perform this trick, always remember that the lower you bend the more air you will get. In fact, most pro skateboarders will perform this trick with knees bended so far that the hands almost touch the pavement.

Whenever you are ready, you need to jump high into the air by slamming your back foot onto the tail of the board. To get big air, you should slam the tail as hard as you can. You will see that when you go in the air, the board will follow.

As you are in the air, make sure that you stay in the center of the board. This will keep you balance. Also, you need to keep your knees bent in order to absorb the impact when landing and it will also provide you with a smooth landing.

These are the things that you need to remember about the Ollie. By just following these simple tips, you can be sure that you will be able to perform the Ollie effortlessly and awe your friends.

More than Just a Fashion Statement

The resurgence of the popularity of skateboarding can be attributed to a lot of factors. It is a simple sport that can be very exciting especially if you learn to do the complicated tricks. The movements are incredible and many people get a rush when doing these tricks, especially when they get to impress a lot of people. But as mentioned, the sport can be highly dangerous and many injuries have been attributed to skateboarding.

That is why it is essential that you have sturdy and durable equipment and good safety gear as well. But aside from your skateboard, your pads and your helmet, having proper skateboarding shoes will allow you to have a safe ride. Not all shoes are tailor fit for skateboarding.

When you skateboard, your ankle and feet need ample protection. A good skateboard shoe should be able to have a good grip on the board and be able to protect your ankle and foot and should have the right fit. Slips and slides can happen anytime and it does happen even to the best of them. The perfect skateboard shoe will be able to prevent injuries when these accidents do happen. Also, if your shoes have a good grip on the surface of the board, you will be able to do your tricks more effectively without letting the board slip from under you.

Good skateboarding shoes should be sturdy and strong enough to withstand the constant beating and pounding shoes absorb in skateboarding. But, it should also be flexible enough to allow a variety of foot movements especially when a rider is going fast and preparing to do tricks. The sole of the shoe should also be thick enough so that they will last a long time. Skateboarders push often for momentum and the rough surface of the skateboard can also eat through the sole in time.

You should also take into consideration comfort. Skateboarding requires hours of practice and the constant foot movements can take a toll. If you are not wearing comfortable shoes, you will end up with a blistered sore foot which can be very painful. An improper fitting shoe can take away your stability and balance which will result in accidents.

Buying a good pair of skateboarding shoes may mean more expense on your part as some of these good shoes can be quite expensive. But this extra cost will also spell the difference between effective riding and a trip to the hospital.

Learning How to Do This Impressive Skateboard Maneuver

Knowing how to go back and forth on a skateboard is one thing. However, you also have to remember that there is more to skateboarding than just riding it forward, stopping, and then riding back to where you came from.

If you know how to ride the skateboard comfortably, then it is time for you to learn about the different basic maneuvers that you can do with your skateboard.

One basic skateboarding skill is Kickturning. This particular skill can be easy to look at but it is rather complicated or confusing to do it. In this skill, you will need to have good balance on your skateboard.

Kickturning is basically where you will balance your back wheels for movement and swinging the front of the board to go in a new direction. This takes some practice to master and a lot of balance.

Before you start, make sure that all you are wearing all of your safety skateboarding equipments are to prevent injuries during falls when practicing.

The first thing you need to learn is how to balance your body and skateboard on two wheels, particularly the back wheel. Try to practice it on the carpet or on the grass outside to prevent it from rolling too much which can send your skateboard flying off and land your bottom on the pavement.

To balance the skateboard on two wheels, you need to get your back foot across the tail and your front foot just behind the front trucks. Try imagining your foot when you are going to attempt an Ollie. This is the same stance that you need to have to attempt Kickturns.

Keep your knees bent and relaxed. Your shoulders should be level to the skateboard deck.

Then shift your weight to your back foot. Just a bit of weight shift is good. Now, lift your front foot just a little. This will make the front of your skateboard pop up. To turn to the direction you want to go to, just rotate your back foot to the left or right along with your body.

Try practicing the duckwalk with kickturns. This will be like shifting the board from left to right with the kick turns. This will improve your balance and enable you to practice your kickturns.

You should also practice the tic tac. This is where you combine the left and right kickturns. Try doing a little kickturn to the left and another to the right. Do this continuously and you will be able to a great skateboard maneuver.

You may fall when attempting to do kickturns on the first few attempts but this is natural. Almost everyone falls when practicing this move. By knowing how to kickturn, you will be well on your way in becoming a good skateboarder.