How to Frontside 180 Kickflip
Now that you’re ready to step it up to the next level, the Frontside 180 Kickflip is your next trick! Congratulations, you’ve entered the intermediate stage in skateboarding.
This trick is super fun, exciting to learn and not too difficult. This is when skateboarding gets a lot more exciting. After learning the basics, frontside and backside flips are a great way to transition into more advanced tricks.
First, let’s take a look at what this trick actually is and what tricks you need to have on lock so you can land this trick First Try!
Frontside 180 Kickflip Definition
Frontside 180 Kickflips are acheived by combining the FS 180 and kickflip as one spin/flip trick. It’s also known as the Frontside Flip.
Overview
There are some tricks you need to know first before attempting this trick. Keep in mind, you’re combining two tricks so it only makes sense to have those tricks down! Here are the tricks you’ll want to learn so you can have a better shot at landing this trick. Each of the tricks below have their own dedicated blog post, so go ahead and check those out if you’re having trouble with any of them.
In order to make sure you have these down, check out Skateboarding Made Simple. It’s your true roadmap to learning how to skateboard. With 7 volumes, you’ll be able to go from a complete beginner to learning more advanced tricks in no time. The Frontside 180 Kickflip is also covered in in Skateboarding Made Simple Volume 5. All of the above tricks and many more are covered in Skateboarding Made Simple Volume 1.
Now, let’s break this down so you know exactly what we’ll be covering.
- Foot Position
- The Flip & Catch Explained
- Practice Steps
- Putting it all together
- Common Barriers
Foot Position
Your front foot is in the kickflip position near the front bolts at an angle. Your back foot in the back pocket of the tail ready to pop forwards just like you would in a frontside 180. Take a look at the photo below as a reference.
It’s important that you are able to stand in this position without losing your balance. Once you find yourself in a stable position where you can maintain the balance, you’ll be good to go. If you’re comfortable in this stance, it just makes it a lot easier to learn and practice. It also helps with your confidence. Feeling comfortable on the board helps grow your confidence on the board so you can land it faster. It really helps take away the fear from hesitating to do this trick.
The Flip & Catch Explained
As with the Backside Flip, the timing of the flick and catch is a very key part of this trick. Your back foot pushes the skateboard into your front foot, so you have to get that front foot out of the way so it can flip properly. It’s a timing issue on the flick with your front foot needing to get out of the way fast enough.
It’s crucial for you to practice getting that motion of flicking your front foot and getting it out of the way. Once the board does the full rotation under you, bring it right back down.
The flicking of your front foot will determine which direction your board rotates. Your front foot will have to flick slightly backwards towards where your front foot will land. You would catch the board with your back foot just like you would on a regular kickflip.
Practice Steps
Of course, we’re going to break this trick down into practice steps. It’s important to note that if you’re having a lot of trouble with this trick, go back to practicing kickflips and Frontside 180s. Just do both of these tricks back to back so you can have those down.
Proper Foot Placement
The first step is to stand still and drag your front foot up in the kickflip position. At the same time, turn your head and shoulders frontside. Practice this for a couple of minutes so you have that motion down and get the timing right.
Stepping Off
Next, go through the motions and step off with your front foot. Pop the board, flick it, and turn 90 degrees while stepping off with your front foot. Do this until you have that full rotation down. It doesn’t matter where the board lands. You’re just focusing on the flick.
Next, practice stepping off with your back foot and catching it with your front foot. Your front foot will need to learn how to give it that unique flip that rotates the board in a frontside 180 direction. You’ll want to get used to kickflipping and catching the board in the 90 degree angle at the peak of the flip.
The landing must be practiced to where you land softly instead of stomping. Landing softly will result in being able to do this trick and roll away smoothly, instead of stomping, and possibly snapping your board on flat ground.
Pivoting
Another good practice step is using the pivot motion. This is where you kickflip, land on the nose and pivot the 180 degrees after. Doing so will prepare you to do the full trick and rotation since at first it will be hard trying to get the full rotation. The pivot will be the best and easiest way to land this trick. You can work to decrease how much your pivoting each time and work to get that full rotation without having to pivot.
Putting it all together
Once you have all the prior steps down, it’s time to put them all together. This part is really about the timing of everything. That’s what makes or breaks this trick. Turning your body and doing the pop shove it with the timing of the kickflip does take practice. So, just keep practicing! You will be able to land it.
Go ahead and get into the proper foot position. Pop straight down and scoop your back foot forward. While you’re doing that, flick your front foot forward, just as you would for a kickflip. Turn your head and shoulders frontside at the same time as you’re doing the pop and flick. Once you see the board has fully rotated, catch the board with your back foot. Land and roll away!
If you don’t have to pivot to land this trick, that means you understand the trick and you’re flicking hard enough to get that full kick flip rotation. Putting it all together really is just committing. Don’t be afraid to continue doing this trick until it’s perfect. Just keep practicing to make it look cleaner and add those style points. Make it look as good as the pros do.
Don’t be afraid of landing Primo (where the trucks of your board are facing up) or getting hit in the shin. Unfortunately, these most commonly occur when doing these flip tricks, and could easily make you not want to skate for the rest of the day. Keep practicing, commit to the trick and don’t stop until you roll away. Because you know by the end of it, it was totally worth all the blood sweat and tears!
Common Barriers
Just as with any skate trick, there are some things that can go wrong when attempting this trick. Under-rotating your board is one of the most common problems for this trick. Make sure you have the full flip down and you can catch the board with your back foot. If you are having a hard time with getting the full 180 rotation down, go back to the practice steps.
Your body position can also play a huge roll in this trick as well. Being too stiff in your hips for this trick will affect the chances of landing. Loosen up and make sure you stretch before and after every skateboarding session. This keeps your body loose and helps prevent any injures that might occur.
Keep in mind, you must be able to predict where the board is going to land. The flip, rotation, and landing goes by so fast, that you must be able to react quickly with your feet. You have to (literally!) stay on your toes to be able to master this trick.
In Conclusion
We want to see your Frontside 180 Kickflips! Film a quick video and tag @brailleskate, #brailleskate and #brailleskateboarding. Let us know which part of this post helped you out the most so we can highlight that and help other skaters learn this amazing trick!
Since you made it all the way to the end, go ahead and reward yourself with this video tutorial we made on Frontside Flips. It covers everything in more detail so you can land this classic trick.
Frontside 180 Kickflip Tutorial
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