Unlocking the secrets of the Nollie Kickflip is no easy feat. It definitely is an advanced trick. But, with our tools and the Luck of the Gab, you’ll be Nollie Flipping in no time!

The trick itself can be difficult to learn for beginners, so before you start we recommend having a couple of tricks under your belt first. These are:

• Kickflips
• Fake Flips
• Nollies
• Nollie 180s (Frontside & Backside)
• Nollie Shove Its (Frontside & Backside)

While it is nice to have these tricks down, because you have more control over your board, it’s not completely necessary. Once you’re comfortable with kickflips and some of the basic nollie tricks, you’ll be prepared to tackle Nollie Flips.

Now, let’s quickly go over the definition of a Nollie Kickflip.

Nollie Kickfip Definition

The Nollie Kickflip, otherwise known as the Nollie Flip, is simply a kickflip from the Nollie instead of an Ollie. They are achieved by rolling forward and using your front foot to pop the nose of the board down against the ground, and then quickly sliding your back foot up toward the tail of the board, flicking off the heel-side edge of the tail. This flips the board one full rotation. Catch the board on the grip-tape side using your feet, and boom! You’ve landed a Nollie Kickflip…FIRST TRY!

In the video below, Aaron Kyro takes you through some common Nollie misconceptions, as well as gives you an in-depth breakdown of the trick. After you’ve had a chance to review our Nollie Kickflip video tutorial, be sure to continue reading as we will review everything in more detail!

Nollie Kickflip Tutorial

We hope you enjoyed the video and learned something from it! Now, we’ll be breaking down what we covered in the video. This step by step breakdown of the Nollie Flip will help clear up any issues you may be encountering. So don’t worry, we’ve got your back!

There are 5 important aspects of the Nollie Kickflip that you’ll need to know before you land your first one.

1. Foot Position
2. 1st Practice Step
3. 2nd Practice Step
4. 3rd Practice Step
5. Putting it All Together

Now… Let’s get into it!

For extra practice, warm up with some ollies, nollies, kickflips and any of the above tricks. This might help you get used to the foot position and for the practice steps.

Foot Position

While rolling forward in your Nollie stance, place your front foot in the middle of the nose. The ball of your front foot should be near the corner pocket of the nose on the heel-side edge. This is the foot you’ll be popping with, so focus your weight mainly onto this foot. You may find it more comfortable to angle your front foot slightly, pointing the heel toward your other foot.

For your back foot, you’ll need to place the ball of the foot right below the bolts near the tail of your board. In other words, slap that foot down in the middle of the board and mirror your regular kickflip position. Angle it about 45 degrees so that your heel is hanging off the heel-side edge of the board and pointing toward your popping foot.

Practice Steps

1st Practice Step

The first step to building Nollie Kickflip muscle memory is to repeatedly practice the front foot’s popping motion. When you push down with your front foot, you’ll need to pop down and out in front of you (the direction you’re moving in).

For the purpose of this step, just get comfortable snapping the nose down with your front foot, and that’s it! No stepping off, no trying to flick or land anything. Simply pop down with your front foot on the nose, and repeat this step until it feels natural. 

2nd Practice Step

Next, you’ll need to learn how to flick your back foot off the tail for the Nollie Flip. In this step, much like the practice step for kickflips, you’ll be rolling your back foot up the board, and flicking off the heel-side edge of the tail of the board.

This practice step is done while remaining stationary, with your nose being pressed to the ground by your front foot. Remember, you’re not flicking off the side of your board. You should be flicking out and off the tip of the board, and your toes should flick up slightly! If you are flicking down, you’ll end up landing the Nollie Flip with only one foot.

Ensure you’re flicking properly by inspecting your grip-tape and shoes for signs of wear in the proper spots. You should see some marks from your shoes creating a diagonal line on the grip, as well as some damage to the toe section of your shoe, as shown below.

3rd Practice Step

The third practice step will combine the first two practice steps we’ve gone over. To begin, you’ll pop the nose down with your front foot, then almost simultaneously, you’ll flick up and off the tail with your back foot.

For the purpose of this step, try to land with your front foot only. This way, you can master the flick, and safely plant your back foot on the ground while you catch the board with your front foot. You can perform this step while remaining stationary, but to make things more realistic, try it while rolling forward in Nollie stance.

With these three practice steps mastered, you’ll be ready to put it all together and start landing clean Nollie Flips.

Putting It All Together

Now, it’s time to take what you’ve learned and put it all together! Roll forward at a nice comfortable speed. Adjust your feet into the Nollie Kickflip position. Focus your weight onto your front foot before you bend down to pop the trick. Pop down and forward with your front foot, then quickly roll your back foot up toward the tip of the tail and flick up and off.

Suck your knees up and watch your board as it flips. Extend your legs, catching the board with your front foot on the front bolts as the grip tape comes back around. Try to land with your back foot on the bolts near the tail, and bend your knees to absorb the impact from landing.

Roll away cool, calm, collected and clean. Alternatively, roll away shouting “FIIIIIRSTTTT TRRRRIIIIIIIYYYYYY“. Congratulations, you’ve just landed a Nollie Flip!

In Conclusion

Now that you’ve got Nollie Flips down, practice them! After awhile, you won’t be afraid to take them to some obstacles. Try them down stairs, over gaps, or even out of other tricks.

The Nollie Kickflip is an easy trick to fall in love with, once you figure them out. Carlos Lastra loves them so much, he attempted a Nollie Flip down the Braille-drop. WHAT!? Be sure to check out that absolutely insane footage, below!

Check out Skateboarding Made Simple in our Online Shop as an Instant Digital Download. It’s the most detailed lesson plan for skateboarding in existence, and you will surely improve your skills after watching and studying our SMS tutorials. With 9 different volumes, you’ll go from learning how to ride on a board, to skating skateparks and landing more advanced flat-ground tricks!

Once you’ve picked up a copy of SMS, show us your best Nollie Flips! We want to see YOU land this trick! Film a quick clip of you doing your best Nollie Flip and post it on Instagram. Tag @brailleskate, #brailleskate, and #brailleskateboarding.  Let us know which piece of advice helped you the most so we can highlight that and we can get more people landing Nollie Kickflips. Now get out there, keep progressing, and have some fun!