How to Frontside Flip

The frontside flip is a kickflip with a frontside 180. I think everyone should learn it, whatever you skate. There are a million ways to do this trick, because anything that spins and flips in the same direction gives people a lot of problems to solve. I’ll show you the way I do it: a basic version that gets you landing them, and a higher version for later.

Before you start

Your kickflip should be solid enough that you catch it without thinking about it. This trick goes a lot better if you can focus 100% on the spin and the catch and forget about the flip. A frontside 180 obviously helps. So does a no comply 180. That one sounds random, but you’ll see why in a second.

Foot position

• Front foot: right about the middle of the board. It’s a quick, flippy position, because the board spins in the same direction you flick and you need to get your foot out of the way fast. If I put my front foot farther forward, the nose dives on the way around and I land in a switch tail stop.
• Back foot: centered over the tail with the toe hanging off a little. You’re not really going for a scoop stance. You need to be able to pop it quickly.

That’s what works for me. Andrew Reynolds does his with his front foot hanging off and his back foot really scoopy. If my way doesn’t click, experiment.

How to do the basic frontside flip

I don’t really wind up for this one. It feels like a no comply 180: keep your shoulders lined up, start spinning as you jump, and it’s one quick motion.

1. Roll up with your feet in position and your shoulders lined up with the board.
2. As you jump, start turning frontside.
3. Scoop the tail down and push it around. You’re not popping it super high, and you’re not throwing it away from you. You’re pulling the nose backward by pushing the tail forward.
4. Flick at the same time as the scoop.
5. Let it come around under you and land on it.

You won’t get a ton of height this way, but you’ll land them, and it’ll get you through a game of SKATE no problem.

Keep it underneath you

Like any spinning trick, the board wants to travel. You’ll drift a little no matter what, but keep it to a minimum. Don’t jump after the board and land off balance. Make the board go where you tell it to go.

The scoop does most of that work. I’d say 95% of this trick is in the scoop. The flick just kind of happens. Where your back foot throws the tail makes all the difference, so that’s where I’d focus. Your body is spinning too, so it doesn’t really feel like a scoop, but the tail does scoop out away from you a little. For me it feels a lot like a hardflip, with my body going along with it.

Troubleshooting

Landing on the nose

This one still happens to me pretty often. You land, the board is under you, but your weight is out over the nose. Again, it comes from where you scoop the tail.

What helps me is feeling like the board is almost all the way around by the time I flick. That’s not what actually happens, but that’s how it feels. If you’re scooped most of the way around before you flick, the board stays with you instead of getting out ahead.

Catching it at 90

When I first learned tricks like this, every trick tip said to catch it at 90 and guide it the rest of the way. Don’t. If you aim to catch it at 90, you’ll land at 90. Plan on a full 180. If you’ve practiced your kickflip enough, your instincts will catch the board instead of letting it over-flip.

Getting more height

For higher frontside flips, the technique feels completely different. Instead of scooping the tail around like a no comply, I pop the board really quick and really flat. It’s a sharp snap, not a scoop, and nothing like a regular frontside 180. You still scoop it away from you a little. Get that right and you’ll get a much higher flip that you can catch around 90 and ride away.

Even then, you’re not catching it and slowly guiding it around. You flick, aim for the landing, and the board comes with you.

What’s next

Once you have these, the hardflip uses a lot of the same feeling. The backside flip is the other half of the pair.