Skateboarding - How to kickflip

You want to know how to kickflip? Trust me, it's not easy. I'm going to tell you now, it takes practice. A lot of practice. It is definitely worth it though, so I am going to help you get a hold of the kickflip on this hub with this step by step guide. Don't be upset if you can't get it straight away, you just have to be persistent. You will get it pretty soon with enough practice. Okay, lets start.

Step 1 - Very much like the ollie, get your feet in the right position. To do this, put your back foot in the middle of the tale, and you front foot in between the middle of the board and the front bolts. Every skater has different preferences on where they put their front foot, so don't feel like you have to put your foot their. Skating is about style, so keep yours fresh.

Step 2 - Crouch down as if you are going to jump. Bend your knees and stay relaxed, because your kickflip will flow better if you are relaxed when you do it. You can crouch down as much as you want, but generally if you crouch down more then you will kickflip higher.

Step 3 - Tap down on the tale till it hits the floor and jump upwards, sliding your front foot up the board as you do it. Very much like an ollie.

Step 4 - When you are nearing the top of the board with your front foot, flick outwards (the way which your back is facing) off the side of the board. This should cause the board to spin in the air. Make sure you don't flick too much, or you will flick your board from under your feet.

Step 5 - When your board has done a full spin in the air (when you see the top side of your board again) you should bring your front foot back onto the board along with your back foot, and "catch" the board with your feet. Obviously all this will happen almost instantly, so you will have to learn how to do this quickly and learn when to catch your board with your feet again.

Step 6 - Bend your knees, like you would normally when landing. This will lessen the impact when you hit the floor, and decrease the possibility of you getting hurt. I would recommend not to kickflip off a building or down a stair set if you have never done it before, because you will most likely fall off. Try it on flat ground first.

Once you can do all this, you know you can kickflip. Once you have got the hang of it, start doing it off things, and into ramps etc... You could also try a double kickflip, which is when the board rotates twice in the air. When skateboarding, I recommend you always wear your protection gear, as it can be the difference between a lot of pain and no pain. I hope you found this helpful. Enjoy.