Skateboarding
Skateboarding
Mastering the nollie kickflip
Follow this nollie kickflip tutorial for techniques and tips.
Once you’ve become an expert at how to nollie (no matter how long it took you), it’s time to add some flair to this move. The nollie kickflip will test your commitment — but if you stick with it, it’ll be a fun staple to add to your bag of tricks.
Living in the words of Zion Wright (who you can also catch at Red Bull Origin in Venice Beach), “Skating is a feeling you can’t describe.” And your patience with the nollie kickflip will pay off.
Follow this nollie kickflip tutorial for techniques and tips. Even if you’re not totally up on advanced skateboarding maneuvers, the nollie kickflip can be a trick for beginners in time.
What you need to know before starting
Vladik Scholz does a nollie kickflip in Hong Kong in 2016
© Jonathan Mehring / Red Bull Content Pool
As the name suggests, you should feel comfortable knowing how to nollie and how to kickflip first. With a nollie, you pop off the nose of your board, instead of the tail (like a classic ollie). The kickflip combination with the nollie just means you pop the nose of your board with that front foot and also flip your board with your back foot.
Board specifics depend on your skill and preferences, but if you’re at the level of practicing nollie kickflips, you should get a board specific for tricks. This is not to say that a cruiser would be impossible, but you want to have the right gear if you’re new to a trick. You want to go for shorter boards and lightweight so you can maneuver more easily. Generally speaking, trick boards also have harder wheels than your normal skateboards. This helps with control.
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Understanding the nollie kickflip
The nollie kickflip combines a few things into one cool trick: the nose ollie and a classic kickflip. With the nose variation of the ollie, you’re reversing the board-popping maneuver and applying pressure to the board’s nose to pop the tail. Combining it with the kickflip means you’re flipping the board 360 degrees around its longitudinal, AKA nose-to-tail, axis in the air.
The main difference between a nollie kickflip and a classic kickflip is the switched foot technique. Again, with a nose ollie evolution, it means you’re popping the nose with your front foot and flick the board with your back foot.
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Step-by-step guide: how to nollie kickflip
Torey Pudwill does a nollie flip at the Red Bull Drop In Tour Japan in 2023
© Kenji Haruta / Red Bull Content Pool
The nollie kickflip happens in one fluid motion — but it might help to practice the nollie and kickflip first separately before you combine the two. Once you’re feeling comfortable with both, you’re ready to get started.
1. Positioning on the board: how to stand and where to place your feet
Start out with your feet on your board as if you’re riding to execute a nollie. Meaning, you have your normal stance but your front foot can pop off the nose of your board. Your back foot should be in any flip position.
2. The nollie: popping the skateboard
The kickflip nollie requires a deep bend down. So as you’re riding, bend your knees, and then pop the board to jump into the nollie motion.
3. The flip: how to flick your foot to initiate the kickflip
Now for the flip. As you’re in the air, your back foot should slide off your board diagonally forward and towards the heel of your foot.
4. Catching the board: timing and technique
After the board is done spinning, you’ll put your feet over the bolts to catch it. Push your feet down as you get ready to land.
5. Landing: how to safely land and maintain balance
Related
Like with the nollie, timing is everything with its kickflip variant. Before popping the board, you should lean mostly on the ball of your foot (not your entire foot). It’s not a bad idea to simply practice weight distribution to keep your stability before trying out any new trick.
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Practice tips
It’s all about the footwork here. The most important thing you should practice is consistent foot positioning and flicking technique. There are exercises that help you put more oomph into your nollie kickflip. One important area to focus on is strength training for your leg muscles through exercises such as box jumps and squats. Flexibility is also a big factor, not just for nollie kickflips but all of skateboarding. Target ankle stretching if your nollie and kicks feel too rigid or weak.
For beginners gearing up to practice your first flips, start on grass. First, you’ll have a nice soft cushion if you lose balance. Second, your board is more stabilized, so you can practice all of the motions while your board is stationary. Only when you feel confident with the flip, move on to concrete to add momentum.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
One of the most common mistakes when practicing a nollie kickflip is flicking your board down. Sure, it spins the board. But if your foot is bent down, you can’t get it back up on the board. So to avoid ending up on your board with only one foot, kick your back foot out and up to flip the board.
Another issue could be not getting enough air for the board to flip. Make sure you jump high, tuck your knees in, and pop the nose forcefully enough. If you’ve been skating for a while, you might already be familiar with the “running out of air” part in other flips or tricks. And then preferably land with both feet.
Pop, kick, flip
Seeing others finally land a trick after practicing it for a long time can get you really stoked to perfect your own. Practice makes perfect, as they say — so don’t give up. Even if you’re not landing on both feet the first day, with time and effort, you’ll have the nollie kickflip on lock.
