Skateboarding
After you’ve gotten the hang of it, you can push your skills further with variations like the nollie kickflip or nollie 360.
Watching a fellow skater experience the thrill of landing a new trick can give you an intense case of FOMO. Red Bull skater Torey Pudwill explains that one of his biggest motivations for picking up a board is to encourage others to do the same.
“When I skate, I of course do it for myself, but I do it and I work so hard because I want people to see it and be stoked,” he says. “I want to motivate them and inspire them.” Resources like "Pushing Forward" series are great for realizing all the fun ways you can show off on a skateboard. But, of course, you can’t sit on the sidelines forever. If you want to be a source of inspiration yourself, you’ll need to add more tricks to your skating repertoire.
One of the most important skateboarding tricks to conquer is the nollie. This slight variation on the foundational ollie is a great way to test your coordination and balance. And if you get this one right, you might even persuade your friends to experience the joys of skateboarding themselves. Read ahead for a complete guide on how to nollie from kick-off to landing, along with some tips for perfecting the trick.
Understanding the nollie
Short for “nose ollie,” this trick reverses the classic board-popping maneuver. Rather than applying pressure to the board’s tail to pop the front, you’ll push down on the nose and pop the back end.
Since your front foot will be steering the board, nollies are a helpful way to practice board control with your non-dominant foot. They’re sometimes confused with switch ollies, but a nollie keeps you in your natural, preferred stance (whereas you rotate your stance 180 degrees for switches). As with any skateboard balance trick, keeping your shoulders square and your eyes forward will help you stay upright.
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Preparing for the nollie
Once you master the nollie’s fundamentals, you’ll have an easier time getting the hang of this trick. Here’s how to get ready to pop a nollie.
- Start rolling. Nollies are easier in motion, so it helps to pick up a bit of speed on your way there. Push off on your board with one foot as you put it in motion, then move both feet off the ground and onto your deck.
- Position your feet. Place your front foot over the nose of the board, with the ball of your foot supporting your weight. Your back foot should be toward the center, perpendicular to the board, and between the board’s trucks. The closer your back foot is to the board’s front, the more height you’ll get. But this also means you’ll lose stability, so it’s a good idea to aim for the middle of the board as you’re starting out.
- Find your stance. Your knees should be bent so that you can properly guide the board. Before you pop the board, you’ll also want to lower your stance, using your arms for balance. Moving your arms upward and away from your sides as you go airborne can help you pop higher nollies while staying balanced.
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How to get a nollie right
Now, it’s time for the main event. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the nollie, from start to finish.
1. Pop the nose
Slightly angle your front foot and push down on the nose of the board. As you snap the board with your front foot, slide your back foot until you reach the board’s tail, just like with a standard ollie.
2. Glide through the air
Once you’ve popped the board, you’ll want to use your arms to maintain your balance as your board catches air. After you reach maximum height on your jump, steady your back foot and get your knees level and parallel to your feet.
3. Land the nollie
You’ll land with your board even and your feet positioned at the opposite ends of your board. Maintaining a level board and balanced stance is key to achieving a smooth landing. Once you hit the ground, you can roll onto something new or keep practicing until you get the nollie right.
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How to nollie: tips to perfect this move
It’s one thing to know each step of a nollie. Putting it all together on your own board, though, is another thing entirely. As you might’ve experienced when learning to ollie, getting the timing of your foot movement and weight distribution precisely right takes some practice. If you’re new to nollies, it’s thus totally normal to make some mistakes on your first few tries. Here are some tips to help you iron out any issues and get well on your way to landing perfect nollies.
Focus on footwork
When you press down on your front foot before popping the board, your weight distribution should lean mostly on the ball of your foot. It’s a common mistake for newcomers to use their entire foot instead, which can take a lot of the power out of your pop. If this little detail is causing you trouble, practice getting your weight distribution right and pressing on the nose without using your heel.
Stay centered in the air
After you’ve popped your board, it’s important to keep your weight centralized. If you lean a little too far right or left — even the tiniest bit — you might not get the smooth landing you were hoping for. If you need help maintaining your center of gravity, core-strengthening exercises off the board can help.
Safety first
Just about every skater trying out a new trick has hit a few bumps in the road. As long as you’ve got your safety gear to protect you, you can easily brush yourself off and try again. Always wear a helmet, and consider elbow and knee pads or wrist guards to protect your joints.
It also helps to start out on flat terrain. There’s no rush to master the nollie, so don’t be afraid to take as long as you need to get it right. Working through each step gradually, slowly, and steadily is the best way to learn. From there, you can step up to more challenging terrain.
The more you practice, the better your nollies get
Of course, the only way to learn the nollie is to practice over and over again. But if you need a little visual inspiration from skating experts, check out "Pushing Forward." You’ll get pearls of wisdom from the pros, which could be exactly the motivation you need to try out moves like the nollie yourself.
