REGULAR! POV Skate Tutorial #5: How to KICKFLIP

This video will teach you how to kickflip in no time! I’m teaching you how to kickflip from your regular footed point of view.

The kickflip is also a beginner trick and that’s why it’s amongst the basic flatground tricks that I’m covering. You wanna make sure you learn all these basic tricks properly because if you continue skateboarding you’ll need ‘em for more complicated combinations. Especially for the kickflip, there are just so many stylish combinations you can do on this trick so you really wanna make sure you get this one down good!

Before you learn any basic trick like the kickflip, you want to be able to ride around on a skateboard. Try to make sure that you’re comfortable on a skateboard in general. Since you’re learning your first flip trick, the only trick you need for this one is the Ollie. You can check out my Ollie tutorial for that one.

The Kickflip is one of the more advanced basic tricks. It definitely takes practice to land this one. I still remember landing my first kickflip and it felt awesome! The kickflip is just such an iconic skateboard trick and it just looks awesome and steezy. Don’t worry about landing these clean first tho. Just focus on landing ‘em at all.

Learn how to kickflip for beginners:
Let’s get in to the foot-positioning. Place your front foot right beneath the front bolts a little different than you would for an Ollie. The difference is that for a kickflip you wanna place your front foot slightly backwards so the weight or balance is more focused on your front-toes. Also, angle your front foot a bit so it points a little bit more towards the nose. Almost like a 45 degree angle. Please do play around with this cause as I’m always telling you guys some foot positions might feel more comfortable for you.

Place your back foot on your tail so the the ball of your foot is in the middle of the end of your tail. Also focus your balance or weight more on the ball of your foot. For the kickflip you feel that the trick is a lot more in the toes than your actual feet compared to other tricks.

People will always tell you to keep your shoulders in line with your board. When I’m doing a kickflip I’m not perfectly in line with my board but I‘ve been doing ‘em for more than seven years now so I don’t really think about it anymore. I do remember learning this trick and that tip helped me to land back on my board so give that a try.

Learn how to kickflip for beginners:
Now, let’s take a look at the movement as a whole. The movement I’m talking about in my videos is the movement which has to do with your board when you’re jumping up, so in this case the movement after bending your knees. Step 1: Pop and flick. This is definitely the most complicated step because this determines your board’s movement. It’s quite actually similar to the movement from an Ollie. You jump up, pop your board, and slide your front foot up. The difference is all in your front foot tho. You have to slide towards the side of your board with your toes, instead of sliding it you’re actually more kicking towards the side, no.. the edge of your board. It’s called flicking your board. This is what gives your board the rotation, so if your board doesn’t rotate enough, flick harder!

Step 2: Catching your board. This step is all about timing, people will tell you to look at your board and catch it when it’s done a full rotation. Although this might help you, your board flicks so fast that it’s really hard to do this. I can tell you from experience that you will catch it properly after lots of practice. It will come as a natural feeling and you will even be able to do it with your eyes closed.
Step 3: Landing. Keep your balance while you’re in the air and at the moment you hit the ground, bend your knees. Absorb the impact and stay in control over your board.

Learn how to kickflip for beginners common mistakes:
A common mistake with this trick is that you’re unable to land it with both your feet. If this is the case, try to land it with only your backfoot first, then try to land it with your front foot first and after that with both of your feet. What also helps is to really commit to staying above your board, keep your shoulders straight. Another common mistake is that you won’t rotate your board enough. In this case: flick harder and keep practicing. Don’t start flicking downwards cause you will never be able to do a steezy kickflip that way.
Another thing I wanted to say is that it takes a lot of time to really get the hang of this trick. If you ever see some-one popping a nice kickflip super easily. Just remember that he was once where you are no. The difference is that he decided to put a crazy amount of hours into learning that trick. Now it’s just up to you. Stay positive and you’ll get there!