Skateboard
flip tricks
The short answer
A flip trick is an ollie where your foot flips the board over in the air. There are two flips: the kickflip, flicked off the heel-side corner of the nose, and the heelflip, kicked off the toe-side corner, which flips the board the other way. Most other flip tricks are one of those two plus a shove-it spin: a varial kickflip adds a backside shove-it, a hardflip a frontside one, a 360 flip a full 360 backside shove, and a laser flip a full 360 frontside shove on a heelflip. The kickflip and heelflip are the easiest, level 2 of 5 in our guides; the 360 flip, hardflip, inward heelflip and laser flip are the hardest, level 5. The rest change how you start or how far it turns: fakie and switch versions, the nollie flips, and the frontside and backside flips, where you turn with the board.
Flip + spin
How flip tricks are built
Pick a flip (rows) and a shove-it spin (columns). Backside means the tail scoops back behind you; frontside means it goes forward, out in front of you.
| No spin | Backside 180 shove | Frontside 180 shove | Backside 360 shove | Frontside 360 shove | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No flip | OllieLevel 1 | Pop Shove-ItLevel 2 | Frontside Pop Shove-ItLevel 3 | 360 Shove-ItLevel 4 | Not in our guides |
| Kickflip | KickflipLevel 2 | Varial KickflipLevel 3 | HardflipLevel 5 | 360 FlipLevel 5 | Not in our guides |
| Heelflip | HeelflipLevel 2 | Inward HeelflipLevel 5 | Varial HeelflipLevel 3 | Not in our guides | Laser FlipLevel 5 |
The rest change how you start, which way you turn or how far it flips: the fakie kickflip and fakie heelflip roll backwards, the switch kickflip and switch heelflip use your opposite stance, the nollie kickflip and nollie heelflip pop off the nose, the frontside flip, backside flip, frontside heelflip and backside heelflip turn you with the board, the double kickflip and double heelflip flip twice, and the hospital flip flips halfway and back. Stances are compared on fakie vs switch vs nollie.
Regular stance, from above
All 21, easiest to hardest
Kickflip
An ollie where the front foot flicks the board into a full flip.
Feet: Back foot in the middle of the tail like an ollie. Front foot about 3 cm behind the front bolts at 45°, ball of the foot on the middle line, heel hanging off the heel side. Slide up and flick with the side of your shoe off the heel-side corner of the nose, so the board pops up and flips at the same time.
Learn first: Ollie
Heelflip
An ollie where the front foot flicks the board into a flip the other way.
Feet: Ball of the back foot on the tail near the tip, a little toward the heel side. Front foot 3 to 4 cm behind the front bolts, fairly straight, toes hanging off the toe side. Kick forward off the toe-side corner of the nose with your heel.
Learn first: Ollie
Varial Kickflip
A kickflip and a backside shove-it together.
Feet: Ball of the back foot on the tail near the tip, toes at the toe-side edge. Front foot in kickflip position at 45°, heel hanging off the heel side. Scoop back while the front foot flicks off the heel-side corner.
Learn first: Kickflip, Pop Shove-It
Varial Heelflip
A heelflip and a frontside shove-it together.
Feet: Back foot in the heel-side pocket of the tail, heel hanging off. Front foot in the middle of the board, toes hanging about 3 cm off the toe side. Scoop forward while the front foot kicks off the toe-side corner.
Learn first: Heelflip, Frontside Pop Shove-It
Fakie Kickflip
A kickflip while rolling backwards in your normal stance.
Feet: Same feet as a kickflip. Back foot on the tail, front foot at 45° behind the front bolts. Flick off the heel-side corner of the nose.
Learn first: Kickflip, Fakie Ollie
Fakie Heelflip
A heelflip while rolling backwards in your normal stance.
Feet: Rolling fakie. Ball of the back foot about 2 cm from the tail tip, slightly toward the heel side. Front foot 3 to 4 cm behind the front bolts, toes just over the toe side. Pop off the end of the tail and give a short heel kick up and out off the toe-side corner of the nose.
Learn first: Fakie Ollie, Heelflip
Double Kickflip
A kickflip that flips twice before you catch it.
Feet: Back foot in the middle of the tail. Front foot a little further back than for a kickflip, at about 50°, heel hanging off the heel side. Pop higher and flick harder and further out off the heel-side corner of the nose so the board turns twice.
Learn first: Kickflip
Double Heelflip
A heelflip that flips twice before you catch it.
Feet: Ball of the back foot on the tail near the tip, a little toward the heel side. Front foot 5 to 6 cm further back than for a heelflip, toes hanging off the toe side. Pop higher and kick your heel forward harder off the toe-side corner so the board turns twice.
Learn first: Heelflip
Hospital Flip
A half kickflip that your front foot flips back the way it came.
Feet: Back foot in the middle of the tail like a kickflip. Front foot a little further back than a kickflip, at about 55° with the heel hanging off the heel side. Give it a light flick off the heel-side corner so the board only turns up on its side, then push it back the way it came with the sole of your front foot and land on it grip-up.
Learn first: Kickflip
Nollie Kickflip
A kickflip popped off the nose. The back foot does the flick.
Feet: Front foot on the nose, in the heel-side pocket. Back foot near the back bolts at about 45°, heel hanging off the heel side. Pop the nose and flick off the heel-side edge of the tail with your back foot.
Nollie Heelflip
A heelflip popped off the nose while rolling forward. The back foot kicks the board into a flip the other way from a nollie kickflip.
Feet: Front foot on the nose, in the heel-side pocket. Back foot in front of the back bolts, fairly straight, toes hanging off the toe side. Pop the nose and kick out off the toe-side edge of the tail with your back heel.
Switch Kickflip
A kickflip in your opposite stance.
Feet: Same placement as a kickflip with your feet swapped: your usual front foot pops the tail, and your usual back foot flicks from about 3 cm behind the front bolts at 45°, heel hanging off the heel side. Flick off the heel-side corner of the nose, out toward the horizon.
Learn first: Switch Ollie, Kickflip
Switch Heelflip
A heelflip in your opposite stance.
Feet: Same placement as a heelflip with your feet swapped: your usual front foot pops the tail, and your usual back foot flicks from 3 to 4 cm behind the front bolts, toes over the toe side. Drag the heel up and kick off the toe-side corner of the nose, diagonally up and out.
Learn first: Switch Ollie, Heelflip
Frontside Flip
A kickflip with a frontside 180: you and the board turn together, facing forward first, while it flips once. You roll away fakie.
Feet: Ball of the back foot about 2 cm from the tail tip, heel over the heel side. Front foot about 8 cm behind the front bolts at about 50°, heel hanging off the heel side. Pop and push the tail forward, round in front of you, flick out and slightly back, and turn with it.
Learn first: Frontside 180, Kickflip
Backside Flip
A kickflip with a backside 180: you and the board turn together, back first, while it flips once. You roll away fakie.
Feet: Ball of the back foot about 2 cm from the tail tip, centered. Front foot about 6 cm behind the front bolts at about 45°, heel hanging off the heel side, like a kickflip. Pop like a backside 180, nudging the tail toward your heels, and flick off the heel-side corner of the nose a beat later.
Learn first: Backside 180, Kickflip
Frontside Heelflip
A heelflip with a frontside 180: you and the board turn together, facing forward first, while it flips the heelflip way. You roll away fakie.
Feet: Ball of the back foot about 2 cm from the tail tip, a touch toward the heel side. Front foot about 6 cm behind the front bolts, nearly straight across, toes over the toe side. Pop and push the tail forward, round in front of you, and kick off the toe-side corner of the nose just after.
Learn first: Frontside 180, Heelflip
Backside Heelflip
A heelflip with a backside 180: you and the board turn together, back first, while it flips the heelflip way. You roll away fakie.
Feet: Ball of the back foot about 2 cm from the tail tip, near the middle. Front foot about 5 cm behind the front bolts, nearly straight across, toes over the toe side. Pop like a backside 180, swiping the tail slightly toward your heels, and kick forward and out off the toe-side corner of the nose.
Learn first: Backside 180, Heelflip
360 Flip
A kickflip with a full 360 backside shove. The tre flip.
Feet: Back foot at the tip of the tail, toes hanging off the toe side, ready to scoop. Front foot in kickflip position, a little further back and more angled. Big scoop back, light flick off the heel-side corner.
Learn first: Kickflip, 360 Shove-It
Hardflip
A kickflip and a frontside shove-it together, the board flipping up between your legs.
Feet: Back foot toward the heel side of the tail, like a frontside shove-it. Front foot in kickflip position but turned more toward the nose. Push the tail forward and flick out to the side, a bit behind you.
Learn first: Kickflip, Frontside Pop Shove-It
Inward Heelflip
A heelflip and a backside shove-it together.
Feet: Ball of the back foot in the heel-side pocket of the tail. Front foot around the middle of the board, a little behind the heelflip spot, toes about 3 cm off the toe side. Pop and scoop the tail back toward your heels while the front foot kicks out off the toe side.
Learn first: Heelflip, 360 Shove-It
Laser Flip
A heelflip with a full frontside 360 shove-it under you, your body staying square.
Feet: Ball of the back foot in the heel-side pocket of the tail near the tip, turned about 30°. Front foot about 10 cm behind the front bolts at about 20°, toes just over the toe side. Snap the tail and push it forward, round in front of you, as hard as you can, then kick lightly with the spin, toward your heel side.
Learn first: Heelflip, Frontside Pop Shove-It
Front foot Back foot. Goofy diagrams are on each guide and the foot placement chart.
What is the easiest flip trick?
The kickflip and the heelflip, both level 2 of 5 in our guides. You need a consistent ollie first. Most skaters start with the kickflip.
What is the hardest flip trick?
Of the flip tricks in our guides, the 360 flip, the hardflip, the inward heelflip and the laser flip are the hardest, all level 5 of 5. Each combines a flip with a shove-it spin, so the flick and the scoop have to land in sync.
What is the difference between a tre flip and a varial kickflip?
Both are a kickflip plus a backside shove-it. A varial kickflip spins 180 (level 3 of 5); a 360 flip, or tre flip, spins a full 360 (level 5 of 5). For the tre flip, the back foot moves to the tip of the tail for a big scoop, and the flick is light.
What is the difference between a varial kickflip and a hardflip?
The direction of the shove-it. A varial kickflip scoops the tail back behind you (backside); a hardflip pushes the tail forward (frontside), so the board flips up between your legs.
What is the difference between a varial heelflip and an inward heelflip?
The same split, on the heelflip side. A varial heelflip adds a frontside shove-it; an inward heelflip adds a backside one, with the back foot at the very end of the tail in the toe-side pocket.
What should I learn before flip tricks?
The ollie, for both the kickflip and the heelflip. For the combinations, learn both halves first: the varial kickflip needs the kickflip and pop shove-it, and the 360 flip needs the kickflip and 360 shove-it.
