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intermediate // flatground

Heelflip

The board rotates 360° along its length in the opposite direction from a kickflip — heel-side. Your front foot kicks outward off the heel edge.

The Heelflip is an intermediate Flatground trick. Most skaters land their first one within 1-4 months of consistent practice.

H

Spec

Difficulty
intermediate
Complexity
Learn time
1-4 months
Category
Flatground
Stance
regular

Your progress

Same trick, other stances

What the tutorials teach

All top heelflip tutorials agree that the biggest beginner error is kicking the board sideways off the rail: the correct motion is a diagonal drag-and-flick that rolls off the nose corner, which simultaneously flips the board and levels it out in the air just like an ollie slide does. They consistently stress popping fully before flicking, leaning slightly toward the heel side with weight over the back foot so the board stays under you rather than shooting behind, and extending the front foot straight forward toward the nose (a full-extension, duck-footed commit) rather than cutting the flick short off the rail edge. A secondary consensus point is that the back foot pushes slightly forward during the flip, similar to a front shove, to keep the rear truck from lagging behind.

  • Flick diagonally off the nose corner, not straight sideways off the rail: a diagonal exit flips and levels the board at the same time
  • Pop fully before the flick: complete the tail snap first, then let the front foot slide up and exit off the nose
  • Lean your weight toward the heel side with most of your squat over the back foot so the board flips under you rather than behind you
  • Extend the front foot fully toward the nose (duck-footed, pointing forward) so the foot naturally travels off the nose instead of drifting sideways
  • Let the heel travel all the way to the nose before releasing: flicking too early off the shorter heel-side edge is the main cause of slow, underflipped heelflips
  • Push the back foot slightly forward during the flip (like a front shove motion) to keep the rear truck in front and prevent the board from shooting backward
  • Keep your shoulders aligned directly over the board throughout the trick: if your shoulders are outside the board footprint, the board will go behind you
  • Catch the board with your back foot first, then place the front foot, and absorb with bent knees on landing

Synthesized from the top video tutorials. Watch them

Steps

  1. 1

    Front foot placement

    Front foot placed slightly forward of kickflip position, with the heel hanging slightly off the heel edge.

    Force
    ○○○○
    Direction
    centered
    Weight
    centered
    TipYour toes should point toward the nose, and your heel hangs off slightly.
  2. 2

    Pop and kick

    Pop the tail and kick your front foot outward and forward simultaneously, with your heel catching the nose edge.

    Force
    ●●●●
    Direction
    forward
    Weight
    centered
    TipThe kick is more like a whip than a flick — extend your leg forward and out.
  3. 3

    Keep the board under you

    The most common problem with heelflips is the board running away. Keep your shoulders over the board.

    Force
    ●●●○○
    Direction
    up
    Weight
    centered
    TipYour front shoulder tends to open up during the kick — keep it square.
  4. 4

    Catch and land

    Spot the grip tape as the board completes its rotation and catch it with both feet over the bolts.

    Force
    ●●●●
    Direction
    down
    Weight
    centered
    TipHeelflips often complete faster than kickflips. Be ready to stomp sooner.

The blueprint

NOSETAILFRONTBACKPOPSLIDEFLICK
Showing foot placement · motion arrows.

Shown for regular stance

Common mistakes

Front foot landing behind

What
Your front foot ends up way behind where it should be.
Why
Kicking the board too far.
Fix
Keep your front knee bent during the kick — shorter arc, board stays under you.

Board shooting forward

What
The board flies out in front of you.
Why
The kick is going too far forward, not enough outward.
Fix
Focus on the outward (lateral) part of the kick.

Common problems

My heelflip spins the wrong way

Why
You're using the wrong part of your heel or kicking too far forward instead of out.
Fix
The kick should go diagonally off the nose-heel edge, not straight out. Think of brushing the front edge of the board with your heel and pushing it away from your body.

The board flips but shoots forward

Why
You're kicking the board forward instead of letting it flip under you.
Fix
Pop strong and keep your body centered over the board. The heel kick should go out to the side, not push the board away from you.

I can't catch the heelflip — I always ride away on one foot

Why
Your feet are not centered over the bolts when the board completes its rotation.
Fix
Film from the front angle. Most single-foot catches happen because the front foot lands too early. Wait for the grip tape to face up, then stomp both feet at once.

My heelflip goes varial

Why
Too much scoop combined with the heel kick. Similar to the varial kickflip problem.
Fix
Pop straight down — no scooping. The heel does all the flip work. Isolate the pop from the kick in your head and practice them as two distinct motions.

Why this works

The mechanics behind the trick

Board
The heel-flick rolls the board away from your heels, spinning it toe-side over heel-side. The nose pocket catches the kick and redirects it into a clean axis spin.
Feet
Your front foot kicks outward (toward the heel edge) off the nose of the board. Your heel catches the nose concave and drives the flip.
Weight
Heelflips tend to run away from you if your weight isn't perfectly centered.

Frequently asked

How long does it take to learn a Heelflip?
Most skaters land their first heelflip within 1-4 months of consistent practice, once you can ollie consistently.
What should I learn before the Heelflip?
The heelflip builds on Ollie. Get that consistent first, since the heelflip reuses the same pop, balance, or flick.
Is the Heelflip hard to learn?
The heelflip is an intermediate trick. It gets much easier once you can already ollie.
Who invented the Heelflip?
The Heelflip was invented by Rodney Mullen in 1982 in California.

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