How long does it take to learn a Ollie?

Most skaters land their first ollie within 1-4 weeks of consistent practice.

What should I learn after the Ollie?

Once your ollie is consistent, the natural next tricks are Pop Shove-it, Frontside 180, and Kickflip.

beginner // flatground

Ollie

The fundamental building block of skateboarding. By snapping the tail and sliding your front foot forward, you can lift the board and yourself into the air without using your hands.

The Ollie is a beginner Flatground trick. Most skaters land their first one within 1-4 weeks of consistent practice.

Spec

Difficulty: beginner
Complexity
Learn time: 1-4 weeksⓘ
Category: Flatground
Stance: regular

Your progress

Same trick, other stances

Nollie Fakie Ollie

What the tutorials teach

The top Ollie tutorials agree it is one fluid motion, not separate steps: load down, snap the tail, and drag your front foot up to level the board. Most stress that you jump off your back foot (the tail clicks the ground, the foot does not push it) and that staying centered with square shoulders is what keeps the board under you.

Back foot on the ball of your foot, centered on the tail; front foot near the front bolts.
Snap the tail down hard with your ankle and toes while you jump off your back foot.
Drag the outside of your front foot up to the nose to level the board, never push down.
Squat to load power before you pop, and keep your shoulders square and centered.
Suck your knees up toward your chest at the peak, then extend to land over the bolts.
Match pop and front-foot drag evenly to avoid a rocket (nose-up) or bone (nose-down) ollie.
Drill the pop and the drag separately, then combine the timing into one motion.
Get comfortable rolling first; practice stationary (grass/carpet) or holding a rail before rolling ollies.

Synthesized from the top video tutorials. Watch them

Steps

1
Foot placement
Place your back foot on the tail with the ball of your foot centered on it. Front foot sits at an angle just below the front bolts, roughly 45°.
Force
●●○○○
Direction
down
Weight
centered
TipKeep your back foot's toes hanging slightly off the tail edge for maximum snap leverage.
2
Bend your knees
Crouch down, loading your legs like springs. Keep your shoulders level and your weight centered over the board.
Force
●●○○○
Direction
down
Weight
centered
TipDon't lean back. Imagine your spine is vertical the whole time.
3
Snap and jump
Simultaneously slam the tail into the ground with your back foot and jump straight up. The board will pop up behind your jump.
Force
●●●●●
Direction
down
Weight
back
TipThe snap happens before your feet leave the ground. It's a stomp, not a jump.
4
Slide your front foot
As the board rises, slide your front foot diagonally toward the nose. The ankle bone should guide the board level.
Force
●●●○○
Direction
forward
Weight
front
TipYou're dragging the board up with your shoe's sole, not kicking. Think 'scrape up.'
5
Level out and land
At peak height, both feet should be over the bolts with the board level. Absorb the landing by bending your knees.
Force
●●●●○
Direction
down
Weight
centered
TipTry to land both feet at exactly the same time. Landing on the bolts prevents board snapping.

The blueprint

Showing foot placement · motion arrows.

Shown for regular stance

Animation

Setup

Common mistakes

Crooked landing

What: The board rotates slightly and you land at an angle.
Why: Your front foot is dragging off-center, or your shoulders are rotating.
Fix: Keep your shoulders square to the board throughout. Practice looking straight down at the board.

No height

What: The board barely leaves the ground.
Why: Weak tail snap, or snapping and jumping aren't synchronized.
Fix: Practice the pop motion alone — just snap the tail rhythmically without jumping to build muscle memory.

Board shooting forward

What: The board fires out in front of you on landing.
Why: You jumped backward instead of straight up, or your weight shifted back during the pop.
Fix: Spot a target on the ground and aim to land on the same spot you took off from.

Landing on the tail

What: The nose dips and you land only on the tail, often breaking it.
Why: Your front foot didn't slide far enough forward, or you leaned back at takeoff.
Fix: Focus on sending the front foot all the way to the nose screws. Practice on carpet first.

Common problems

My ollie nose dives while moving

Why: You're looking down and leaning back over the tail, causing the nose to drop as the board rises.
Fix: Commit your body forward. Keep your eyes on where you want to land and push your weight over the center of the board as you pop.

I can ollie stationary but not rolling

Why: Stationary ollies let you cheat your weight without consequence. Rolling exposes the forward-commitment problem.
Fix: Practice on grass first to build pop confidence without roll-away fear. Then do slow rolling ollies focusing on body commitment forward, not just leg motion.

My pop is too weak — the board barely lifts

Why: You're not snapping the tail all the way down. A half-pop gives a half-ollie.
Fix: Pop straight down and back, not outward. Think of stamping the tail into the ground. The louder the pop, the better — sound is feedback.

I chicken out mid-pop

Why: Fear of commitment creates a half-hearted motion. Your brain is protecting you from a bail.
Fix: Visualize the landing 10 times before you try. Practice on grass where rolling away isn't possible. An ugly ollie that lands counts — embrace the ugly.

My front foot doesn't level the board

Why: You're popping but not sliding the front foot up toward the nose fast enough.
Fix: Focus on the slide, not just the pop. The front foot should drag from the bolts up toward the nose in one smooth motion. Film yourself from the side — you'll see the gap immediately.

Track your progress

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Why this works

The mechanics behind the trick

Board: The tail snap compresses the board against the ground, releasing stored elastic energy. The concave channels this energy upward while the nose catches air. The slide of your front foot levels the board at peak height.
Feet: Your back foot initiates the pop — the faster and harder the snap, the more height. Your front foot's job is purely to guide and level the board, not to kick.
Weight: You need to be over the board (centered) at takeoff, not leaning back. Leaning back kills height and causes the nose to dip.

Frequently asked

How long does it take to learn a Ollie?: Most skaters land their first ollie within 1-4 weeks of consistent practice.
What should I learn after the Ollie?: Once your ollie is consistent, the natural next tricks are Pop Shove-it, Frontside 180, and Kickflip.
Is the Ollie hard to learn?: The ollie is a beginner trick.
Who invented the Ollie?: The Ollie was invented by Alan "Ollie" Gelfand in 1978 in Florida.

Keep going

See where this sits in the skill tree

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