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intermediate // flatground

Varial Heelflip

Also known as Varial Heel

A frontside shove-it combined with a heelflip — the board spins 180° frontside horizontally while heelflipping.

The Varial Heelflip is an intermediate Flatground trick. Most skaters land their first one within 2-5 months of consistent practice.

V

Spec

Difficulty
intermediate
Complexity
Learn time
2-5 monthsⓘ
Category
Flatground
Stance
regular

Your progress

What the tutorials teach

Every top varial heelflip tutorial agrees that the prerequisite is a solid frontside shove-it that stays under your body rather than floating behind you, and that the front foot drives the heelflip by pressing against the heel-side rail or edge and flicking outward rather than upward. The hardest part is keeping the board in front of you during hang time, which most coaches fix by either leaning back slightly in the upper body or by keeping the back-foot scoop light so the board does not fling away.

  • Back foot goes in the toe-side pocket of the tail with an angled placement that lets the pop and minimal scoop happen in one motion
  • Front foot sits at or below the center line of the board, toes pressed against the heel-side rail so the flick goes outward off that edge
  • Flick with the toe off the edge of the board, not with the heel, exactly the same contact point as a regular heelflip
  • Keep the back-foot scoop small, the frontside rotation comes mostly from the pop angle and the front-foot flick direction, over-scooping causes 270 spin
  • Lean the upper body back slightly so the board pops up in front of you, if the board shoots behind you after every pop you are leaning forward
  • The flick direction during a varial heelflip is straight forward or straight out rather than sideways, because the frontside rotation has already moved the rail edge in front of you
  • Practice a front shove that pops vertically and stays directly below your feet before adding the flip, the flip is easier once the shove is dialed
  • Commit to landing even on bad attempts, planting your feet on the board even when it under-rotates builds the muscle memory and timing faster than bailing every try

Synthesized from the top video tutorials. Watch them

Steps

  1. 1

    Master components first

    You need consistent frontside shove-its and heelflips before attempting.

    Force
    ●○○○○
    Direction
    centered
    Weight
    centered
    TipSolid individual foundations make the combination much more achievable.
  2. 2

    Simultaneous scoop and kick

    Back foot scoops frontside as front foot kicks the heelflip. Both happen from the pop.

    Force
    ●●●●○
    Direction
    forward
    Weight
    centered
    TipThe front foot kick tends to be the weaker motion. Emphasize the heel kick.
  3. 3

    Give it space

    Pull your feet away and give the combined rotations room to complete.

    Force
    ●●●○○
    Direction
    up
    Weight
    centered
    TipVarial heelflips complete faster than you think. Be ready to catch.
  4. 4

    Stomp and ride away

    Catch both feet and land clean.

    Force
    ●●●●○
    Direction
    down
    Weight
    centered
    TipThese often land slightly angled due to the combined axis.

Common mistakes

Heelflip completes but no shove

What
You land a regular heelflip.
Why
Back foot isn't initiating the frontside scoop.
Fix
Practice the frontside scoop in isolation until it's automatic, then re-combine.

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Why this works

The mechanics behind the trick

Board
Two simultaneous rotations: the heelflip axis and the frontside horizontal shove.
Feet
Back foot scoops frontside (as in frontside shove-it). Front foot kicks heelward (as in heelflip). Both happen simultaneously.
Weight
The frontside scoop and heel kick can pull weight in different directions. Stay centered.

Frequently asked

How long does it take to learn a Varial Heelflip?
Most skaters land their first varial heelflip within 2-5 months of consistent practice, once you can heelflip and frontside shove-it consistently.
What should I learn before the Varial Heelflip?
The varial heelflip builds on Heelflip and Frontside Shove-it. Get those consistent first, since the varial heelflip reuses the same pop, balance, or flick.
Is the Varial Heelflip hard to learn?
The varial heelflip is an intermediate trick. It gets much easier once you can already heelflip and frontside shove-it.

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