How To: Hardflip by VLSkate is a skateboarding tutorial for the Hardflip. VLSkate breaks down the hardflip as closer to a vertical backflip motion than a standard frontside pop shove-it, with the toe-side back foot position being the key insight that unlocked the trick after years of failure.
What this video teaches
VLSkate breaks down the hardflip as closer to a vertical backflip motion than a standard frontside pop shove-it, with the toe-side back foot position being the key insight that unlocked the trick after years of failure. The front foot does double duty, flicking outward to flip the board while simultaneously dragging it frontside, and opening the hips slightly like starting a frontside 180 helps drive the rotation.
Key tips
1Back foot ball positioned toward the toe side of the tail, not in the heelside pocket used for a frontside pop shove-it
2The initial pop motion is more like a backflip (end-over-end) than a frontside shove, with the frontside rotation added on top
3Let the nose rise nearly vertical before the front foot flick, not simultaneously with the pop
4Front foot flicks directly out to the side, dragging the board to add the frontside rotation rather than trying to shove with the back foot alone
5Think of it as starting a frontside 180 with your hips and legs, then returning to regular before completing the 180
6A scissor-kick mental model helps: back foot pushes slightly forward as front foot pulls back and out to the side
7If the board under-rotates frontside, pull the front foot out sideways more aggressively and push the back foot slightly in front
8Practicing the pop until the nose comes fully vertical is a prerequisite step before worrying about the flick