How To: Kickflip by VLSkate is a skateboarding tutorial for the Kickflip. VLSkate covers kickflip mechanics cleanly in three parts (pop, flick, catch), stressing that the front foot should hang off the heel side about halfway and be angled less than 45 degrees, and that the second main challenge is jumping high enough to keep the board underneath you while it rotates rather than it kicking out.
What this video teaches
VLSkate covers kickflip mechanics cleanly in three parts (pop, flick, catch), stressing that the front foot should hang off the heel side about halfway and be angled less than 45 degrees, and that the second main challenge is jumping high enough to keep the board underneath you while it rotates rather than it kicking out.
Key tips
1Front foot sits three to four inches below the bolts with the heel hanging off about halfway and the foot angled slightly less than 45 degrees
2Further down the board means faster spin; closer to the bolts means slower flip and higher ollie
3Slide the front foot up toward the corner of the nose and kick outward, just like an ollie that exits off the front pocket
4Practice the flick motion alone first: pop, step off the back foot, and flick the front off the side to get the motion clean
5The second hard part is jumping high enough for the board to fully rotate underneath you before you land
6Holding a rail or banister removes fear and lets you feel the physics before committing both feet
7Stay centered over the board and avoid rotating your shoulders sideways
8An imperfect rocket kickflip is still a kickflip: worry about catching it cleanly after you can land it at all