How-To Skateboarding: Varial Kickflips with Tony Hawk and Eric Koston

What this video teaches

Classic two-minute breakdown from Tony Hawk and Eric Koston covering the core concept and the single most common mistake (primo landing from under-flipping), aimed at absolute beginners.

Key tips

• 1Back foot in pop shove-it position, front foot in kickflip position; combine both motions at once
• 2Kick front foot forward toward the nose as you flip while simultaneously kicking your back foot toward the heel side to start the spin
• 3Keep the board underneath you and watch it come around, catching it exactly as you would catch a heelflip
• 4If the board has turned too much, kick less with your back foot to reduce the shove-it rotation
• 5Keep your weight forward as the board comes around to avoid landing in a manual position
• 6Primo landing is very common and happens when you do not flip the board enough: land on the edge of the board rather than flat
• 7Practice the motion by stepping away from the board and watching it flip to confirm you have the mechanics right before committing
• 8If you bail, land with both feet flat to avoid rolling an ankle

Summarized from the video transcript.