Backside 180

This trick is more stylish and fun to do than its frontside counterpart, although harder

Easy

Prerequisites

Ollie

Position

Quick start

Bend on your knees

Open your back arm, and so your shoulders

Pop and slide up your front foot as you would for an ollie

Let your front foot move also slightly backside

Lift up your back foot

Be ready to land in switch stance

Sensation

Keep an even balance on both feet, keeping your weight on your toes. Keep your body centered. Shift your weight to your front foot as you jump

Interactive skateboard diagram for learning Backside 180

Tips

Put your front foot between the bolts and the center of the board, as you would for an ollie

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You can either angle your front foot toward the nose, or keep it straight but a bit closer to the inner edge of the board

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Put your back foot straight, between the center of the tail and the outer pocket

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Apply some pressure on your front toes, but do not lean forward

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Open your back arm sideways to make your shoulders rotate and guide your body in the new direction

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Keep looking at your back foot, or even further ahead under your arm if you need to

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Make sure you are facing the direction you are moving when you are about to pop

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Your shoulders have to turn first, they initiate the rotation. Your legs only catch up with the motion, they do not generate it

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You can wind up your back shoulder if you want to, but do it with your back leg, not your back arm

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Pop the board straight down, do not scoop it

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Slide your front foot up as you would for an ollie

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Slightly slide your front foot sideways as well, to make it follow your shoulders

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Turn your hips, this will help you commit into the backside rotation

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Lift up your back foot to get some height and to give time to your rotation to complete before landing

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Push your back foot slightly backwards to make it follow your front foot and take the lead

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You can lower your front foot just a bit while in the air to help your back foot push the board and complete the rotation quicker

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Apply some pressure on your new front foot just before landing to shift your weight

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Be ready to roll in switch, as you will land in a switch stance after completing the rotation

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Mistakes

'I can't turn backside'

'You are not using your shoulders. Turn your head (look at your back foot), swing your back arm sideways hard enough, and pivot your hips'

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'I lose the board while in the air'

'Your front foot is too far on the width of the board, or you are leaning forward. Adjust your foot positioning if needed and keep an even balance Do not lean forward, simply apply pressure'

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'My body over rotates'

'You are using too much energy in the rotation. See this trick as an ollie. Do not wind up or throw your arms. Point your back arm and push your back foot toward the new direction'

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'I can't do the whole rotation'

'You are not rotating enough. Make sure you always look at your back foot, swing your front arm hard, and open your shoulders. You also might not be jumping high enough'

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'I slip out when I land'

'You are leaning on your nose as you jump. Try not to 'throw' your body. Control the rotation, shift your weight but not your balance, and stand upright as you pop'

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'My board over rotates'

'You are scooping the board. Pop straight down, angle your front foot or put it a bit closer to the edge if needed, and make sure you use the edge of your front foot to stick to the board'

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'I land with my toes on the ground'

'You are leaning forward. Apply some pressure on your toes but do not lean forward. You can stand upright as you pop if you struggle with that'

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'I stop after having landed'

'You don't have enough speed. Adjust your rotation to achieve a full 180-degree rotation. The further you are from this, the more you will be slowed down'

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'I land the back foot on the tail'

'Focus on landing in switch rather than in an akward fakie position. Shift your weight before landing, slide your front foot a bit further and work on your switch stance (rolling and tic-tacs)'

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Helpers

Pivot feeling

You can start with the fakie backside pivot to get used to the backside rotation. Then, you can move on the regular backside pivot to get used to the proper backside motion

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One foot practice

Do a backside 180 and try to land it with your front foot only. Focus on keeping control and feeling the rotation

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Switch simulation

Rolling in switch stance will help improve your balance and crontrol after landing a 180-degree rotation

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Little by little

You can start turning 20 degrees, then increasing to 40, and so on until you reach the full rotation. You can do this both rolling and stationary. Using lines on the ground can help

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Specific module

You can practice the backside 180 on bank ramps or pyramid transfers, as the rotation in both cases is less than 180 degrees, requiring less effort and technique to success

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Variations

The lower your front foot is on the board, the higher it gets. The further your back foot is in the outer pocket, the more your board scoops

Transition

You can scoop slightly instead of popping, but this is less reliable. You can wind your shoulders if you need more power, but this might affect your balance. You can consider you are landing this trick in fakie if you don't feel comfortable with the switch stance, but this might lock your feet in 'regular' position. Also, you can rotate 90 degrees and land with your weight on the front foot, then complete the rotation with a 90-degree power slide