Learning how to Ollie is the first step every skater must take in order to do flip trips. At first, it may seem physically impossible but persistence is key.
Like many other things in life, popping an Ollie is one of those of things that you just have to try.
Here’s what it looks like:
The first step is to get comfortable on your board. Riding around for a while is the best way to do this. Once you can comfortably balance on your board, find a flat, open surface to practice your ollie.
In order to initiate the pop, you need to position your back foot on the tail of the board. The best way get a good pop is hang your heel off the board and use your toes. To create the energy of the pop, you need to stomp your back foot down on the tail of the board. The tail of the board should make forceful contact with the ground.
As soon as you pop your back foot down, you need to jump into the air. To visualize this, think about doing a hop on your back foot. The only difference is that the board is between your toes and the ground. As soon as you begin your jump, you need to slide your front foot forward along the board to even it out in the air. Remember, you can ollie only as high as you can jump, so really try and get some air.
I know it’s a frustrating trick, but with some practice, it will begin to make sense and start to feel natural. Once you can pop a solid ollie in place, try doing it while moving. Just remember to keep yourself straight in the air so that you don’t land crooked.
Good luck! Once you have a moving ollie down, try to ollie up and down curbs. Once you can do this, every street will become a concrete playground for you.
For me, this is the best part about skateboarding. You begin to see the ordinary world around you as a series of obstacles to overcome. Those curbs are no longer just the border between the street and the sidewalk, they are a place to test your skills and have fun.
Thanks for reading.
Craig Johnson 