Frontside and backside 180s

A 180 is an ollie with a half-turn: you and the board spin together and land facing the other way, rolling backwards in your stance. It's one of the most useful tricks to learn early, because it teaches rotation, and in a game of SKATE it opens up a whole set of tricks.

Frontside vs backside

The direction depends on which way your body faces as you turn:

• Frontside 180: you turn so your chest faces forward, toward the direction you're rolling, first. You see where you're going during the turn.
• Backside 180: you turn so your back faces forward first. You lose sight of where you're going for a moment, which is why it can feel scarier.

Which way that is depends on whether you're regular or goofy, but the rule is the same for everyone: chest first is frontside, back first is backside.

Foot placement

Same as a regular ollie:

• Back foot: ball of the foot on the tail.
• Front foot: just behind the front bolts.

Some skaters move the back foot a little toward the heel side for frontside and toward the toe side for backside, but start with your normal ollie stance.

The motion

1. Wind up. Before you pop, turn your shoulders the opposite way of the spin, like winding a spring. For a frontside 180, rotate your shoulders slightly backside first, and the other way for backside.
2. Pop. Pop the tail like an ollie.
3. Unwind. Let your shoulders lead the turn. Your head and shoulders go first, your hips follow, and the board follows your feet.
4. Turn with your feet. Keep your feet on the board through the turn; the board turns because you do.
5. Land fakie. You'll come down facing the other way, rolling backwards in your normal stance. Knees bent, weight centered.

A step-by-step plan

1. Practice the turn without popping. Rolling slowly, do a kickturn 180: press the tail so the front wheels lift and pivot around. That gets your body used to the direction.
2. Ollie 90s. Ollie and turn a quarter-turn. Lands sideways, rolling a bit odd, but you'll feel the rotation.
3. Build to 180. Keep the same motion, just commit further.
4. Practice rolling fakie on its own, so the landing doesn't throw you.
5. Do the same for the other direction.

A worked example: stuck at 90 degrees

Jay's frontside 180s keep stopping at about 90 degrees. He films one and sees his shoulders turning after the board has already landed. So he works on the wind-up: he turns his shoulders slightly backside while crouching, then snaps them frontside as he pops. The rotation starts in the air instead of after, and he starts getting all the way around.

Landing and rolling away

Landing a 180 means landing rolling fakie, which feels weird at first. Bend your knees, keep your weight over the middle of the board, and look in the direction you're now moving. If you keep landing and then stepping off, practice rolling fakie on its own until it's normal.

Fixes for the usual problems

• Not getting around: wind up more, and let your head and shoulders lead.
• Over-rotating: you're turning too hard. Ease up on the wind-up, and land as soon as you see you're at 180.
• Board turns but your body doesn't: your feet are steering but your shoulders are stuck. Shoulders lead.
• Landing with your weight back: keep your shoulders over the board, not leaning toward the old direction.
• Scared on backside: turn your head early so you can look over your shoulder at the landing.

Where 180s lead

Once you can land both directions, a lot of tricks open up. Starting fakie, a frontside 180 is a half-cab. Nollie and switch 180s are their own tricks. And the same rotation, combined with a flip, gives you tricks like frontside flips and backside flips later on. In a game of SKATE, being able to do a 180 in two directions and four stances gives you eight sets from one motion.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the wind-up. Without it, you'll stall at 90.
• Only learning one direction. In SKATE, each is its own trick.
• Not practicing fakie. If you can't roll fakie, you can't land a 180.
• Looking down the whole time. Look where you're turning.

FAQ

Is a frontside 180 easier than backside?

Many skaters find frontside easier because you can see the landing, but it varies.

Do I land fakie or switch after a 180?

Fakie: you're rolling backwards in your normal stance.

What's a half-cab?

A fakie frontside 180, starting fakie and finishing in your normal stance.

Can I do a 180 without an ollie?

A kickturn 180 is the same turn on the ground. It's a good way to learn the direction.

Next: How to manual

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