Flip tricks

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A flip trick is a type of skateboarding trick in which the skateboard flips in a particular way. In many tricks, the skateboard flips upside down and/or end over end. Many tricks can be combined to form more complex flip tricks. Flip tricks are usually performed while the skateboarder is rolling, although it is not unusual to find newer skateboarders practicing these tricks while stationary.

Most tricks do not have specific names in the system of skateboarding flip tricks. You have the basics, kickflip, heelflip, frontside and regular Pop shuv-it. Though most of the simple combinations have names, like varial kickflip, hardflip, inward heelflip, varial heelflip, most can be described simply by using rotation math and the basic name. (i.e. Frontside 360 heelflip, 360 kickflip)

Skateboarding terminology is a sort of 'jargon' as many terms in skateboarding can be used to reference more than one trick. Such as, 360 kickflip, which could mean a 360 pop shove it with a kickflip, or a full body and board rotation of a 360 with a kickflip.

Flip Tricks

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completion. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

A skateboarder performing a 360 flip over a gap.

360 Flip / 360 Kickflip / Treflip

Invented by Rodney Mullen, a 360 Flip is a skateboarding trick in which the skateboarder does a 360 Pop Shuv-it, kicks the board to initiate a kickflip and spins the board in a 360 shuv-it, thereby doing a kickflip and 360 Pop shuv-it simultaneously.^[1]

360 Heelflip / Laser flip

A laser flip is a combination of a frontside 360 shove it and a heelflip.^[2]

360 hardflip

The 360 hardflip is a frontside 360 FS pop shuv-it and a kickflip all in one motion.

360 inward heelflip

The 360 inward heelflip is a 360 shuv-it with a heelflip in one motion.

Bigger spin

a 540 pop-shuvit along with a 360 body varial in the same direction.

Bigspin

When the rider does a 360 shuv-it, while the rider does a 180 with his or her body in the same direction. Can be done either frontside[1] or backside[2].

Bigflip

The Bigspin kickflip, Bigspin flip, or Bigflip combines a backside bigspin and a kickflip

FS Bigflip

A Fronside bigspin kickflip, or a 360 hardflip with a fs 180 body varial.

Caballerial flip

A Combination of a Caballerial ( a fakie stance backside 360) and a kickflip.

Casper Flip

A Casper Flip is a single midair trick comprised of two parts. Part one is a half-kickflip that is caught upside-down with the back foot on top of the tail and the front foot cradling the downward facing forward portion of the deck. Part two is a backside shove-it spun from this brief aerial stall.^[3]

Disco Flip

A disco flip consists of a regular heelflip with a backside 180 body Varial.

Fingerflip

To flip the board in any direction by using your fingers on the nose or tail.^[4]

Forward flip/Dolphin flip

This usually performed by ollieing and sliding the front foot directly off the nose of the board instead of off one of the sides causing it to flip vertically between the riders legs, the rotations of this trick could be described as an inverted vertical varial kickflip or an ollie late nollie hardflip. ^[5]

Frontside/Backside Heelflip

A Heelflip combined with a backside or frontside 180. This trick is also known as a frontside/backside heel. ^[6]

Frontside/Backside Kickflip

A kickflip combined with a backside or frontside 180 ollie. This trick is also known as a frontside/backside flip.^[7][8]

Gazelle flip

A 720 flip with a body rotation of 360 degrees in the same direction.

Ghetto Bird

A nollie hardflip with a late backside 180 usually performed as a quick revert. This trick was created by Kareem Campbell.

Half Cab Flip

A fakie backside or frontside flip.^[9]

Hardflip

A Hardflip is a frontside pop shove-It with a kickflip. Because this trick is awkward to execute it sometimes appears to move vertically through the legs. ^[10]

Heelflip

A heelflip is the same as a kickflip, only the board spins toe-side (towards the toes). For a regular skater (left foot in front) the board spins clockwise from the perspective of one behind the skater. Again, there is a kick as part of the ollie but unlike the kickflip it is directed forward and outwards away from the rider's toe side (diagonal), so that the last part of the foot to leave the board is the heel, hence the name. ^[11]Instances of multiple spins are named according to how many spins are completed (e.g. double, triple, etc.).

Inward Heelflip

An Inward Heelflip combines a backside Pop Shove-it with a heelflip.^[12]

Kickflip

Invented by Rodney Mullen in 1983, this trick came about as a failed attempt at the new trick he had created, the flatland Ollie. He noticed that if he ollied and dragged his feet off the board, it would flip. Kicking or flicking out imparts enough force to flip or spin the board on an imaginary axis running from the nose to the tail. If flicked harder, two or more full flips can be imparted on that axis, these are called double, triple, quadruple, etc. kickflips. The original name for this trick after conception was the "magic flip" because no one understood how it worked or flipped except Louie Barley.^[13]

Late flip

A kickflip or heelflip performed at the highest peak of an ollie.

Late shuv-it

A shove it, either frontside or backside, performed at the apex of an ollie.

Merlin Twist, Moolycopter

A switch Front Foot impossible 180. Created by Seattle skater Cory Kennedy.

Mystic Flip

A varial kickflip in which the rider does a 180 (body turn) in the opposite direction.

Nickflip (Heelflip Casper Flip)

This is executed like a casper flip. The skater flips half a heelflip and then is wrapped around the foot and is completed by bringing the board back round front side.

Nollie

An ollie off the nose of the board. Any trick can be performed nollie. A common misconception among younger riders is that nollie is similar to fakie. When performing a nollie trick frontside is still frontside as is backside as if you are still riding in your regular stance. Fakie is meant to imply rolling backwards as if still riding regular. An example would be the a Nollie frontside pop shove-it which is performed as if doing a switch backside shove-it, only riding backwards.

Nollie Kickflip

A nollie flip is when the rider flips the board much like a rider would do a kickflip except it is performed while riding in the nollie stance. ^[14]

Impossible

Where the board completes one rotation by rolling around the skater's back foot, in much the same manner as spinning a baton with one's hand. It is considered good style to make the board flip as vertical as possible. If the board spins laterally or comes off the back foot, it tends to end up looking more like a 360 Pop Shuv-it. This trick can also be done with the front foot. That is called a "Front foot impossible".^[15]

Pop Shuv-it

Simple, basic pop with a scoop turning the board only in a 180 degree

Pressure flip

Any flip trick that gains its rotational and flip direction from the same foot that popped the nose or tail. Pressure flips are executed using a scooping technique. Nate Sherwood is well-known for his extensive array of pressure flip tricks.^[16]

Semi-Flip

A quarter kickflip late varial heelflip. Made by Rodney Mullen.

Sexchange

Completing a kickflip and then 180 body varial at the same time.

Underflip

Flipping the board by using one foot that is under the board and flipping it in a heelflip direction.^[17][18]

Varial Heelflip

A Varial Heelflip is a Heelflip combined with a Frontside Pop Shove-It.

Blizzard Flip a 360 backside flip

Varial Kickflip

A Varial Kickflip is a kickflip combined with a Pop Shove-It.^[19]

Kickback Flips

A kickflip or heelflip that is reversed halfway by the opposite foot doing the opposite flip. (i.e. half Kickflip to half backfoot heelflip.)^[20]

References