How to Backside 180 (Video and Images

Backside 180 is one of the first tricks I learned after the ollie because it uses the ollie position. You only need to make some minor adjustments to add the rotation.

Learning backside 180 will help you progress and help you out in the future; it will open up the possibilities for tricks like boardslide or disaster on mini ramps. It is also very fun to do on different obstacles.

You can do lots of variations to tricks once you learn to rotate, and this is especially nice if you want to destroy your friends at skate. Let's take a look at the steps to learn backside 180.

What is backside 180?

The backside 180 is an ollie with a 180-degree rotation where both you and the board rotate. It is called backside because your back faces the direction you are going as you rotate. At the same time, a frontside would be your stomach facing the direction you are moving.

The biggest difference between the back and frontside is that it is easier to rotate with the backside. The problem with the backside is that you will have a harder time landing when you jump on obstacles since you are facing the wrong way.

How to Backside 180 on a Skateboard

The backside 180 is performed by simply twisting towards the toeside before you do an ollie. The hard part is staying balanced and not shifting the body weight away from the center of your feet.

Backside 180 Stance

The backside 180 stance is basically the same as an ollie stance, except that your front foot is a little further down and angled towards the heel side; it is placed a little under the hardware on the front truck.

Your back foot is the same as the ollie position, at the center of the end on the tail. Keep your body weight centered between your feet throughout the whole trick to make the landing smooth and decrease the chance of falling.

Keep your eyes focused on the nose as you learn the trick; this will help you land more naturally instead of looking behind you.

Body Movement

You need to wind up your body to make it easier to rotate; you can do this by twisting so that your body faces forward before you start the trick. Start rotating your body right before you pop the tail. Pop straight down while jumping, and keep your knees up until you reach the peak.

What to Do in The Air

You mostly need to look out for the landing while in the air. You won't be able to see the way you are heading since you are turning, but you can get a good sense of when you are landing and where you are going by looking at the nose of your skateboard.

The Last 90 degrees

The first 90 degrees will be done easily with the twist you did before the jump, but the last 90 degrees is a result of the spin motion from your feet, waist, and shoulders.

Stop The Momentum

You need to stop the momentum as you come in for the landing; you do this if you stop rotating your upper body. Face forward as you land and stay there for a short while to stop the momentum.

Look down on your front foot as you are landing (the foot by the nose); this will help you to get used to the landing. You can stop doing this after you get everything down, but it will help you a lot in the beginning.

You will be riding switch on the landing, so make sure you know how to ride switch to make it much easier to stick the landing. Riding up a ramp and rolling backward while navigating the park is a good way to practice riding switch. You can also skate in mini ramps to get control of riding switch.

How to practice backside 180

Try it while standing still if you don't already know how to do an ollie while moving. It is easier to do while moving but can be more sketchy if you're uncomfortable with it.

Find a flat area to practice, and there should be enough space not to stress while getting the stance right. Practice it while standing still if you don't have enough space.

Safety Gear

It is easy to hurt yourself while trying new tricks, so ensure you are properly protected while riding. It is important that you use a helmet, but I also recommend using wrist guards. When falling, you often land on your wrists, which can easily damage them, so take extra care of them.

Conclusion

Backside 180 is a trick that will help you with many areas in different skating tricks. It is similar to an ollie, so it won't take long to learn if you got the ollie down.

Timing the twist of your body is the main key to the rotation; you also need to cancel the rotation when you land. You cancel the rotation by facing your body forward.

Remember to use safety gear while practicing; it is easier to practice if you have a larger area. However, you can practice while standing still if you don't have enough space.

Land switch back foot shoulders backside foot forward half rotation flat ground opposite direction.