beginner // flatground
Backside 180
Also known as BS 180
An ollie where your body and board both rotate 180° backside. You land riding fakie.
The Backside 180 is a beginner Flatground trick. Most skaters land their first one within 2-5 weeks of consistent practice.
Spec
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Complexity
- Learn time
- 2-5 weeksⓘ
- Category
- Flatground
- Stance
- regular
Your progress
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What the tutorials teach
All three tutorials agree that the shoulder wind-up is the primary driver of the backside 180: the shoulders turn backside before the pop, and the feet and board follow that rotation automatically rather than being kicked around. Tom's Tutorials introduces the pop vs scoop style distinction and back-foot heel-side placement for progression tricks. VLSkate adds the pocket back-foot position and the pivot-revert option as a valid learning pathway. SKATE HACKS reinforces that heavy scooping is unnecessary and offers a board-free rotation drill for skaters who struggle with the backside direction.
- Wind shoulders fully backside before the pop: the feet and board follow the torso momentum automatically, reducing how much deliberate scoop is needed
- Back foot placement matters: shift it slightly toward the heel-side pocket of the tail to enable the backside scoop direction and prevent foot slip
- Practice the backside rotation without the board first to build comfort with the direction before adding the ollie
- Learn the pop style (centered back toe for better pop height) if you plan to progress toward backside flips and big spins
Synthesized from the top video tutorials. Watch them
Steps
- 1
Wind up frontside
Coil your shoulders slightly toward your toes — you'll unwind backside.
- Force
- ●●○○○
- Direction
- forward
- Weight
- centered
TipA smaller wind-up is better. Over-winding causes uncontrolled spin. - 2
Pop and spin backside
Pop the tail, jump, and rotate your body backside. Your back will face forward first.
- Force
- ●●●●○
- Direction
- up
- Weight
- centered
TipSpin your hips, not just your shoulders. The rotation comes from your core. - 3
Spot your landing
As you pass 90°, look over your backside shoulder to spot where you're landing.
- Force
- ●●●○○
- Direction
- back
- Weight
- centered
TipLosing the landing spot causes late, sketchy backside 180s. - 4
Land and roll fakie
Put the board down at 180° and absorb the landing. Roll away fakie.
- Force
- ●●●○○
- Direction
- down
- Weight
- centered
TipBackside 180s often have a slight nose-down landing — keep weight centered.
Common mistakes
Landing on the tail
- What
- You land on the tail and the nose pops up.
- Why
- Rotation stopped at 90°.
- Fix
- Trust the rotation and wait to land until you've completed the full 180°.
Snagging the heels
- What
- Your heels drag against the board, killing the spin.
- Why
- Feet aren't lifting high enough during the rotation.
- Fix
- Suck your feet up aggressively as you spin.
Common problems
My backside 180 undershoots — I land at 90 or less
- Why
- Not enough shoulder wind-up before the pop, or you're stopping the rotation too early out of reflex.
- Fix
- Wind your shoulders backside before popping and commit to the full rotation. Trust it — your body will get there. Closing your eyes mid-spin is the enemy.
I keep landing fakie but spinning out
- Why
- Landing with feet misaligned on the board causes the spin-out. Board and feet aren't committed.
- Fix
- Land with both feet over the bolts and bent knees to absorb. Spread your landing stance slightly wider than normal to give yourself more margin.
The board kicks out behind me on the pop
- Why
- You're popping at an angle instead of straight down, sending the tail backward.
- Fix
- Pop straight down — same as a regular ollie. The rotation comes from your body and shoulders, not from angling the pop.
Track your progress
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Community clips
How other skaters land the Backside 180. Hype the ones you rate — the most hyped becomes this trick’s cover in the catalog.
Why this works
The mechanics behind the trick
- Board
- Same mechanics as frontside 180, but the body rotation goes the opposite direction — your back swings around first.
- Feet
- As you pop and rotate backside, your front foot provides a slight guidance scoop similar to an ollie slide, adapted for the rotation.
- Weight
- Weight must stay centered. Backside 180s have a tendency to throw weight to the heels mid-rotation.
Frequently asked
- How long does it take to learn a Backside 180?
- Most skaters land their first backside 180 within 2-5 weeks of consistent practice, once you can ollie consistently.
- What should I learn before the Backside 180?
- The backside 180 builds on Ollie. Get that consistent first, since the backside 180 reuses the same pop, balance, or flick.
- Is the Backside 180 hard to learn?
- The backside 180 is a beginner trick. It gets much easier once you can already ollie.
- Who invented the Backside 180?
- The Backside 180 was invented by The Z-Boys in 1978 in California.
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