intermediate // flatground
Kickflip Backside 180
A kickflip combined with a backside 180° body and board rotation. One of the most iconic tricks in street skating.
The Kickflip Backside 180 is an intermediate Flatground trick. Most skaters land their first one within 3-8 months of consistent practice.
Spec
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Complexity
- Learn time
- 3-8 monthsⓘ
- Category
- Flatground
- Stance
- regular
Your progress
Sign in to rate
What the tutorials teach
The backside 180 kickflip is universally taught as a combination trick: lock in a solid kickflip and a solid backside 180 independently before stacking them together. Foot placement mirrors the kickflip setup (front foot angled at the flick position, slightly behind the front bolts) with the back foot shifted toward the front or toe-side edge of the tail to drive the 180 sweep. The shoulders and head must lead the rotation, turning at the moment of pop well before the legs follow, so the body is already committed to spinning by the time the board is caught. The flick itself should go off the front of the nose rather than out to the side, since a front flick dips the nose down and creates the axis the board rotates around; flicking too far sideways rockets the board and kills the rotation, while flicking too heavy off the front risks catching the shins. The catch lands roughly halfway (about 90 degrees) through the kickflip rotation, after which the body keeps turning backside to finish the 180. The most common beginner bridge is a pivot progression: ollie and catch on the front foot facing the nose, then spin the back leg around to complete the 180, before attempting the full rotation in one continuous motion.
- Lock in solid kickflips and solid backside 180s independently before combining them; this trick is literally those two tricks stacked into one pop
- Angle the front foot in the standard kickflip position (slightly behind the front bolts, toe near center) and shift the back foot toward the front or toe-side edge of the tail to drive the 180 sweep
- Turn the shoulders and head into the backside rotation at the moment of popping, well before the legs follow, so the body is already committed to spinning by the time the board is caught
- Flick the kickflip motion off the front of the nose rather than out to the side; a front flick dips the nose down and creates the axis the board needs to complete the full rotation
- A flick that drifts too far to the side rockets the board and stalls the spin; a flick too heavy off the front can catch the shins, so find the balance between the two
- Time the catch to land roughly halfway (about 90 degrees) through the kickflip rotation, then keep turning backside to finish the 180 the same way a standalone backside 180 finishes
- Learn the pivot progression first: ollie and catch on the front foot facing the nose, then spin the back leg around to complete the 180, before attempting the full rotation in one motion
- Drill the flick and the blind backside spin separately if either feels shaky: isolate the flick with a soft hippie-jump half-flip, and isolate the backside rotation by balancing over the front foot and pushing straight up rather than leaning back to spin
Synthesized from the top video tutorials. Watch them
Steps
- 1
Get your backside 180 solid first
You need a clean, consistent backside 180 before adding the flip.
- Force
- ●●○○○
- Direction
- back
- Weight
- centered
TipIf your backside 180s are still sketchy, this trick will amplify every inconsistency. - 2
Wind up and pop
Initiate the backside wind-up as you pop. The flip and the rotation happen simultaneously.
- Force
- ●●●●○
- Direction
- up
- Weight
- centered
TipLet the backside rotation help carry the flip rather than fighting it. - 3
Flip as you rotate
Flick the board as your body begins its backside spin.
- Force
- ●●●●○
- Direction
- back
- Weight
- centered
TipThe flip direction is the same as a regular kickflip. Your rotation doesn't change it. - 4
Spot the landing
As you pass 90°, look over your shoulder to spot the board. Catch it at 180° riding fakie.
- Force
- ●●●○○
- Direction
- down
- Weight
- centered
TipCatching fakie feels different — the board is flipped normal but you're landing backwards.
Common mistakes
Rotation and flip are offset
- What
- The flip completes at 90° and you can't land.
- Why
- Initiating flip before or after rotation instead of simultaneously.
- Fix
- Think of it as one single combined motion from the pop.
Body rotates but board doesn't flip
- What
- You land the 180 but without the flip.
- Why
- Under-committing to the flick while focusing on rotation.
- Fix
- Exaggerate your kickflip flick. It must be as committed as a solo kickflip.
Track your progress
Sign in to rate this trick, log practice clips, and see it light up across the skill tree.
Community clips
How other skaters land the Kickflip 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
- The kickflip and the backside rotation happen simultaneously. Your body also rotates — so you're kicking the flip as you're spinning.
- Feet
- The front foot flicks the kickflip while your body rotation helps carry the flip around.
- Weight
- Backside body rotation while staying centered over the flip is the core challenge.
Frequently asked
- How long does it take to learn a Kickflip Backside 180?
- Most skaters land their first kickflip backside 180 within 3-8 months of consistent practice, once you can backside 180 and kickflip consistently.
- What should I learn before the Kickflip Backside 180?
- The kickflip backside 180 builds on Backside 180 and Kickflip. Get those consistent first, since the kickflip backside 180 reuses the same pop, balance, or flick.
- What should I learn after the Kickflip Backside 180?
- Once your kickflip backside 180 is consistent, the natural next tricks are Varial Kickflip 180.
- Is the Kickflip Backside 180 hard to learn?
- The kickflip backside 180 is an intermediate trick. It gets much easier once you can already backside 180 and kickflip.
Keep going
See where this sits in the skill tree