How to do an ollie

From ArticleWorld

If you are serious about skateboarding, you will have to learn how to do an ollie. This is an easy trick, and yet fundamental to a skateboarder’s moves. Many more complex tricks, such as boardsliding, require an ollie manoeuvre.

Method

• You should be standing on your board with one foot right at the back, on the tail end, and the other at the middle.

• Bend at the knees, and crouch, as though you were about to jump off of the skateboard.

• Push down on the tail end, and scrape your front foot towards the nose. This should create a friction between your front foot and the surface. You should find yourself ‘jumping’, or lifting off of the ground, at least. Raise your grip tape, and carry the board with you.

• Hop with the board. Your back foot should be raised to the same level as your front foot. The board should be under your feet.

• As you land, your front foot should touch the board shortly before the back, though it might look similtaneos.

Hints

• On landing, you should have your feet apart, one over each of the bolts. This will prevent your board from breaking on impact.

• The more spring you put into your knees, the bigger the jump will be. The grip tape will keep your front foot in contact with the board, so jump.

• When you are jumping, you will need to level out. This means keeping the board parallel with the ground as you are flying over it. Don’t have the board raised up like a fin. It should be flat.

• Keep your weight over the centre of the board. If you over balance while ollying, the board will slip from under you, and you’ll hit the ground.

• Practice on the ground before you try flying. You should start off practicing somewhere soft, so that you won’t get hunt. Move onto concrete when you’re feeling brave.

• The further back your feet are on the board, the higher the pop will be. The closer to the back edge your foot, the easier it will be to jump the board. Press down hard to make the board do a big jump.