How to Ollie on a Skateboard

To be in mid air, on a skateboard is nothing but exhilarating. Just skateboarding is nothing short of an adventure because it needs a good presence of mind and no inhibitions.

Once you get the 'kick' of skateboarding, you cannot resist doing some tricks on your beloved skateboard. One of such antics is ollie skateboarding trick.

For beginners it is essential to know how to ollie on a skateboard first. Ollie forms the basis of many other skateboarding tricks, thus for all those who just ventured into skateboarding, this is a must-not-miss thing. Let's check it out.

Before you actually get into performing ollies on a skateboard, you need to first get the hang of skateboard. If you are weak at the basics, you would not be able to do the ollie or any of the skateboarding tricks. So assuming that you are good with this, let's start on how to skateboard Ollie.

Place your back foot on the skateboard in a way that the ball of foot is on the tail of your skateboard. Similarly, place the front foot in between the middle and the front trucks of your skateboard. This is the ideal position of your feet before you unleash the Ollie. This is the first thing need to know before you learn how to do an Ollie on a skateboard.

This is going to be a rolling Ollie, that is, Ollie while the skateboard is moving. Start off with bending your knees deeply. The mantra is that the more you bend your knees, the higher you would go. While on the move, slam your back foot down on the tail of your skateboard. The slam should be as hard as it can be.

Now, as you jump and leap in the air, your front foot has to roll slightly inward and with the outer part of your foot, guide the skateboard as it goes airborne. This could also be referred as dragging the side of your front foot up the skateboard. This could be a tricky one while skateboarding ollie, but do not worry, you would get it. Just keep practicing.

Coming to the end of the process. So when you jump, pull your knees as high as you can. Try and touch your chest with your knees. The deeper you crouch down prior to the ollie, in addition to pulling your feet together as high as you can, the higher ollie you are going to come up with.

This is crucial as, when you bend your knees, it will absorb the shock of landing and will prevent your knees from getting hurt from the impact. Moreover, it will also help you balance properly. Eventually, just roll off and away!

Congratulations you have just learned how to perform ollies on a skateboard!! If you find this complicated, relax. Just go slow and you would get the hang of it. Till then, here are some quick tips for doing the ollie.

✦ Do this initially without rolling. That will get you comfortable with the motion and movement.

✦ You would be able to adapt well with up and down movement.

✦ Do the pushing of the skateboard's tail and jumping, together. The faster you do, the easier it will be.

✦ At the top of your jump, when you are at the maximum height, flatten out the skateboard which is beneath you.

✦ Get both of your feet at the same level on top of the skateboard.

It would not have seemed easy, but if you are hell-bent upon learning it with a right attitude, well, nothing is impossible! To learn to ollie you just need a sense of timing, will and grit to do so. All the Best!