Comments on How to Do an Ollie on a Skateboard

When I started, every time I popped the tail I'd pull off my back foot. Don't do that or you'll end up like me and spend a year trying to learn this. Position your back foot on the center of the tail. Put your front foot in the middle of the board. Put your weight on the balls of your feet (or your toes) and bend your knees. Slam down on the tail with your back foot and literally jump with the board. The tricky part is as you jump, drag your front foot up the board, to the part where the nose and middle of the deck meet, just above the front bolts. To go higher, bring your knees up to the rest of your body, sort of tuck in the air. Then get ready to land try to have both feet over the bolts so your weight is centered. Bend your knees to absorb the shock. Don't give up if you can't get it right away. It takes time and practice, and eventually, you'll get it. Maybe try it still first or on some carpet to get the hang of it. Also, you could try holding on to something, like the arm of a couch and do the steps so you don't fall. This trick is easy, and essential if you want to get anywhere in skateboarding. Big air ollies will only come with practice. Oh, and a word to all the female skaters out there: Don't let the guys dominate! Get out there and skate and don't listen to what anyone says. If you love skating, then it doesn't matter what other people think.

When I started, every time I popped the tail I'd pull off my back foot. Don't do that or you'll end up like me and spend a year trying to learn this. Position your back foot on the center of the tail. Put your front foot in the middle of the board. Put your weight on the balls of your feet (or your toes) and bend your knees. Slam down on the tail with your back foot and literally jump with the board. The tricky part is as you jump, drag your front foot up the board, to the part where the nose and middle of the deck meet, just above the front bolts. To go higher, bring your knees up to the rest of your body, sort of tuck in the air. Then get ready to land try to have both feet over the bolts so your weight is centered. Bend your knees to absorb the shock. Don't give up if you can't get it right away. It takes time and practice, and eventually, you'll get it. Maybe try it still first or on some carpet to get the hang of it. Also, you could try holding on to something, like the arm of a couch and do the steps so you don't fall. This trick is easy, and essential if you want to get anywhere in skateboarding. Big air ollies will only come with practice. Oh, and a word to all the female skaters out there: Don't let the guys dominate! Get out there and skate and don't listen to what anyone says. If you love skating, then it doesn't matter what other people think.

Just have fun. If you tense up and try too hard you will most likely slam down the nose of the board. You won't get a lot of air. It will also be harder to land.

Just have fun. If you tense up and try too hard you will most likely slam down the nose of the board. You won't get a lot of air. It will also be harder to land.

- Pop your tail - Jump - Rub your shoes - Pull up your back foot - Master the ollie

Don't try your hardest in the beginning. Work your way up. Try hitting your tail harder and harder, and sliding your foot higher and higher. After you get the hang of it, be confident that you can do it.

This tip will be easier for more experienced boarders. When you're in the air after an ollie, try to go into a manual, or if you are near a rail; grind. It's lower to the ground and that makes it easier to land.

If you cant do an ollie, and your back wheels don't lift of the ground, then take a chill pill! Start off with your right foot on the middle of your board and your left foot on the tail. The start moving and slam down the tail with all your compressed rage until it hits the ground, then jump forward and land. Make sure to do this in one motion and the moment you jump and land is very quick, so ask someone to see if you get your back wheels up!

One suggestion is that you keep practicing. Also, try having your back foot an inch or two on the tail and have 'no heels' with the front foot.

Problem #1: When I ollied I popped it fine, but as I dragged my foot, the board almost always shot out from under me toward the front. Or I would land, but find that my front foot was a good three inches behind my front trucks, right where I started, then fall backward because I was unbalanced. Solution - Lean toward the nose of the board. When I jumped, I would for some reason lean backward, toward my tail. It was subconscious, I barely noticed it. Just really focus on leaning toward the nose, and keep focusing as you pop it and drag. Problem #2: I couldn't ollie high at all. My front end went up fine--a good foot or so--but my tail end barely went up two inches. This made for some awkward landings, obviously. I perfected the ollie to manual this way (not really). Solution: - This seems really obvious, and I'm sure you've all read the "Lift up your back foot" comment before. When you ollie, remember, you back foot is as high as you can possibly go. You'll never go any higher than your back foot. I really concentrated on kicking my back foot up and went from two inches high to six in one day. Don't worry too much about it, just lift it up. It actually makes landing a lot easier.

Don't think of it so much as sliding your foot up the board, but as driving the nose down. This helped me.

To ollie, you need to jump high. If you have a problem with jumping high (in fear of falling down and hurting yourself), try in a different terrain. You can practice in grass, carpet, or anything soft to absorb your fall. Even though you can't move, you can practice the pop. When you're comfortable with this, go to the streets and practice ollie with the skateboard moving.