Welcome to another edition of our Trick Tips Presented by Vans blog section! This week, our first switch stance trick tip ever, the Switch Frontside 180!
Trick Tips presented by Vans
Trick Tips presented by Vans
The switch fs 180 is an easy one and the perfect trick to start with switch stance skating as you can pivot the trick on the ground easily. That being said, it is still a skateboard trick and you'll need to work on it to master it.
The first step of this trick is to get comfortable rolling around in switch stance, meaning that your front foot will be placed the opposite way while you roll forward. To be more precise, a regular footed skater will have his right foot forward instead of the left and the goofy skater will have his left foot forward for switch instead of the right.
Once you feel comfortable enough rolling around switch, start to feel your board and practice a few switch ollies. For a lot of people, switch ollie is harder than a switch 180 as the rotation kinda makes the trick easier. That being said, messing around with switch ollies could help you understand the mechanics of switch skating a bit better.
THE FOOT PLACEMENT
Once you're able to roll around switch, start to feel the switch 180 foot placement. This one is very easy. Your front foot should lay flat just a few inches below the bolts. You front foot also needs to be placed right in the middle of the board so your heel and toes hang just a little bit on both sides. This will allow the middle of your foot to grip the board while you're in the air.
Your back foot should be placed on the back cup of the tail. Use your back foot's toes to dig into that pocket and get proper grip for the pop. Having your back foot solid in the cup is one of the secrets for a good fs 180 as this is what will allow the board to rotate with you.
THE ROLL UP AND THE POP
Once your foot positioning is good, you can start to try the actual trick. The roll up part is pretty simple. Roll forward in switch stance and bend your knees to gather pop. Keep your shoulders parallel from your board until you start to spring back up. Just before you are about to pop, start rotating your shoulders. This will allow the board to follow your body during the frontside rotation.
As you’re about to hit your tail on the ground to pop, your shoulders should be almost at 90 degrees with your board. If your back foot is solidly anchored on the back pocket of the tail and your shoulders are halfway through the 180 rotation as you snap, the switch fs 180 should work by itself. Make sure you snap your tail on the ground as hard as you can and that you lift your legs up as much as possible to have enough time to rotate.
THE ROLL AWAY
Once you’re in the air, keep rotating your shoulders until the board gets back in the same direction. If you feel like you didn't rotated enough, no problem! The switch fs 180 is a perfect trick to pivot on the ground with your back truck. In any case, try to land as straight as possible, bend your knees to absorb the impact and roll away smooth!
Take a look at our slow-motion videos, grab that board and go outside to learn something new!