TRICK TIPS PRESENTED BY VANS - THE BACKSIDE BIGSPIN
TRICK TIPS PRESENTED BY VANS - THE BACKSIDE BIGSPIN
It’s that time of the year again! Yes! Skate season is here and we’re back for the first 2022 edition of our Trick tips presented by Vans Blog section. This week, the backside bigspin with none other than Vans and Empire team rider Samantha Secours. WATCH AND LEARN!
ABOUT THE SHOES
Before getting in the heart of the matter, a quick word on the Vans shoes that Sam is wearing: The brand new Half Cab 92. These are seriously among the best skate shoes to ever exist and have been praised by the skate community for 30 years now. With a deep history, an iconic look and updated with Vans most modern skate technology, the new Half Cabs 92 will sure help you improve on your board. Without mentioning that they will make you look good doing it.
More precisely, the Vans Half Cab 92 features:
INCREASED DURABILITY - DURACAP™ reinforced materials, deeper knurl texture on the toe bumpers, and higher sidewall heights provide a more heritage look with increased durability and protection.
FULLY REDESIGNED UPPERS - Reconstructed with a molded heel counter and internal tongue straps for a locked-in fit and more board control.
POPCUSH CUSHIONING - Our best cushioning and impact protection. POPCUSH™ energy return footbeds protect your feet while helping to lessen leg fatigue for longer skate sessions.
Now, Let’s get to business and learn the Backside bigspin!
The foot position for a backside big spin is pretty simple. Keep in mind that your front foot won’t be doing much during the trick, so concentrate on placing that back foot nicely on your tail and keeping it flat on there until you pop. Remember that what we are trying to do here is a backside 180 while the board spins a 360 shove it.
Position your front foot slightly angled near the middle of the board, below the front bolts. Your back foot should be placed on tip of the tail with the toes barely hanging over the edge. Try to keep your foot flat on the tail until you pop to avoid the board flipping while rotating.
Once you have your feet placed comfortably on your board, bend your knees to gather pop and start to slightly turn your shoulders backside as you unfold those legs and prepare for takeoff.
THE POP
The key part of this trick for sure! Make sure your back foot is solid and flat on your tail, bend your knees and start to turn your shoulders backside as you prepare to pop. This is the most important moment of the trick, especially for your back foot. As your tail hits the pavement, point your back-foot’s toes towards the ground and kick your foot behind you. This will allow the board to spin, we call it the scoop.
So, pop that tail and scoop the board with your back foot so it spins 360 degrees horizontally. If you turned your shoulders enough before and during the pop, your body will do a backside 180 by itself. Try to snap and scoop the board as hard as you can so it spins fast enough and pops high enough.
Boom! you snapped your tail off the ground and scooped the board with your back foot so it spins a 360 as your body is spinning a backside 180. A good trick to land proper big spins is to have the board spinning like a 360 shove it, but on a slightly steeper axis. Meaning that Instead of spinning flat and parallel to the ground, your board should spin pointing a bit more up. This will allow you to catch the board with your front foot and to stop the rotation of the board before landing.
As the board starts to spin, lift your front leg to give it room for turning. Bring your back foot back under you and look at your board to see when you should catch it and stomp it back down on the ground. A lot of times, you’ll catch your big spin with your body at around 140 degrees in the air and will pivot or power slide the rest of the rotation. It's all good, but try to do the full rotation as much as you can!
THE ROLL AWAY
Since you’ll be landing in the switch position, it’s important to be comfortable with riding switch. Ride around in switch and do some backside 180s to gather confidence for the big spin. You definitely don’t want to end up never landing this trick because you don’t know how to ride in switch.
Once you understand how to ride switch, get warmed up with some pop shove its and backside 180, then get to the main trick. Trust us, the more you try it, the better you’ll understand it. It might take days to get it under control, but think about it, we have nothing else to do right now!
Take a look at our slow-motion videos, grab that board, go outside and learn something new!
