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kickturns
In this episode Geoff will be teaching more ramp fundamentals with the kickturn.
We'd like to say a big thank you to Pitt Street Skate Park for letting us film in their super nice park and Geoff from Rubicon for his time and expertise.
how to kickturn on a skateboard
what is a kickturn?
A kickturn is a technique used to turn 180° on a ramp, turning your skateboard and body together, facing the way you want to go.
how do you kickturn?
Place your back foot on the tail and your front foot over the front set of bolts.
Roll up the ramp, not too high to begin with, then put some weight on the tail so the front wheels lift slightly off the ramp. While doing this swing your full body - shoulders, legs and head, to make sure you face the way you want to go, then as the skateboard comes round you want to push the front wheels back down, lean forward a little and roll back down the ramp.
There are two different types of kickturn - frontside and backside.
Frontside kickturns are considered a little bit harder and involve you looking over your shoulder and turning behind you.
Backside kickturns are a little bit easier, as you can see where you are going and are a little bit easier to balance, they involve turning in front of you. Start with the backside kickturn, but it is important you learn both.
A common problem you might find with the kickturn is putting too much pressure onto the tail when lifting the nose. This will make the nose raise a lot higher than it needs to, making it harder to balance and control the turn.
Alternatively, another common problem is not putting enough pressure on the tail, meaning the nose isn't high enough to make the full turn. This isn't the end of the world as you can still get around the full 180°, it might initially take 2 or 3 taps, but as you get better you'll be making the full turn in one smooth movement.
And that's kickturns, now get out there and start practicing.