You Can’t Run Before You Walk And You Can Not Kickflip Before You Ollie

Watching my older cousin soar gracefully over nine skateboards is what inspired me to skate. So naturally when I finally got comfortable on a board the first thing I wanted to learn was an ollie. If I could go back to that time in my childhood I would caution myself. “Ollies are deceiving,” I’d say, “when done well they completely mask their own complexity.” I would have to reassure my younger self that even though it can take a thousand tries to get the timing right, the frustration and all the countless efforts are worth it when that first clean snap sends you popping up before descending squarely back to earth.

I’m glad I stuck with it because the ollie is a good skater’s most versatile tool. Almost every advanced street trick starts with an ollie and their importance cannot be overstated. Yet, they are so hard at first. To help spare others a little frustration here are some tips to get you off the ground:

• Start with your feet pointing the same direction with your front foot behind the front bolts and you back toes aligned with the curve of the tail.
• Bend at the knees and prepare to jump. (Don’t make the mistake of bending at the waste. It will never get you airborne, it only makes your back sore.)
• As you begin to jump force your tail into the ground while sliding your front foot along the grip toward the nose. (This is the timing part that makes ollies difficult. However, don’t give up and you WILL figure it out.)
• Then kick the nose with your front foot to raise the back of the board. (This makes clearing those obstacles possible.)
• As you land you must bend your knees or you might get bounced off that beautiful ollie you just cracked.

Once you’ve got this the best way to get really good ollies is to make them clean without rolling first. Then, ollie over everything you can think of!

By Mandy Esch
Owner/teacher of 360 Skate School

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