There comes a point in every novice skater’s life when the push-and-glide (which used to be challenging) becomes simple and no longer thrill worthy. What’s the next logical thought at this instant: TRICKS! You see them everywhere. Kick flips on shoe ads and Target commercials. Hardflips and shove-its in your favorite video game. Flip tricks look so simple but it’s hard to know where to start.

The best place is with the 180 body varial. It is a simple trick that can be learned in no time. The varial teaches skaters how to spot the board and where to put your feet when landing more complicated tricks such as the kickflip. Here’s how it works:

• Without rolling have your feet pointing the same direction, front foot on the front bolts and back foot on the tail.
• Bend at the knees and jump off your skateboard leaving your board with all four wheels still on the ground. (If you kick the tail as you jump and lift the front wheels, it makes it more difficult to land right.)
• While still in the air, board-on-ground, spin around and face the opposite direction. (You’ll need to stay over your board)
• During the rotation look down at your board and land with your feet over the bolts. Bend your knees to absorb the impact and add style.

This last step is what makes this trick so helpful in the long run. Landing tricks with both feet over the bolts forces the impact of the jump into the metal trucks instead of the wooden deck. In other words, when you rip so hard that you can 360 flip a ten stair - landing on your bolts means you don’t break your deck. So learn it early. Practice the 180 varial until you can turn it in to a 360 body varial and continue to get creative with it. Varials can be added to all sorts of tricks like kickflips and boardslides. It gives your trick extra flare and bonus points for style.