How to Heelflip — Step-by-Step Tutorial for Beginners

Heelflip vs kickflip — what's actually different

The rotation direction is actually the same for both tricks (the board rotates the same way when viewed from above), but the flick mechanism is opposite. The kickflip uses a sliding motion off the toe corner; the heelflip uses a kicking motion off the heel edge.

Prerequisites

To learn the heelflip effectively you need:

• A consistent rolling ollie — high enough for the board to complete a full rotation
• Comfort with your feet leaving the board and returning to it
• Ideally, some experience with flip tricks (kickflip or shuvit) — not strictly required but speeds up learning significantly

If you haven't landed a kickflip yet, that's fine — some skaters learn heelflips first. If your ollie isn't consistent yet, start there.

→ How to Ollie — Step-by-Step Tutorial | How to Kickflip — if you want to learn both

Foot position

Back foot: Center of the tail — same as every other trick.

Front foot: This is the key difference from the kickflip.

• Front foot near the heel-side edge of the deck — your heel is at or past the heel-side rail
• Toes angled toward the toe side (roughly 30–45° from square) — opposite angle from a kickflip
• Front foot further back than your ollie position — over the first bolts or just behind them
• The ball of your foot and toes are on the deck; your heel is hanging off or near the heel edge

The heel-side position means that when you kick your front foot forward, the heel catches the edge of the board and sends it into rotation. Without the heel near the edge, the foot slides off without engaging the board.

The 5-step process

1. Set your stance — front foot near the heel-side edge, toes angled toe-ward. Back foot center of tail.
2. Pop the tail — sharp, hard pop exactly like an ollie. The board needs height.
3. Kick the front foot forward off the heel edge — as the board rises, kick your front foot forward. The heel catches the heel-side edge of the board and sends it into rotation. The motion is more of a forward kick than the diagonal slide of a kickflip. The front foot exits the board completely.
4. Tuck and wait — legs up, out of the way. The board rotates toward your toe side. Wait until you see the grip tape come up.
5. Catch both feet over the bolts, land, roll away.

The flick — what makes it different from a kickflip

The heelflip flick is a forward kick off the heel-side edge. Key points:

• Kick forward, not sideways. Unlike the kickflip where the foot exits diagonally off the corner, the heelflip front foot moves more directly forward and the heel-side edge is what spins the board.
• The heel does the work. If your heel isn't near or over the heel edge, the foot has nothing to push off of. Front foot position is more important in a heelflip than in any other flip trick.
• The flick is your heel catching the rail. Think of it as your heel hooking the edge as your foot moves forward, not as you consciously flicking the board. If you're thinking about the flick too much, try just focusing on kicking forward and letting the heel catch.
• The board goes forward. Heelflips often travel slightly forward in the direction of motion, more than kickflips. This is normal — commit to riding with the board rather than staying in one spot.

Common mistakes and fixes

Learning progression

1. Stationary on grass — get the foot position and kick motion producing a flip. Don't worry about landing yet; just make the board rotate.
2. Stationary on pavement — once the board flips reliably on grass, try landing it on pavement while stationary. Focus on getting both feet on the board when it completes the flip.
3. Land with back foot first — a useful intermediate checkpoint: can you consistently get your back foot on the board as it completes? This confirms the timing is right before worrying about the front foot placement.
4. Land with both feet stationary — full catch and landing while not moving.
5. Rolling slowly — once you can land it 5+ times stationary, move to rolling at walking speed.
6. Rolling at full speed — the heelflip tends to feel more natural at speed than stationary because you're already moving in the direction the board travels. Most skaters find it clicks faster rolling than stationary once the basic motion is learned.

Heelflip vs kickflip: which to learn first?

There's no single right answer. Considerations:

• Learn kickflip first if you want to follow the most common progression. Kickflips are more commonly seen as the "standard" first flip trick, and there's more tutorial content available if you get stuck.
• Learn heelflip first if kickflips aren't clicking after extended practice. The different mechanics engage different instincts and sometimes the heelflip motion is just more natural for a given skater's foot shape and stance.
• Learn both simultaneously — some skaters find alternating between kickflips and heelflips in the same session helps. When one motion plateaus, switching to the other can break the mental block.

The tricks don't interfere with each other once both are learned, despite the mirror mechanics. Your muscle memory is distinct enough to keep them separate.

What comes after heelflips

Once your heelflip is consistent while rolling:

• Varial heelflip — a heelflip combined with a frontside pop shuvit (board rotates 180° while also flipping). Happens accidentally while learning; make it intentional.
• Hardflip — a kickflip combined with a frontside pop shuvit. Requires both kickflip and shuvit to be solid.
• Heelflip into grinds — heelflip 50-50, heelflip boardslide. The heelflip approach angle naturally suits certain grind entries.
• Inward heelflip — a heelflip combined with a backside 180. One of the harder beginner combos but flows naturally from the heelflip motion.