How to Pressure Flip

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: January 10, 2021 References

While they aren’t as popular as tricks like heel flips or kick flips, pressure flips are a skateboarding classic. It’s a good one to have in your repertoire to out every once in a while and impress someone. They can seem intimidating to people who haven’t done them before, but pressure flips are pretty easy to master if you know what you’re doing.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Preparing to do a Pressure Flip

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Have the right gear. Ideally you should have a shortboard skateboard, although experts can do pressure flips on old school and cruiser boards. You won’t be able to pull one off on a longboard. Skate shoes aren’t necessary for skating, but may be more comfortable and will last longer if you skate a lot. If you don’t have skate shoes, wear something you won’t mind damaging. ^{[1]
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- Even though you aren’t doing insane jumps on your skateboard, you should still have the proper safety gear. Wear a helmet whenever you are skating. Concussions are fairly common in skateboarding, and a helmet will go a long way in protecting your brain. Make sure it fits snugly for the best protection. ^{[2]
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2
Get comfortable on a skateboard. Push off with your back foot experiment with shifting your weight around on the board. Try some turns, both sharp ones and gentle ones. Get comfortable moving your feet around on the board. Practice getting off the board quickly so you can minimize injuries from falling.

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3
Practice some basic tricks. A pressure flip might be the first trick you learn on a skateboard, but it’s a good idea to have a few other ones under your belt first. Ollies and shove-its are some good tricks to learn before you try to do a pressure flip.
- To ollie, put the ball of your back foot on the edge of the skateboard’s tail and your other foot a few inches behind the front bolts. Push down hard with your back foot to pop the board off the ground while bending your front knee. Slide the side of your shoe up and off the tip of the board and lift up your back foot at the same time. Try to keep your weight centered over the board to stick it. ^{[3]
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- To do a shove-it, place the ball of your back foot on the edge of the skateboard’s tail and your front foot just behind the front bolts. Press down and towards you with your back foot while at the same time lifting up your front foot. The board should spin 180° underneath you. Put your feet back on the deck and skate it out to land the trick. ^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Mastering the Pressure Flip

1
Position your feet properly. Pressure flips are impossible without proper foot position. Place your back foot just behind the back trucks. The ball of your foot and big toe should nestle in the bend of the tail with the rest of your toes just barely hanging off the edge. Angle it slightly towards the nose. The position of your front foot doesn’t matter much, but most people find it comfortable to have it a few inches behind the front bolts slightly angled towards the nose. ^{[5]
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- If your board just flips over backwards, you need to move your back foot up slightly. If the board sort of just rolls over on its side and lands on its back, you need to move your back foot back a little more. You’ll have to experiment a bit to find the sweet spot.^{[6]
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2
Push off the board. To do this trick, you have to transfer all of your weight to the ball of your foot and big toe on your back foot. After your weight has transferred to your back foot, you’ll use it to “scoop” the board and flip it over.^{[7]
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- When you transfer your weight to your back foot, your board will come extremely close to touching your wheel, almost giving you wheel bite. At this moment, lift up your front foot and put all your weight on the ball and big toe of your back foot. Push towards diagonally forwards towards yourself with this part of the back foot. It won’t pop like other flip trick, but the board will hit the ground a little bit before flipping over. If you do it right, it will feel like you’re "scooping" the board with your back foot.
- A common mistake is trying to pop the board and jump off like you would for an ollie. The board will either flip too much or not enough if you pop it too hard. Your deck will touch the ground, but it’s different from the pop you do for other flip tricks. You’ll have to learn both to get a feel for it.^{[8]
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Clear your feet. The board will come up pretty high during a pressure flip, so you need to pull your feet up to clear the board. Bend at your waist and knees to bring your feet up into the air. Extend your arms while you’re in the air to help you stay balanced and over the board.
4
Watch for the grip tape. If the board is relatively straight and you can see the grip tape, it’s time to land the trick. Straighten slightly at the knees and waist, but not all the way. Staying a little bent will help you absorb the shock of landing. Try to put your feet back on the board on or in between the bolts for a stable landing. Many people find it easier to land slightly back on the board as well.^{[9]
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Research source}Skate it out to officially land the trick.
5
Keep practicing. You probably won’t be able to consistently land pressure flips after you stick your first. Keep practicing them so the foot positions and motion become second nature. Eventually, you’ll be able to add your own flair to the trick that makes it your own. You may even be able to do it into grinds or combine it with spins, although don’t expect to achieve this on your first day.

Warnings

Skateboarding can be a dangerous sport. Make sure you have access to a first aid kit and are wearing a helmet that fits properly. It might not look cool, but protecting your brain is worth it. ^{[10]
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