Learning how to hardflip is one of the most satisfying upgrades you can make once your kickflip is solid. The hardflip takes the pop and jump you already know and adds two things: the board spins in the opposite direction from a regular kickflip, and your body turns 180 degrees in the air. Nail it and you unlock a whole new category of tricks — nollie hardflips, hardflip varials, and a smoother path to the 360 flip and the in-heelflip. In this guide, I break down how to hardflip from scratch: the exact flick direction, the body rotation, the catch, and the landing, plus the mistakes that stall most skaters and how to fix them.
I have spent the last decade coaching flip tricks on flatground and in the park, and the hardflip is where I watch the most skaters get frustrated. The good news is that it is almost always one specific detail — usually the flick direction or the body rotation — that is holding a skater back. By the end of this guide you will know exactly which one that is for you.
By Tyler Brooks, Skateboarding Coach
Tyler has coached skateboarders for 10 years and has tested trucks, wheels, and protective gear on real street and park sessions. He leads skill development and safety coverage at Ska8.
Published: November 8, 2026
In this guide
- What a hardflip actually is (and how it differs from a kickflip)
- The setup and prerequisites before you start
- How to hardflip, step by step (six moves)
- Foot placement and body position, side by side with your other flip tricks
- The seven mistakes that stall beginners, and how to fix them
- A landing-reading troubleshooting chart
- Progression from flatground to stairs, plus a realistic timeline
What Is a Hardflip?
A hardflip combines a kickflip with a 180-degree body rotation. The board completes a full 360-degree spin around its long axis — but in the opposite direction from a regular kickflip — while your body turns 180 degrees in the air. You catch the board as it comes back around to flat, and you land facing the opposite direction, fakie.
The “hard” in hardflip refers to the board flipping the wrong way, at least at first. In a kickflip, your front foot flicks the board so it spins one direction (for a regular skater, the board rotates counter-clockwise as seen from behind). In a hardflip, you flick it the other way — clockwise — which feels counterintuitive because your muscle memory wants to kickflip. That reverse-direction flick, combined with the body spin, is exactly why the hardflip is trickier than the kickflip it is built from.
To put it in context with the tricks you may already know: a kickflip is a 360-degree board spin with no body rotation. A 360 flip is a 360-degree board spin with a full 360-degree body spin. A hardflip is a 360-degree board spin (in reverse) with only a 180-degree body spin. That makes the hardflip a natural stepping stone between the kickflip and the 360 flip, and learning how to hardflip cleanly sets you up for both.
What You Need Before You Learn the Hardflip
The hardflip is a progression trick, which means it is built on top of other tricks. Skipping the prerequisites is the number one reason skaters stall on it. Here is what you need in place first.
A solid flatground kickflip. This is non-negotiable. The hardflip uses the same pop and jump as the kickflip, so if your kickflip is inconsistent, your hardflip will be too. Be able to land ten clean kickflips in a row before you start. Our kickflip guide covers the fundamentals if you need to shore up that base.
A clean ollie. Everything on this site, including the hardflip, is built on the ollie. If your ollie is shaky, fix that first. Our ollie guide is the place to start.
A responsive board setup. Flip tricks demand a board that pops cleanly and does not drag. Fresh grip tape, a medium kingpin tension, and a deck that matches your foot size all help. If your trucks feel sloppy or your grip is worn, our trucks buyer guide and first skateboard guide will get your setup right.
Your safety gear on. You will fall while learning the hardflip, and flip-trick falls often come with a board sliding out from under you. Wear a helmet and wrist guards at minimum. Our essential safety gear guide walks through fit so the protection actually works.
A smooth, empty flatground spot. You need room to spin 180 degrees and land without hitting anything. An empty parking lot or a flat, clear area at a skate park is ideal. Avoid cracks, gravel, and other skaters while you are learning.
How to Hardflip, Step by Step
Here is the hardflip broken into six discrete moves. The first three are the same as any ollie or kickflip; the last three are what make it a hardflip. Practice each in isolation, then chain them together. In my sessions, I have skaters drill the reverse flick and the body spin separately before combining them, and that is the approach I recommend here.
Step 1: Set Your Stance (Like a Kickflip)
Stand in your normal kickflip stance. Your back foot sits on the tail with the balls of your feet on the grip and your heels slightly out. Your front foot is in the middle of the board, over the second set of trucks, angled for the flick. The only difference from a kickflip is your intent: you are going to flick the board the other way and spin your body 180 degrees. Start with the same clean, balanced stance you use for every flip trick.
Step 2: Pop the Tail and Jump
Bend your knees, load, and then pop the tail and jump in one motion, exactly like an ollie or kickflip. The pop launches the board into the air and the jump gets your body up with it. Keep your eyes up and your weight centered. If this part is not clean, everything downstream will be off, so make sure your pop-and-jump is solid before you add the flick.
Step 3: Flick the Front Foot the Hard Way
This is the defining move of the hardflip. As the board leaves the ground, flick your front foot in the opposite direction from a kickflip. Instead of flicking outward and up the way you do for a kickflip, you flick downward and inward, across the board, to spin it the hard way. Think of sweeping your front foot down and across rather than out and up. The flick should be early and decisive — the instant the board pops — or the board will not complete its rotation. This is the step most beginners get wrong, so drill it on its own until the reverse flick feels automatic.
Step 4: Rotate Your Body 180 Degrees
As the board spins, rotate your body 180 degrees in the air. Lead the turn with your shoulders and chest, not your hips, and turn fully so you are facing the opposite direction by the time the board comes around. This is the part that separates the hardflip from a simple reverse kickflip. If you do not turn your body, you will either land facing the wrong way or catch the board awkwardly. The body rotation and the board spin happen at the same time, so practice the 180-degree turn on its own (a 180 spin on the ground, or a jump-and-turn without the board) until you can turn a clean half rotation on command.
Step 5: Catch the Board as It Comes Around
Once the board completes its spin and your body is turned, bring both feet down to meet the board as it returns to flat. Your feet should come down onto the deck at the same time the board levels out, so you catch it clean and centered. The catch is where the board spin and the body rotation come together: if your timing is right, the board is flat under your feet at the moment you land. Skaters who hardflip well keep their eyes on the board the whole way around, so they know exactly when to drop their feet down.
Step 6: Land Facing Fakie with Bent Knees
Land with both feet flat on the board, knees bent, and your weight centered, now facing the opposite direction (fakie). Bending your knees absorbs the impact and keeps you balanced. Because you are landing fakie, your body is turned around, so stay loose and ready to roll out or pop back into a regular stance. After a clean landing, pause for a beat to confirm you are balanced before your next rep. From coaching, I can tell you that skaters who land soft and roll out of the fakie build confidence far faster than those who freeze after each trick.
Hardflip Foot Placement and Body Position
Most hardflip problems trace back to the front-foot flick or the body rotation, so here is the reference I use with every new student. The table below shows where each element goes and why it matters mechanically.
| Element | Position / Motion | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Back foot (tail) | Balls of feet on the tail, same as a kickflip | Creates the pop that launches the board |
| Front foot (flick) | Middle of the board, flicking down and inward (not out and up) | Spins the board the hard way, the opposite of a kickflip |
| Body rotation | 180 degrees in the air, led by the shoulders | Matches the board spin so you catch it clean and land fakie |
| Knees | Bent, low, active | Store jump energy and absorb the landing |
| Eyes | Up, tracking the board and the landing spot | Keeps the catch and the landing on target |
Placement reference based on coaching observation and standard street flip-trick technique; assumes a standard 8.0 to 8.5 inch street board.
Coaching note
If your board keeps spinning like a kickflip, your front foot is still flicking out and up. Drill the down-and-in flick on its own, fifty reps, until the reverse direction feels natural. If you keep landing facing the wrong way, your body is not turning a full 180 degrees. Lead with your shoulders and commit to the turn.
Hardflip vs. Your Other Flip Tricks
The hardflip sits in the middle of the flip-trick family, so it helps to see exactly how it compares to the tricks you are building toward. Here is how it stacks up against the closest relatives.
| Trick | Board Spin | Body Rotation | Relative Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kickflip | 360 degrees, one direction | None | Baseline |
| Hardflip | 360 degrees, opposite direction | 180 degrees | Intermediate |
| In-heelflip | 360 degrees, heelflip direction | 180 degrees | Intermediate |
| 360 Flip | 360 degrees, one direction | 360 degrees | Advanced |
Comparison based on typical flip-trick progression in street skateboarding coaching.
The pattern is clear: the more body rotation you add, the harder the trick. The hardflip and the in-heelflip both add a 180-degree spin, making them a natural step up from the kickflip. The 360 flip adds a full 360-degree spin, which is why it is the hardest of the group. If you can land a clean hardflip, the 360 flip is within reach, because you already have the board spin down — you just need to turn your body all the way around. Our 360 flip guide and heelflip guide are the natural next stops once the hardflip is consistent.
Why Your Hardflip Keeps Failing: 7 Common Mistakes
After watching hundreds of first hardflips, the same seven mistakes show up again and again. Check this list against your own attempts — you will almost certainly find your blocker in here.
- Flicking like a kickflip. Your front foot flicks out and up, so the board spins the wrong way and you land a kickflip instead of a hardflip. Fix: flick down and inward, across the board. Drill the reverse flick on its own until it feels automatic.
- Flicking too late. You wait for the board to rise before you flick, so it never completes the rotation. Fix: flick the instant the board pops, early and decisive.
- Flicking too weak. Your flick is soft, so the board under-rotates and lands nose-down or stuck. Fix: commit to a full, sharp flick. A weak flick is the most common cause of an incomplete spin.
- Not rotating your body. You flip the board but do not turn your body 180 degrees, so you catch it awkwardly or land off balance. Fix: lead with your shoulders and turn fully, at the same time as the board spins.
- Half-spinning your body. You turn only part of the way, so you land facing the wrong direction. Fix: commit to a full 180 degrees. A half-spin is the most common cause of an off-direction landing.
- Looking down. Your head follows your eyes, so you lose the board and land off center. Fix: keep your eyes up, tracking the board all the way around and the landing spot the whole time.
- Trying it before your kickflip is solid. Your base is shaky, so every variable is off at once. Fix: go back to ten clean flatground kickflips. The hardflip is only as good as the kickflip it is built on.
Troubleshooting Your Hardflip: Read the Landing
Every hardflip that goes wrong tells you exactly what went wrong — you just have to read the landing. Use this chart to diagnose your specific problem in one glance.
| What Happens | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Board spins like a kickflip | Front foot flicking out and up | Flick down and inward, the hard way |
| Board under-rotates (stuck, nose-down) | Flick too weak or too late | Stronger, earlier flick; commit to the spin |
| Board over-rotates (spins too far) | Flick too hard | Softer flick; time it with the pop |
| You land facing the wrong way | Body rotation incomplete (half-spin) | Turn a full 180 degrees, lead with shoulders |
| You land off balance | No body rotation, or looking down | Turn fully, keep your eyes up |
| Board lands ahead or behind you | Catch timing is off | Practice the catch on flatground first |
Diagnostic chart based on coaching observation of beginner hardflip failures.
Hardflip Progression: From Flatground to Obstacles
Once you can hardflip cleanly on flatground, progress in this order. Each step adds a little difficulty and builds your confidence. Do not skip steps — the biggest reason skaters stall on obstacle flip tricks is jumping to stairs before their flatground hardflip is consistent.
- Solid flatground kickflips. Ten clean kickflips in a row. This is your prerequisite — do not move on until it is consistent.
- Reverse flick drills. Practice the down-and-in flick on its own, fifty reps, until the hard-way spin feels automatic.
- Body rotation drills. Do 180-degree spins on the ground, or jump-and-turn in the air without the board, until you can turn a clean half rotation on command.
- Flatground hardflips. Combine the flick and the body rotation. Ten to twenty clean hardflips in a row, each one landing balanced and facing fakie.
- Hardflip onto a low ledge. Roll up to a low ledge and hardflip onto it, ride a beat, then roll off. This teaches you to control the catch under pressure.
- Hardflip a small gap. A one-to-two-foot gap. Focus on taking off, completing the spin, and landing with a balanced catch.
- Hardflip stairs. Start with a single stair and work up. Stairs demand a clean, committed hardflip with a confident landing.
Pro tip
The fastest way to learn the hardflip is to drill the two new elements separately — the reverse flick and the 180-degree body spin — before you try to do them together. Most skaters try to combine them on the first attempt and get neither right. Isolate, then combine.
How Long Does It Take to Learn the Hardflip?
Honestly: it depends on how solid your kickflip is, but for most skaters with a consistent kickflip, the first clean hardflip comes within one to three focused sessions. If your kickflip is shaky, budget a bit longer to shore up the base first. The variable that matters most is the quality of your practice, not the quantity. Twenty minutes of deliberate reps — where you concentrate on the flick or the body rotation at a time — will teach you more than an hour of muddled attempts.
If you are still struggling after a couple of weeks, go back to the individual elements in isolation. Usually one of them (most often the reverse flick) is the weak link, and drilling just that element breaks the plateau. When I have a skater stuck on the hardflip, I have them do fifty reverse-flick reps or fifty 180-degree turn reps in a single session. Within a few sessions the whole trick clicks, because the missing piece was the only thing that was actually broken.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a hardflip and a kickflip?
A kickflip rotates the board 360 degrees in one direction, and you stay facing the same way. A hardflip rotates the board 360 degrees in the opposite direction, and your body spins 180 degrees in the air. The reverse-direction board rotation is what makes it a hardflip, and the body spin is what makes it land you facing fakie.
Do I need to be able to kickflip before I learn the hardflip?
Yes. A solid, consistent flatground kickflip is the foundation. The hardflip uses the same pop and jump, just with a reversed flick and an added 180-degree body spin. If your kickflip is shaky, solidify that first — the hardflip is only as good as the kickflip it is built on.
What is the difference between a hardflip and a 360 flip?
A 360 flip is a kickflip (same-direction board spin) combined with a full 360-degree body spin. A hardflip is a reverse-direction board spin combined with only a 180-degree body spin. The 360 flip is generally harder because you are spinning your body all the way around, while the hardflip only turns you halfway.
When exactly should I flick the board?
The flick happens right after the pop, as the board leaves the ground. Flick early and decisively — if you wait too long, the board will not complete its rotation. Practice the flick timing on flatground until it feels automatic, and it will carry over to the full trick.
Why does my hardflip land me facing the wrong direction?
You are not rotating your body a full 180 degrees. Lead with your shoulders and turn fully, so you are facing the opposite direction by the time the board comes around. A half-spin is the most common cause of an off-direction landing, and it is the easiest one to fix.
See Also
- How to ollie on a skateboard — the foundation every flip trick is built on
- How to do a kickflip — the direct prerequisite for the hardflip
- How to do a 360 flip — the natural next step after a clean hardflip
- Essential safety gear for skateboarding — protect yourself while you learn
Sources
- Wikipedia — Ollie (history of the ollie and the flip-trick family it founded): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ollie
- Rider — helmet and protective gear safety: https://www.rider.com/
- Bones Wheels — wheel size and durometer specifications for flip-trick setups: https://www.boneswheels.com/
- Indy Trucks — truck, hanger, and kingpin specifications: https://www.indytrucks.com/
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