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🛹 Skateboarding · Flatground

Backside 180

aka BS 180

An ollie with a 180 backside turn where your back briefly leads the spin. It is slightly blind, so you check the landing over your front shoulder.

Difficulty 3/10 · Easy Flatground
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Learn the steps
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APPROACH
Frame-by-frame · drag to scrub · stylized demo
Step-by-Step

The Breakdown

Four phases from roll-up to roll-away. Scrub the analyzer above — each phase lights up as the board hits it.

  1. 01 Approach

    Coil for the blind side

    Roll at a steady, confident pace with your normal ollie stance. Pre-wind your shoulders forward, opposite the spin, to load up the rotation. Because this one turns backside you will lose sight of the landing for a beat, so settle your nerves before you pop.

  2. 02 Wind & Pop

    Pop and open backside

    Snap a clean ollie and unwind your shoulders and hips backside at the same moment. Lead the turn by opening your back toward the direction of travel. The pop lifts you while the shoulder unwind carries the board around behind you.

  3. 03 Air

    Whip the head around

    Keep both feet stuck to the deck and let your body rotation pull the board through the half-turn. Turn your head and look back over your front shoulder to find the landing as it comes into view. Spotting the ground there finishes the rotation and stops you from over-spinning.

  4. 04 Land

    Catch switch and roll

    Aim both feet for the bolts as the board squares up and you come down in switch stance. Bend your knees hard to absorb the landing and keep your shoulders level over the board. Stay centered, ride it out, and roll away clean.

Bail Clinic

When It Goes Wrong

The most common ways Backside 180 bails — and the fix. Diagnose your slam, then get back on.

Why is the backside 180 so much scarier than frontside?
FIX

Backside spins your blind side toward the landing for a moment, so it just feels riskier. Beat it by whipping your head around early to find the ground over your front shoulder. Once your eyes pick up the landing, the fear fades and the body follows.

My backside 180 under-rotates and lands sideways.
FIX

You are not committing the head and shoulders all the way around. Wind up harder before the pop, then turn your head backside aggressively to spot the landing. Where your eyes and chest go, the board follows, so finish the rotation with your upper body.

How do I keep my feet on the board during a BS 180?
FIX

Stay stacked directly over the deck and let your body rotation carry it rather than spinning out from under it. Suck your knees up and keep both feet pinned to the bolts through the turn. Drifting your weight back is what leaves the board behind.

I keep falling backward when I land a backside 180.
FIX

That usually means you leaned away from the spin or came down behind the board. Keep your weight centered over the deck and land in a balanced switch stance with knees bent. Spotting the ground over your front shoulder pulls your weight forward where it belongs.

The backside 180 is the frontside’s tougher twin. It’s an ollie with a 180 backside turn where your back briefly leads the spin, which means you go slightly blind through the middle of the rotation. That blind moment is the whole challenge — mechanically it’s nearly identical to the frontside, but it asks for more trust.

Beat the fear by whipping your head around early and hunting for the landing over your front shoulder. Your eyes lead, your shoulders unwind, and the board comes around behind you. Commit to the spot, expect a switch landing, and bend deep to roll away clean.

Hardware Check

Dial In Your Setup

Gear that makes this trick easier to learn. Tune the setup, not just the technique.

Gear

Medium deck (8.0"–8.25")

7-ply maple · medium concave

A medium concave keeps your feet locked through a blind rotation so the board turns with you. A reliable pocket is reassuring when you briefly cannot see the landing.

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Gear

99A street wheels

52–54mm · 99A duro

Harder wheels stay planted when you land switch off the spin. Soft wheels can catch and tweak an ankle on a slightly angled landing, which is common while learning the backside turn.

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Gear

Cushioned bushings

90A–92A duro

Softer bushings let the board lean into the turn and settle on a switch landing. Stiff bushings resist the rotation and make the board feel locked up as you whip around blind.

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Battle Board

Stack Your Clip

Landed Backside 180? Soon you'll drop your line here and battle the crew for the top of the board.