Frontside 180
aka FS 180
An ollie with a 180 frontside turn of body and board together. You rotate chest-first so your landing stays in view the whole way around.
The Breakdown
Four phases from roll-up to roll-away. Scrub the analyzer above — each phase lights up as the board hits it.
- 01 Approach
Wind up the shoulders
Roll at a steady, confident speed — frontside 180s want a little more push than a plain ollie. Set your feet in your normal ollie stance, then pre-wind your shoulders backward in the opposite direction of the spin. That coil is the spring you release into the rotation.
- 02 Wind & Pop
Pop and unwind
Snap a solid ollie and at the same instant unwind your shoulders and hips frontside, leading with your chest. Open your front shoulder toward where you want to land. The pop gives you air and the shoulder turn drags the board around with you.
- 03 Air
Carry the board around
Keep your feet glued to the board and let your upper-body rotation pull the whole package through the 180. Look over your front shoulder toward your landing — because it is frontside, the ground stays in view the entire time. Spot it early and the spin finishes itself.
- 04 Spot & Land
Land switch and roll
Aim both feet for the bolts as the board completes its half-turn. You will land in your switch stance, so be ready for it. Bend your knees deep to absorb the landing and ride away, keeping your shoulders level over the deck.
When It Goes Wrong
The most common ways Frontside 180 bails — and the fix. Diagnose your slam, then get back on.
Why does my frontside 180 only turn 90 degrees and stop?
You are not winding up enough before the pop. Pre-coil your shoulders backward more aggressively, then unwind hard and lead with your chest as you ollie. Committing your head and eyes all the way around to the landing pulls the last 90 degrees through.
My board comes around but my feet leave it on a FS 180.
You are relying on the shoulder turn alone and forgetting to drag. Keep both feet pinned to the deck and let your body rotation carry the board, not just spin out from under it. Suck your knees up and stay centered so the board tracks with you.
How do I land a frontside 180 without falling backward?
Falling back usually means you leaned away from the spin or under-rotated. Stay stacked directly over the board and finish the turn so you land in a balanced switch stance. Bending your knees on contact and spotting the ground early keeps your weight forward.
I get scared and bail out of frontside 180s while rolling.
Totally normal early on. Practice the upper-body wind-and-unwind stationary first so the rotation feels familiar, then roll at slow speed. Frontside keeps your landing in sight the whole way, so commit your eyes around and your body will follow.
The frontside 180 is the first trick where your whole body becomes part of the move. It’s an ollie with a 180 frontside turn of board and rider together — frontside meaning you rotate chest-first, so your landing stays in view the entire way around. That visibility is exactly why most skaters learn it before the backside version.
The secret is the wind-up. Coil your shoulders against the spin before you pop, then release that tension as you ollie and let it drag the board around. Commit your eyes to the landing, expect to come down switch, and bend deep to ride it out clean.
Dial In Your Setup
Gear that makes this trick easier to learn. Tune the setup, not just the technique.
Medium deck (8.0"–8.25")
7-ply maple · medium concave
A medium concave keeps your feet locked to the board through the rotation so it turns with you instead of spinning out. A predictable pocket matters when your whole body is winding around.
Shop decks & parts99A street wheels
52–54mm · 99A duro
Harder wheels stay planted through the landing when you come down in switch. Soft wheels can grip and tweak your ankle if you land slightly angled, which happens a lot while learning to rotate.
Shop decks & partsCushioned bushings
90A–92A duro
Slightly softer bushings let the board lean into the turn and settle on a switch landing. Rock-hard bushings fight the rotation and make the board feel stiff as you wind around.
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Stack Your Clip
Landed Frontside 180? Soon you'll drop your line here and battle the crew for the top of the board.