OS Kickflip Destroying My Feet

[monkey_slap]

Firstly, I've read the OSK threads I could search for, learned tons of info, but nothing is seeming to help my biggest problem.

I'm trying to learn this for the Loaded challenges (series 1, would love $100 off a Dancer). But I'm running into some mega problems. My first issue is I can't decide which way to practice this trick. Front foot or back foot kick? I'm right handed and ride goofy. I've landed with my front foot kicking (going to my left) in the grass pretty often, but when it comes to concrete my balance is awful and when I actually get a good kick the board ends up behind me with my backfoot in the frontfoot position and my frontfoot on the ground a ways in front of the board. Then when I try my backfoot I can't even land it in the grass, but on concrete it feels a lot more comfortable balancing/positioning.

But this practicing on both feet leads to my biggest issue, the pain. The skin over the bone that my big toe connects too (not a doc ) is bruised and on my right foot even scraped to hell, and this is only after an hour or two of practice. Now I tried practicing today and couldn't do it for more than 30 minutes. I have tons of time and patience to practice, but how in the world am I supposed to when I get to the point that I can barely ride?

Any ideas about what I'm doing wrong? Is it natural and I need to build up calluses? I've read people get this trick in a day or two so I'm getting pretty frustrated that the pain is stopping me from trying.

Any help is appreciated!

[gavmck]

Yup that happened to me. If was even worse trying to learn cross footed impossible a few years ago! Damn, cheers for reminding me, I forgot I could even do that...

Take some time off from learning?

I found it helped to twist my shoulders so they were perpendicular to the board, then my flipping foot got much better purchase and hurt less.

[dlx]

Learning tricks is always nice, but you wont be able to get the 100$ discount off any loaded stuff with the old series tricks They have a deadline you know

[gavmck]

Nah they changed that dlx. I completed challenge series 1 waaay after it had finished and got my $100 discount. No deadlines.

[monkey_slap]

Yup that happened to me. If was even worse trying to learn cross footed impossible a few years ago! Damn, cheers for reminding me, I forgot I could even do that...

Take some time off from learning?

I found it helped to twist my shoulders so they were perpendicular to the board, then my flipping foot got much better purchase and hurt less.

Haha, I can't take breaks! I'm too one tracked and I'll go nuts. I'm just all concerned because with the cross step and shuvit there was this one little piece of info that I needed to figure out to get it (like the "swing and flick" of a shuvit) before I could really start nailing it. I feel like I'm banging up my feet for no good reason.

I'm into the physics of how tricks work, so I might do some brainstorming or something. I did come up with something for explaining why my feet are hurting so bad though... Could it be that I'm leaving my non-kick foot on too long? When I try to kick most of the time it's like I'm just scraping my foot against the edge hard. Is this trick supposed to be like lift off the other foot and THEN pull over my kick foot/board?

The way I'm practicing this I feel like even pulling off this trick for the challenge video will be pain...

[gavmck]

Oooh yeah you;ve reminded me of the one piece of information that made it twig for me!

Don't try and flick with the flipping foot, in fact, don't think about that one at all. Concentrate on just pulling up the non flip foot, the flipping foot should do it all by itself. This reduces the pain which is caused when your flipping foot tries to flip but the other one hasn't moved! Hah!

[monkey_slap]

Oooh yeah you;ve reminded me of the one piece of information that made it twig for me!

Don't try and flick with the flipping foot, in fact, don't think about that one at all. Concentrate on just pulling up the non flip foot, the flipping foot should do it all by itself. This reduces the pain which is caused when your flipping foot tries to flip but the other one hasn't moved! Hah!

Awesome, going back to the grass now haha.

[Migzoola]

I can do em on a popsicle stick. It sounds like your putting too much force behind the foot that kicks the board around. One thing to remember is that the flip isnt totally completed by the kick. Just as much of the motion comes from leaning into (or almost popping) the opposite rail. Thats what gives the board momentum to flip. The other foot just sets the motion.

[monkey_slap]

Made some pretty significant advances today. Had to stop because some cops kicked me out of a park for longboarding... that was a first.

Grass is a cinch, but when it comes to movement I'm still having a few issues. Biggest being my body landing in front of the board. Met up with an experienced rider and they suggested jumping "backwards" a little bit, since momentum is lost in the flip of the board. Is that the basic idea?

Oh, and for anyone using this thread for advice on OSKs, if your feet are hurting bad, take gavmck's advice and focus on the foot on the board, not the flip. The flip should be natural. Also, I use the sole of my shoe where my arch is instead of my actual foot. Zero pain there. Now I need to worry about my hips hurting from landing flat footed haha.

[monkey_slap]

So I feel like I've almost got this down, but a few things are driving me insane.

I ride really loose, like REALLY loose. It makes dancing the most fun ever. But when I'm doing this I carve so damn hard even when I'm only inching along the pavement. So when I'm practicing this, I have to adjust my jump because otherwise my board ends up in BFE compared to my body.

So I started doing this push with my jumping foot and can get the board in just about the right spot. But this push takes away some up from my foot and I can't land the god damn thing. I've gotten great at doing this wrong it feels like. Exact same positioning every damn time...

Any ideas? I can MS paint it up if you'd like some visuals.

[Ogre]

Tape the affected spot(s) with tape

[Cann0n]

Learn how to ride goofy, regular, mongo for both, and backwards. That will help balance and flow.

Also, wear tube socks.

[Ogre]

Also, wear tube socks.

http://www.silverfishlongboarding.co...s-mvc-010s.jpg

and the horse you rode in on

[BobLoftin]

I'm going to chime in a bit, since I've been doing this trick for about 33 years.

I have noticed that a lot of the new guys do this thing what I would call "Adam Squared Style". That is to say, they stand completely sideways on the board, and really scoop their toes under the board when they flip it.

I realized that with some of these boards, especially Vanguards, Dervishes, etc., you may need to do this in order to get the thing to work. However, the old way is to stand with your feet parallel to the board, and use the inside arch of one foot to "hook" the edge of the board.

When you do it this way, you accomplish 2 things: 1) Personally, I think it looks better. and 2) You don't wear out your toes.

Here is my old trick tip clip:

http://www.bibliosk8.net/bobstrickti...oskickflip.mov

Here is the old tip itself:
http://cloud.prohosting.com/bobackup/Assorted%20Freestyle/Kickflip%20%2ld%20School%20Style%29.htm

Pay attention to the part showing the flipping foot placement - heel on top of the board, with inside arch wrapped around the edge of the board. This allows you to "load up" some tension to make the think flip good.

If you look into the world of flatland freestyle, you'll find that those dudes all start every variation of the old kickflips in a similar position - 180 flip, 360, etc, etc.

So give it a try, and it might help.

[CRASS]

^ bob is the man. listen to him.

[monkey_slap]

Thanks everyone for the help, especially Bob. Your tips helped me get it. That "little thing" I was missing was literally jumping to my right instead of this weird body spasm thing I was doing. Here's my success (first landing too, history in the making).

[gavmck]

Bob really IS the man. I remember reading his site waaay back in the day before youtube, when internet video had only JUST started, it was so good, really interesting tricks ya know? Glad you stuck it!

[Daniel M.]

Quoted because Bob really is the man!!

I'm going to chime in a bit, since I've been doing this trick for about 33 years.

I have noticed that a lot of the new guys do this thing what I would call "Adam Squared Style". That is to say, they stand completely sideways on the board, and really scoop their toes under the board when they flip it.

I realized that with some of these boards, especially Vanguards, Dervishes, etc., you may need to do this in order to get the thing to work. However, the old way is to stand with your feet parallel to the board, and use the inside arch of one foot to "hook" the edge of the board.

When you do it this way, you accomplish 2 things: 1) Personally, I think it looks better. and 2) You don't wear out your toes.

Here is my old trick tip clip:

http://www.bibliosk8.net/bobstrickti...oskickflip.mov

Here is the old tip itself:
Kickflip (Old School Style)

Pay attention to the part showing the flipping foot placement - heel on top of the board, with inside arch wrapped around the edge of the board. This allows you to "load up" some tension to make the think flip good.

If you look into the world of flatland freestyle, you'll find that those dudes all start every variation of the old kickflips in a similar position - 180 flip, 360, etc, etc.

So give it a try, and it might help.

[BAsports18]

I don't want to be a huge buzzkill but you're going to need to film it again with a helmet on for the challenge series. Congrats on learning the trick.

[monkey_slap]

I don't want to be a huge buzzkill but you're going to need to film it again with a helmet on for the challenge series. Congrats on learning the trick.

Already emailed Adam C asking this, and its ok for this trick. But thanks for looking out