Practice skating around for a bit by pushing off and then situating your body into the right position.
If you ride “regular” you will have your right foot in the back positioned on the tail of the board. If you ride “goofy” then your left foot will be in back on the tail. You want to position your back foot on the tip of the tail. To do a 180 on the skateboard, you’ll want to position your back foot on the corner of the tail.
You also want to put more pressure on the outer edge of your foot (the side your pinky toe is on). To help you with turning, plant your front foot so its slightly hanging over the opposite edge of board from your back foot. This may feel awkward but it will help to keep your board balanced when you’re in the air.
By setting your shoulders correctly you will be able to turn your body quickly enough and this should allow your legs and the board to follow. You might be tempted to try and force the board to turn using mostly your legs, but you won’t get enough torque this way. For a backside 180, position your front shoulder slightly in front of your chest and dip it down so when you pull up you have more momentum to work with. For a frontside 180, you want to position back shoulder in front of your chest and dip it down as well so you can pull up and create momentum.
If you are bending correctly you should be able to slide your front forward up the board with ease.
If this is your first time attempting this trick or you’re still new to it, then you should go at a slower pace so you have more of a handle on your board.
Plant your back foot on the tail of your board while you rotate and slide your front foot to the edge of the board. Remember that your back foot should be on the back edge of the tail.
This part may feel natural, but if you wind too far, then you’ll over spin. If you don’t wind enough, then you won’t spin enough. This might take some practice so just remember to keep patient. When you do try to execute the trick if you spin too much you’ll over rotate and you may lose your board from under you. If you don’t spin enough your board won’t turn enough and may land sideways causing a stop to forward momentum.
For a backside 180, if you ride “goofy” you’ll want to start to turn the board to your right, and if you’re “regular” turn the board to your left. For a frontside 180, “goofy riders will start to turn the board left, and “regular” riders will turn the board right.
Use force, but not too much, as too much pressure won’t allow you to get the lift you need.
For “regular” skaters you’ll swipe your left foot up and left for a backside 180, and right for a frontside 180. For “goofy” skaters you’ll swipe your right foot up and right for a backside 180, and left for a frontside 180.
As you spin your shoulders and then your waist and legs, lift your body upwards with your board. Don’t lock your knees. If you extend your legs and lock your knees you will push the board down and away from you, preventing it from spinning along with you.
Here with a backside 180 you’re pushing your back foot forward while pulling back with your front front foot. With a frontside 180 you’re pushing your front foot forward while pulling backwards on your back foot.
This will all be happening in less than a second so try to just trust your body. Your momentum combined with how your body naturally moves should allow you unwind without trying too hard. Try not to overcompensate when unwinding though, as you might turn too far and land at an awkward angle that could send your board flying out from under you.
Take note that you will be riding switch (with your opposite foot forward) when properly executed, so you may want to get used to riding with your opposite stance. Keep your knees bent so that you can properly absorb the shock of landing. This will also keep you balanced on your board, which may be harder for you if you’re not used to riding switch. If you’re having a hard time landing straight the best thing you can do is to just keep practicing and take note of how far you are rotating. If you’re not making it far enough try turning your shoulders more. If you’re going too far, then do the opposite and ease up a bit.
