Specialty · Half flip, then back
How to hospital flip on a fingerboard
A hospital flip starts like a kickflip, but you don’t flick all the way. When the board has flipped about halfway and is sitting on its edge, use your index finger to roll it back over that edge until the grip is up. It is not a full kickflip caught late, and it is not a shove-it — the nose and tail stay on their original sides when you land. Get a clean kickflip first.
Step by step
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Set your fingers
Kickflip setup, index toward the near edge
Set up like a kickflip: middle finger in the tail pocket, index just behind the front bolts, shaded toward the near edge. Your index finger will both start the flick and roll the board back later.
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Pop and don’t flick all the way
Pop the tail and flick like a kickflip, but not hard enough to finish the flip
Pop the tail with your middle finger and flick your index finger down off the near edge, like a kickflip — but lighter. The goal is to get the board up onto its edge, not all the way over.
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Board on its edge
Stop the flip when the board is sitting on its edge
When the board has flipped about halfway and is on its edge, get ready to roll it back with your index finger. Don’t let it keep flipping until the graphic is up, like a finished kickflip.
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Roll it back
Use your index finger to roll the board back over the edge until the grip is up
Touch the edge or side of the deck with your index finger and roll the board back the way it came, until the grip is up. That’s the move that makes it a hospital flip, not a kickflip caught late.
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Catch
Grip up, nose and tail on their original sides
Catch with both fingers over the bolts when the grip is up. The nose and tail are still on their original sides, because the board didn’t shove-it.
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Land and roll away
All four wheels down, then roll away
Land all four wheels together and roll away. The ends are where they started.
Common mistakes
- Flicking all the way and ending up with a regular kickflip. Flick lighter, and roll it back when the board is on its edge.
- Thinking the nose and tail have to swap. A hospital flip is not a shove-it.
- Using the wrong finger to roll it back. The index finger rolls the board back over the edge.
Session tips
- Get a clean kickflip first, so you can control how far the flick goes.
- Practice a light flick until you can stall the board on its edge, then add the roll-back.
- Think half a flip, then back — not a full flip caught late.