Switch stance · Kickflip
How to switch flip on a fingerboard
A switch flip — also called a switch kickflip — is a kickflip in the opposite stance. In regular stance, your middle finger sits on the tail and pops, and your index finger sits near the nose and flicks. In switch, those jobs swap: your index finger moves to the tail and pops, and your middle finger moves near the nose and flicks off the near edge. The board still pops off the tail, like a kickflip. This is not a nollie. A nollie pops the nose in regular stance.
Step by step
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Set your fingers in switch
Index on the tail, middle near the nose toward the near edge
Swap your fingers from a regular kickflip. Your index finger goes in the tail pocket and does the pop. Your middle finger sits near the nose, just behind the front bolts, shaded toward the near edge, because it will do the flick. The tail is still on the left and the nose on the right — only the finger jobs have swapped.
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Pop the tail with your index, then flick
Pop the tail with your index, then flick the middle finger off the near edge of the nose
Pop the tail with your index finger so it taps the table. In the same motion, flick your middle finger down off the near edge of the nose. The board flips toward you, like a kickflip. Don’t pop the nose — that’s a nollie.
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The board flips toward you
Lift your fingers so it has room; the grip starts to face you
Get your fingers out of the way so the board can flip all the way toward you. Same direction as a regular kickflip — only the popping and flicking fingers have swapped.
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Wait for the grip
At halfway the graphic is on top
At halfway the graphic faces up. Wait until the flip finishes and the grip is back up before you catch.
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Catch
Grip up, fingers over the bolts
Catch with both fingers over the bolts when the grip is back on top.
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Land and roll away
All four wheels down, then roll away
Land all four wheels together and roll away in the same direction.
Common mistakes
- Mixing it up with a nollie. A nollie pops the nose in regular stance. Switch still pops the tail, with the fingers swapped.
- Leaving your fingers in a regular setup and calling it switch. The index finger has to move to the tail.
- Flicking away from you, so the flip goes the wrong way.
Session tips
- Get a clean regular kickflip first, then just sit in the switch setup — no pop — until it feels familiar.
- Keep it short: the pop and flick fingers swap, but the board still pops off the tail.
- Practice the pop and flick without catching, and watch whether the board flips toward you all the way.