Combo · 180 spin and a flip
How to varial flip on a fingerboard
A varial flip — also called a varial kickflip — is a pop shove-it and a kickflip in the same motion. Pop the tail with your middle finger and scoop toward your hand, and at the same time flick your index finger off the near edge, like a kickflip. The board spins backside 180 and flips once. Catch when the grip is back up; the nose and tail have swapped.
Step by step
01 / 06
Set your fingers
Middle on the tail, index toward the near edge
Set up close to a kickflip: middle finger in the tail pocket, index just behind the front bolts, shaded toward the near edge. You need to scoop and flick in the same beat.
02 / 06
Pop, scoop, and flick
Pop the tail, scoop the middle finger, and flick the index off the near edge
Pop the tail and scoop your middle finger in toward your hand, like a pop shove-it. In the same motion, flick your index finger down off the near edge of the nose, like a kickflip. Those two moves make the board spin and flip together.
03 / 06
Spin and flip together
The board yaws 180 and flips toward you at the same time
Lift your fingers off so the board can spin 180 and flip toward you. Watch both motions in the two insets. Don’t catch early.
04 / 06
Almost 180
Nose and tail nearly swapped, grip coming back
As the spin nears 180, the nose and tail are swapping ends and the flip is coming back to grip-up. Wait until both have finished before you catch.
05 / 06
Catch
Grip up, nose and tail swapped
Catch with both fingers over the bolts when the grip is up and the 180 is done. The nose and tail have swapped, same as a finished pop shove-it.
06 / 06
Land and roll away
All four wheels down, then roll away
Land all four wheels together and roll away. The nose and tail are on opposite sides from the start.
Common mistakes
- Only scooping, so you get a shove-it with no flip — or only flicking, so you get a kickflip with no spin.
- Catching before the 180 is done, while the board is still upside down or hasn’t swapped ends.
- Scooping too hard and over-rotating past 180. Use a pop-shove-it sized scoop and focus on the flick.
Session tips
- Get a clean pop shove-it and a clean kickflip first, then put them on the same beat.
- Practice the scoop and flick together without catching, and just watch whether the board completes both the 180 and the flip.
- If it spins but doesn’t flip, flick the index more clearly. If it flips but comes up short of 180, scoop the middle finger a little more.