How to Ollie the Longboard - 8 Easy Steps by Expert

As you move into the world of longboarding, there are numerous things to learn with the passage of time to enhance the longboarding skills and not to get tired of just simply cruising along with how to ollie the longboard or just free riding along with it every time.

So, to progress and learn a couple of new tricks and tips into the world of longboarding, the first and foremost basic step is to get into learning tricks.

As with learning new tricks, the most basic trick and the trick that has been going on for the past decades is considered to be ‘OLLIE’

What is an 'OLLIE'

Starting with what exactly Ollie is and where this word has been derived from.

In the late 1970’s Sir Alan ‘ollie’ Gelfand came with an excellent idea of a jump into mid-air without the hands holding the board.

He did it then just like it was a mere magic skill and nothing else. Which then became not less than an iconic maneuver up to this date.

So, this is how the term OLLIE has been introduced and is now being used in longboarding plus skateboarding. 

Starting:

Now, starting with how to execute and Ollie flawlessly.

It may seem easy just by looking at someone perform it with ease, but that’s not the whole truth; mastering the art of performing ollie is not a piece of cake as it requires enough dedication and practice; otherwise, various outcomes may be possible like one could injure themselves by not performing the trick up to the mark.

Here is a step-by-step guide to performing an 'OLLIE'

1. Preparation 

The first step is preparing yourself.

Now, that is done by keeping in mind that learning and practicing to perform ollie the process of tripping and falling is normal and nothing to be worried about or demotivated of.

As they say, practice makes a man perfect. Same is the case here.

You may even get some bruises at the first few tries initially but do not give up as it is just the start.

2. Understanding the board:

The second thing is to completely know about the longboard you are getting onto.

Why? 

Because before getting hyped up about the tricks understanding the nature of the longboard and being comfortable riding on it is as essential as learning the new trick.

The way to understand your comfort level on the longboard is by simply knowing the basic posture of standing and holding your ground on the longboard.

Once you are comfortable with the posture and holding your ground, only then it’ll be possible to execute and ollie fully.

3. Proper foot placement:

Now comes the feet positioning part, 

Lacking a balancing technique will make it harder for you to learn tricks, so for that, first make yourself comfortable enough with the longboard itself, then move on with the ollie foot placement.

How exactly to place your feet on the longboard?

 Front foot

How To Frontside Ollie (longboard)

Your front foot should be on the center of the deck or even close to the center of the deck, not too before, not too after.

 Back foot

How To Backside Ollie

Your back foot should be adequately resting on the rear tailor the rear kick.

Do you want to know more about back side ollie?

These may seem easy to position and could be a bit frustrating but focus on the goal with practice, within a few attempts, you will achieve it.

4. Body motion and posture:

As you’re done with the foot placements, you need to understand that not only are the feet responsible for performing the ollie but, your whole-body motion and posture you hold are also an essential part.

The weight and force you apply on the board should not be too strong or too light, it should be precisely proportional to perform ollie with ease.

Now, for the weight and pressure, you should bend and crouch.

Bending too much or crouching too much is also not a good idea.

Ideally, you should bend your knees around 90degree and do it most naturally without discomforting yourself.

As you feel your balance is maintained, you’re almost going in the right direction.

Keeping your shoulder level with your feet should be considered as well.

5. The Jump:

With your balance maintained on the board and your body and posture is set, you are ready for the next step, which is how to jump.

This jump is not just a simple jump in the air, but it requires proper positioning and technique to maneuver it.

Firstly, your front foot needs to be in the correct position, and you will start with the front foot jump and then with the back foot.

Similarly, your back foot must be forced down the rear tail to touch the ground making the front rail upward.

There when your rear tail touches the ground, you will hear the sound of ‘POP’

6. Mid Air balancing:

As you have got yourself into the mid-air, even a slight misjudgment of balance can make things terrible.

So, when in midair before they descend, the feet should be placed accurately, creating a proper balance towards the drop.

7. The Descend:

Descending from the midair requires an accurate technique as well.

Few things to keep in mind while you are on your way to the descend of the jump.

Firstly, as you are descending your way down, your foot placement requires a critical move, how that is done is by quickly positioning your feet on the deck as you are descending.

The point here is to maintain the level of the deck and your feet.

The other thing to make sure of is that you keep the position of your feet in the same position as the board lands and hits the ground.

This means the feet should be one on the center of the deck and the other on the rear end of the deck.

8. Practice:

After all the effort you put in, don’t forget the importance of practicing.

The more you practice, the easier it’ll be for you to perform the ollie successfully.

Don’t just rush into the process but rather be slow and steady with it until you master the art of longboard tricks, especially the famous Ollie.

Conclusion

As you know, the bad beginnings often have a terrible ending, same is the case applied here.

Don’t rush into the process while performing and learning ollie on a longboard.

Make baby steps on the steps we have provided to help you master the art of ollie.

And most importantly, keeping in mind the practice will make every move performed perfect, worrying about the consequences won’t.

TIPS:

Try choosing a garden area or a place where it is relatively easy for you to practice the jump and fall process to prevent yourself from getting any sorts of bruises and injuries in the process