Skateboarding Tricks: Sal Flip

Sal Flip

foto: flicker

Sal flip: it's invented by Salvador Lucas Barbier (Sal Barbier). In motion this trick mimics a Fingerflip and a 360 Pop Shove-It. While riding forward, the rider mildly hits the tail like a Backside Pop Shove-It. At about 45 degrees into the rotation with the leading hand, catch the nose with the palmside of the hand touching the grip tape (thumb underneath) with an elbow motion, flare the board forward and outward for the rest of the rotation (315 degrees) with the feet up and out of the way until the rotation is complete . depending on air time the feet may 'catch' the board in mid air or casing the trick at touchdown. On flat ground this trick may not 'flare' as much and may look similar to a (palmside) Fingerflip that 'pirouettes' vertically using more of a wrist motion as opposed to an elbow motion. The higher the rider goes the more exaggerated the movement can be, IE instead of a wrist or elbow rotation the rider can actually 'flare' the board with a shoulder motion.

Tricks to do Sal Flip on a skate board (Melanie Hammontree)

• Ride your skateboard in an Ollie position. This is where you are on the balls of your feet toward the front-side edge (the edge closest to your toes.) Your front foot will be back a little more than usual. Ride the board gaining a little speed so you will have momentum to do the trick.
• Pop the board up and put your back foot on the ground. You will catch the board in your left hand with four fingers on top and the thumb on the bottom. You can try practicing popping the board while you are standing still and then turning the board. This can help you when you are moving. If you get the movement down while you are standing, it will be easier to accomplish in movement.
• Take two steps while you are turning the board 180 degrees. This will all be done in a fluid motion. After the board pops, you are walking and twisting the board.
• Let go of the board and jump on to it as it falls. This will be tricky because you need to make sure the board is completely turned around and it will need to land flat. Jump high enough so that you jump on the board while it is still in the air. You do not want to jump on the board when it lands.
• When you land the trick, you will go into a manual and ride the trick out. This is where you will apply a little pressure to the front of the board and the back wheels come off the ground. From here, you can go into your next trick.

Source: wikipedia, ehow

Varial-Skateboarding

Originally a Varial was a Frontside Air where the skater reached between the legs and grabbed the board on the heel edge with the back hand (now known as a Roastbeef grab), then turned the board 180 degrees frontside with the hand before putting it back on the feet and landing. Like all Frontside Airs at the time, they were performed without an Ollie (early-grab). This version, however, is not very common anymore. Tony Hawk invented the Backside Varial in the late 80s, adding an Ollie in the process. Before long, 360 Varials, where the skater turns the board 360 degrees backside and grabs it, became commonplace. After the invention of the Kickflip Indy, most professional vert skaters had to be able to perform one to win a contest, and soon they were looking for ways to increase the difficulty. One of the ways was to spin the board 180 degrees during the Kickflip, which ended up being called a Varial Kickflip Indy. Somehow the term filtered back in to street skating and it became common for a Kickflip combined with a Pop Shove it (180 spin of the board) to be called a Varial Kickflip. Some have even gone so far as to drop the "kickflip" from the name altogether, calling a Kickflip Shove-it a "Varial." However, vertical skateboarders still use the term Varial to describe any trick involving spinning the board and grabbing it.

Source: wikipedia