Heelside Backside 180?s and Blind Landings
There’s no doubt that the heelside backside 180 is one of the most stylish tricks that can be done. Whether it be wake to wake, out into the flats, over an object, or off a kicker or rail, this trick is a staple in almost every video section. The pro’s make it look easy, but this trick is a lot more complicated than it looks. With the right timing and handle control you can master this trick and add to your repertoire of stylish moves. Now it is very important that you are comfortable riding switch before attempting this. The first step to mastering this trick is to learn it off an ollie.
First take normal edge out side the wake on your heels, then flatten off pop your ollie. It is important that you make sure your board is out of the water before you start your rotation. To start the rotation, gently pull the handle around your back until your forearm is touching the small of your back and put your chin toward your back shoulder (for regular riders its your right shoulder, for goofy riders its your left shoulder). The hardest part of this trick is the landing blind; this means you land with the rope behind your back and you are facing away from the wake which makes it difficult to see where you are going, hints the “blind” part in blind landings. Duhh! The key to this landing is to hold your forearm firmly to your back and push your chest down toward the water. This will keep you from sliding back around and make you stay on your toes so you don’t fall back on your butt (Not a fun thing to do…). After your landing you can then pass the handle to your other hand and ride away switch. Now once you’ve gone out and done 18million ollie backside 180?s its time to take this to the wake. The key difference in doing it from an ollie and doing it off the wake is the timing. The main problem people have is that they want to spin right off the wake.
With this trick you don’t even want to think about starting your rotation until you are half way across the wake. So, you want to pop off the wake as you would for a normal wake to wake jump. Take your right hand off the handle and spot your landing. When you are half way through your jump start your rotation the same way as you did on the ollie backside 180 (gently pull the handle to your back and putt your chin to your back shoulder). The landing is also done the same way; in that it is imperative that you push your chest done and keep the handle up against your back. Once you land go ahead and pass the handle to the other hand and ride away all smooth like you own the place. After you have your timing and your landings down constantly, go ahead and try variations of grabs before you start rotation. Remember always try to make it look good and unique to your style. Now stop reading and go shred!
-Alex Graydon
Alex’s Website
