The Ollie Backside 180 is a good trick for a few different reasons. It is a
trick
that can be used as a stepping stone to learning a wake to wake backside 180, a
trick to
do off rollers, and a trick that can be done in between wake to wake tricks as a way to
add personal style to your riding.
Prerequisties
Before trying the Ollie Backside 180 you should be able to do the following
things:
1. ollie well
2. ride switch
3. pass the handle behind your back
4. The ollie backside 180 can also be practiced quite easily on land with a
rope handle before taking it to the water.
Performing the trick
Watch this trick as an animated image
(202k) or
as an AVI movie (774k).
Cut outside of the wake about 20 feet on the right side if you ride right foot-forward or the left side if you ride left foot-forward.
Once you're out there, keep the rope tight and do a medium-sized ollie by pushing down on your back foot and pulling the board up.
While in the air, let go with your back hand and pull the handle with your front hand towards the small of your back
as you rotate your shoulders and hips away from the boat (look in the direction that you're coming from).
As you're finishing the rotation, pass the handle to your back hand and keep your weight slightly towards your
toes. You don't want to catch your heel edge on this trick. Keep the handle tight to your body, if you let your
arm out, the handle will pull you down towards the boat.
After you've finished passing the handle you should be landing from your ollie. Turn your body
and head to the new direction you're riding, and get your head up. Land with your weight even on
both feet and ride away like a champ.
Style additions
There are lots things to add to this trick:
1. Learn it switch
2. If you can ollie high or do it off a roller, try a quick indy grab.
3. Do the ollie backside 180 over an obstacle like a buoy or debris like the
rider
in the photo sequence.
4. Do the ollie backside 180 coming out of the inside of the wakes, use the
inside of the wake as a ramp.
5. Don't pass the handle, land wrapped with the rope behind your back.
Moving On
The ollie backside 180 helps you do the following harder tricks:
1. Wake to wake Backside 180
2. Ollie Backside 360 (easier off of rollers)
3. Ollie Backside 360
4. Switch frontside spins (same rotation direction)
5. Inverts requiring a blind landing (roll to blind, tantrum to blind)
If you have specific questions about this trick or would like to discuss it further, talk about it in the Trick Talk Forum.
