Alpha Flip is another technically very complicated trick that will eat a lot of nerves before you can roll away smoothly, at the same time it looks very cool and if you want to add it to your pocket. Now is the time to give it a try!
To first clarify what exactly we are doing, we can describe an alpha flip as a combination of a backside 180 and a hospital flip, or a casper flip, as some might name it.
Hospital flips aren’t too hard once you get the flick down. It’s a trick you’ll want to be solid with before moving on to alpha flips, so let’s break it down.
For a hospital flip, set your feet just like you would for a regular kickflip. You pop the same way. The difference is that you stop the flip halfway. When you see the board’s graphic and your front foot is underneath it, you don’t let the board finish flipping. Instead, you catch it and guide it around with your front foot (kind of like a shove-it or a front foot impossible).
Once you’re confident with hospital flips, you can try adding a backside 180 to turn it into an alpha flip. It helps a lot if you already know how to backside bigspin. The board will rotate similarly to a 360 shove-it.
Your foot placement should be the same as it is for a backside flip: your back foot on the tail, ready to pop, and your front foot in kickflip position. As you pop into the backside 180, flick your front foot to start the kickflip. Don’t let it flip all the way. Instead, as the board reaches halfway, push your front foot upward and slightly in a shove-it motion. This makes the board wrap around underneath you. It’s a mix between a hospital flip and a backside spin. When done right, it looks like something between a front foot impossible and a backside bigspin.
If you’re struggling with the landing because you end up in switch, try practicing on a mellow bank. The slope helps you rotate and roll away in your regular stance.