The switch backside 180 is a trick you have to have in your pocket while cruising your local skate park or a street spot. It is not the most difficult to make, but it will still take quite some effort to accomplish the perfect landing. It looks great when you roll away perfectly, even on flat ground, but if you go over a stair set or a street gap, it makes it look super nice.
We will try our best to get you there with some advice, and will add some pics for a better understanding, but most of the work is up to you, so read this, take your board and go practice!
So, the first thing to do when learning a switch BS 180 is to make sure you have a switch ollie clean, and, if you have ever practiced nollie 180s before, it will only make it easier. You have to consider that the switch BS 180s are much more difficult to pull off than to land, as you land in your natural stance, so you will roll away much more easily.
The first thing is always preparation for your stance and adjusting your body weight. When rolling in switch stance, you need to put your body weight on your front foot. If you lean too much on your back leg, you won’t be able to pop and turn properly and will probably land on your hip, just as with the regular BS 180s.
Put your front and back foot in the same position as for the switch ollie, but set the front foot toes a bit over the board. It will help you keep the board going with you. At the same time you start to go down on your knees to pop, you need to start focusing on your shoulders to start turning in before you start moving your hips. If the shoulder rotation is right, the whole body will follow smoothly. Once you reach the 90 turn, you start to focus on landing, making sure you have your feet on bolts, and if the body weight is evenly distributed on both legs, you are not far away from a perfect landing.
It will surely take some time before you manage to put it all together, and you will probably face some nasty slams before you get there, but with a bit of patience, you should have it in a few days. As with every other trick, don’t forget to have fun, and don’t stress if it doesn’t come instantly; The challenge is waiting. See ya on the streets!