A reader wrote in and asked, "Whatever I do, I cannot ollie. I do what people say, and I try really hard,but I can't even ollie one centimeter into the air. Can you give me any tips?"
This is a VERY common problem for new skaters. Skateboarding is kind of cruel this way - the ollie is the most important trick to learn, and it's ususaly one of the first tricks new skaters try. But it's also one of the hardest! It's complicated - you have to do like three different things, all at the same time, and you're trying to do this while you aren't even comfortable standing on a skateboard yet! I'm saying all of this so that you'll know that problems with ollies are normal. But stick with it! You'll get it!
The biggest piece of advice that I have for skaters like this guy who wrote in, is to have someone else watch you ollie. It can be anyone, really. It can be a friend who skates, but it can also be a friend who doesn't. It could even be your mom. If the person doesn't skate, then jsut print out the Learn How to Ollie instructions, and have them read through them first. Then have the person watch you try to ollie, and give you feedback on what they think doesn't look right. You can have them watch the How to Ollie Video too, if you want.
You see, the trick is that there is SO much going on in your head when you try to ollie that you could easily be doing something wrong and not even know it. If you've been trying to ollie for more than a few weeks, and it feels like something's wrong and you don't know what it is, then give this method a shot. It might work.
Feel free to post below if you have any other help for this skater. I'm sure he'll appreciate it. Need more help? Check out Ollie Problems. Once you know how to ollie, check out What Comes After the Ollie?
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