How to Land With Both Feet on the Skateboard

Skateboarder, in midair, preparing to land a trick
  Fran Polito/Getty Images 

Chickenfoot is a very common problem when skateboarding. You try an ollie or kickflip, but when you land, both feet won't land on the board. Maybe only one lands on the board, or maybe neither one. This is what we're calling "chickenfoot." Call it whatever you want, it's a big problem for a lot of skateboarders. So how do you get over chickenfoot? How do you land with both feet on your skateboard?

Make Sure at Least One Foot Is on the Skateboard

First off, you should always be able to land at least one foot on your skateboard. If neither foot lands on your board, then either you are doing the trick completely wrong, or you are very scared. Being scared is normal in skateboarding - in fact, it's good! It shows that you are taking skateboarding seriously and that you know that you can get hurt if you do something careless. However, you need to master that fear

The first thing you need to do is practice until you land with one foot on the board. Pick a foot, and make sure it lands on your skateboard. If you can't do this step, then go back and start over with the trick you are trying--you probably aren't doing something right, and you need to work on form.

Practice Getting the Other Foot on the Board

Most skaters have one foot already landing on their board, but the other one just refuses to land right. There are a couple of things you can try. The best thing is to just keep practicing, trying little things different here and there as you want to until you land it right. But, for a lot of skaters, this is too frustrating and you can feel like you aren't getting anything done! I'd like to encourage you to stick with it and get some help. But, there's another way you can try and fix the problem yourself:

Whichever foot you can land with, not try and land with just the other foot on your board. Let the foot you could land with land on the ground. Aim for it to do so. And try to get your bad foot to land on the board. Once you get your bad foot to land on the board, then switch back to the good foot. Switch back and forth a little.

NOW, land with BOTH feet on the board. You can. If you can't, it's because you are scared. Being scared is normal, but you have to fight through it in skateboarding. If you can choose which foot to land on the skateboard, then you can choose to have them both land on the board at the same time.

If you are still having trouble, the problem might be something different as well. My best suggestion is to get someone else to watch you and tell you what they think you are doing wrong. It's best if this person is a skater who you trust, but even if they aren't, they can still help you. Just ask them what they think you might be doing wrong, and see what they say. It can help, especially when you're just getting started skateboarding.

Remember to Have Fun

Remember to relax, keep practicing, and have fun. If you get too stressed about it, then go try something else for a while and come back to this trick. Try cruising around, go to the skate park, or try something that doesn't take flipping, like the ​railstand. Then, come back to this trick later. Mostly, make sure you're having fun!