You may feel that you pop straight downward and slide your front foot straight forward, and yet the board still turns in the air. Why does this happen?
It is often said that the board turns because the shoulders open. However, could the causality be reversed? In other words, could an unintended force from your legs make your shoulders open, especially when you are not consciously rotating them and cannot identify the reason?
Summary
Why does an Ollie turn?
An Ollie turns either because the shoulders open and create horizontal rotation or because the shoulders close in midair, causing the legs to rotate in the opposite direction. Please try the Self Diagnosis Tool and explore other possibilities.
What to do?
Lift your body straight upward. You do not need to pop the tail while practicing this. Maintain a stable shoulder angle—parallel to the board is not required—and simply jump vertically.
Simulation
If the blue arrow is not visible, please zoom out slightly to reveal it.
New: Convert your video into 3D
Convert your video into 3D
Facebook
Twitter
Premises
Is it really because of the shoulders?
Although popping and sliding are essential elements of the Ollie, focusing solely on them can make one overlook another critical factor: weight distribution.
How weight distribution can turn the board
In the previous explanation, we examined how the board can turn when the rider leans backward.
When this happens, the body must draw the front foot underneath to support its weight, pulling the nose of the board inward and ultimately causing the board to rotate.
Case study
When an Ollie turns without leaning back
One of my fellow skaters shared this video with me, noting that his board turns even when he is not leaning back.
His center of gravity appears to stay above the board throughout the motion. Yet, toward the end of the Ollie, the board unexpectedly begins to rotate.
The movement is especially noticeable in his back foot: it appears to push the tail forward, initiating the board’s rotation.
Opening the shoulders induces board rotation
Why does this occur? Ultimately, the primary factor is the shoulders.
When the shoulders open during the upward motion, they impart horizontal rotational energy to both the body and the board.
However, he is almost certainly not opening his shoulders intentionally. This suggests that another factor is causing the unintentional rotation.
Closing the shoulders can rotate the board as well
Before considering what makes him open his shoulders, let us examine another element: action and reaction.
Your board may also rotate when you close your shoulders in midair due to the conservation of angular momentum. When the upper body rotates in one direction, the lower body tends to rotate in the opposite direction to preserve the total rotational energy. In this case, he appears to be experiencing a combination of both mechanisms.
Summary of the cause
In either scenario, the shoulders play a central role in producing the rotation. But what should we do about it? Should we simply force the shoulders to stay fixed and commit as hard as possible?
Rather than taking that approach, let us analyze why the shoulders open so that we can identify an effective way to address the problem.
Why do your shoulders open?
Reason #1 Instinctive reaction
The simplest explanation is instinct. When we jump and prepare to land, facing forward feels most natural and stable.
For this reason, your shoulders may open spontaneously without conscious intent.
Reason #2 Shifting body weight forward and backward
When you crouch, your body axis generally leans forward. Jumping upward from this position may unintentionally create a kind of "screw effect."
As you rise and simultaneously push down on the ground, you also apply a horizontal force. Because your back foot cannot move the ground, your body must redistribute this horizontal energy. It travels through the torso and ultimately causes the shoulders to rotate.
In this situation, the opening of the shoulders is not the root cause of the issue; it is the result of swinging the body axis back and forth.
Additionally, whether your center of mass is positioned toward the heel side or not is not necessarily related to this symptom. As long as the body axis swings, the tendency for the shoulders to open remains.
Reason #3 Overemphasis on the slide
During Ollie practice, the sliding motion of the front foot often becomes the element that draws the most attention. You may also practice this movement while keeping your shoulders open in order to observe the slide more clearly.
If this habit becomes too ingrained, you may end up opening your shoulders automatically when you slide your front foot upward in the air.
What to do
Lift your body straight up
You can address all of these issues by focusing on a single principle: lift your body straight upward. You do not even need to pop the tail while practicing this movement. Keep your shoulders stable at a comfortable angle, and raise your body vertically as a whole. This alone can mitigate every problem mentioned above.
Effect on “Reason #1 Instinctive reaction”
This practice allows you to discover and internalize a posture that suits your body structure. Because you can do it without leaving the board, it is both safer and more efficient.
Effect on “Reason #2 The screw effect caused by weight distribution”
It enables you to train your body to rise while maintaining your center of gravity directly above the board. Avoid swinging your body axis. Focus on crouching and jumping straight upward over the board.
Effect on “Reason #3 Overemphasis on the slide”
This approach also prevents the habitual opening of the shoulders that may result from concentrating too intensely on the slide.
