(skateboard hits floor)
(moans) - When I was a kid,
I wanted nothing more than to be able to kickflip.
I thought it looked so cool.
But, I couldn't get past the mental hurdle.
Though the kickflip is a very basic trick,
it can be very challenging for a new skater.
For this trick, the rider flips their skateboard 360 degrees
midair along the axis of the nose and the tail of the deck.
If you can land this trick,
you're starting to become a real skater.
So I quit, like most kids do.
Never picked it up again.
Now I'm 28 years old.
I'm gonna try and make this happen today.
So I invited my friend Alex,
the best skateboarder I know.
- Ah, stop it.
- He really is!
(light rock music)
Can you show us a kick-flip really quick?
- Yeah, I can't guarantee first try.
(xylophone scales)
(light rock music)
- Damn, I would love to walk outta here today doing that.
What are the odds of that?
What are the odds in the next three to four hours
I can do that?
- It took me about two weeks of just being on the street,
in my drive way, doing it constantly.
(skateboard smacks floor)
- Bam!
(classical waltz music)
(skateboard smacks floor)
(laughs)
(bleep)
Let me put on my helmet.
As a kid, I thought it was impossible.
So if I were to land it today,
I mean that would be incredible.
- A couple things you need to know about
before doing a kick-flip.
(upbeat big band music)
One, you need to learn how to ollie.
The motion of just kicking your tail down
and pushing your foot forward,
is what you need to do in a kick-flip.
Pop this down.
Boom, should flip.
You leave your foot out until it's time to catch it.
A big part of it is visualizing the trick.
You can visualize yourself doing it,
you can achieve it.
First try, here we go.
Nailed it.
Good, pause.
One, two.
Not like a boom.
Aye.
Ooh.
You're pushing it down more than you're pushing it out.
- Okay.
- So you're in a good enough spot right now where
I think I can let you try it out.
- Okay.
- I can come back in like 45 minutes.
- I'll see you back here in a little bit.
- Sweet dude.
- Thanks, man.
- [Alex] Skate or die.
(dramatic drumbeats)
(bleep)
Let me just try for a kick-flip really quick.
(skateboard smacks floor)
Whoa.
I'm already getting tired.
I'm already getting sweaty.
Let's try a heel-flip.
Here we go.
Alright, time-out.
Can't overthink it.
(fast drumbeats)
Oh my goodness, Matt!
If I woulda just landed with my front foot on the board,
I woulda gotten it.
Right now I'm making progress,
so I'ma continue doing what I'm doing.
Um, Alex, you outside?
Come on in.
I saw your shadow.
You just missed it.
I flipped it once to where my back foot landed on it.
- [Alex] But you got a full flip.
- [Patrick] Full flip.
- [Alex] With one foot on down.
- [Patrick] Yep. I just couldn't get both down.
- Let's see it, let's see you try one.
I wanna see how far you've come.
- Now that my teacher's here I'm getting nervous, now.
Ah, see it was like that. That's where it was.
- Nice, yeah.
You're getting the flipping motion down.
You're keep it under your body.
I think it's just all,
you gotta suck up those knees.
- Ahh.
- Getting there.
Also, I'm just going to
not tell you anymore tips,
until I talk to you again.
- Okay.
- Because, I think like one of the things
about doing this trick.
There is a lot of steps,
but at the end of the day it is like just one.
It should just be one fluid motion.
- Gotcha.
- Good luck!
Bye.
(skateboard smacks floor)
- Oof.
(skateboard smacks floor)
(grunts)
(dramatic music)
Close.
Dude.
I'm gonna do it now.
Oh my god!
Oh my (bleep) god!
Oh my god!
(laughs)
Oh my god.
(grunts)
I did it.
(bleep) Yeah!
Let's get Alex in here and show him.
I (bleep) did it!
- There's no way you've already done it.
There's no way.
- Oh my god!
Watch this angle.
- Your face!
- Let's break it down frame by frame here.
- Yes.
- Do we count it?
Do we count that?
- Dude, you did it.
- Is that a real skate, kickflip?
- For sure, you did it dude.
It doesn't matter if your nose slide kicks.
It wasn't, you know, the most beautiful,
but it was pretty good for your first try.
- So now I want to try it with you here,
to really, you know.
- Yeah, you gotta, that's the thing.
- Let's see if it was a fluke.
- You gotta make sure it wasn't luck.
(dramatic music)
(breathes deeply)
(bleep)
- [Alex] Oh!
Oh!
- Ow.
So here's the thing.
I think we're gonna call it.
I did a kick-flip today.
I don't know what more else I could really ask for here.
- What is your biggest takeaway?
- Well, Alex, my biggest takeaway, is to not overthink it.
I think persistence and a good attitude,
that's what skateboarding's all about.
- When I was watching you, it would be a matter of
You did it man.
- Thank you.
- You did it.
(classical music)
(upbeat music)