How to do a pop shove-it on a skateboard

The frontside pop shove-it is one of the key tricks in skateboarding and a core maneuver in any street skater's toolbox.

The pop shove-it - or pop shuvit - is a frontside 180 ollie without a body rotation. The only thing that spins is the skateboard.

The goal is to make the board rotate 180 degrees and land, rolling backward.

The skater will maintain the same body position from start to finish, i.e., landing with the lead foot forward over the tail of the board.

The pop shove-it was originally developed by Ty Page, a skateboarding pioneer who created dozens of tricks between the 1970s and 1980s.

The then-called Ty hop was not 100 percent equal to a pop shuvit, but it clearly helped define what the trick is today.

Alan Gelfand and Steve Rocco are also often credited as the fathers of the modern frontside pop shove-it.

Break It Down

Three basic skateboarding tricks set the foundations for the pop shove-it: the ollie, the frontside 180, and the backside 180.

Mastering these maneuvers before throwing yourself into the pop shove-it is a wise thing to do.

The best way to learn the frontside pop shove-it is to break it down into two stages before practicing the whole trick.

Start by practicing a shove-it without the pop.

Do it with your back foot only. Forget the front foot - just shove with your back foot. Do it 100 times until you're acquainted with the movement.

Once you're comfortable with that motion, put your front foot on and do the shuvit movement, stepping off with your back foot.

Leave the front foot on the skate as flat as you can, controlling and holding it down.

Shove, step off your back foot - repeat it 100 times.

Once you're OK with it, it's time to land the trick.

If you need to feel comfortable and more confident, try it in a grass field or cushioned area.

The trick is to barely take the front foot off the board and let your back foot curl around the side of the tail before pushing straight back.

The front foot should remain flat throughout the whole process.

Pop the board at a downward diagonal angle with your back foot while standing behind it.

Practicing it thoroughly will help you figure out how much pop and angle you need when performing the whole trick.

Pop Shove-It 101

Once you're comfortable and good enough at the shove-it, you can add the second dimension - the pop - and pull the whole maneuver off.

And it is not that hard to land it. Here's how to do it right:

1. Place your front foot in the middle of the board with your toes at a 45-degree angle;
2. Let your back foot hang over the edge of the board's tail;
3. Jump just a little bit with your front foot flat on the board;
4. Your back foot will scoop straight back;
5. Bend your back knee up in the air;
6. Put your back foot on the board;
7. Land and roll away;

Now, it's time to add the pop to the shove-it. Here's how to do it:

1. Get into your ollie stance;
2. Maintain the same foot position used in the previous step, but move your back foot a little bit more to the center of the tail;
3. Pop the back foot down;
4. Shove the board;
5. Make sure to keep your front foot down, holding the board flat in the air;
6. Bend your back knee;
7. Catch the board with your front foot;
8. Extend your back knee;
9. Land with both feet and roll away;

Too much motion on your back foot may result in your board landing primo or upside down.

If that happens, move your front foot more toward your toe side.

Also, if the board doesn't do the full 180-degree rotation, you'll have problems landing it nicely.

Remember - and this is very important - to run through the practice steps until you try the full maneuver.

Once you master the pop shuvit, you can add multiple variations and do it on any obstacle.