Quiz the Coach - What's Wrong With My Ollie?

The best way to learn an ollie or any other skateboard trick is to practice, practice, practice.

Simon Doing Skateboard Tricks

A high-flying slam dunk on TNN's SlamBall.

SlamBall on TNN

Quiz the Coach - What's Wrong With My Ollie? - Reviewed by Kidzworld on Dec 27, 2006

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Kidzworld's Quiz the Coach has advice, help and tips on camps, skateboarding, skateboard tricks, basketball rules, fouls, cheerleading tryouts and practice, making the team plus tons of other stuff! - Page 1

So ya dig sports but need some help with your game? Don't understand some of the rules of football, basketball or soccer? Got a gripe about P.E. class, skateboarders, cheerleading, teammates or coaches, or anything? Why not ? The Kidzworld Coach can help ya work out team problems or give ya tips and advice to improve your game - all ya gotta do is ask!

Hey Coach,
I used to be able to do an ollie pretty well but now I can only get my back wheels off the ground an inch or so. I'm trying to learn a kickflip and I can get my board to flip but I can't get high enough so I can still land on my board. I think it's because I am having trouble with my ollie. What should I do? Do you have any tips?
skaterchick

Hey skaterchick,
The ollie is the most important skateboard trick you'll ever learn. It's the basis for pretty much every other skateboarding trick so make sure you've mastered the ollie before you start worrying about pulling off a kickflip. It takes a lot of practice so keep trying.

Make sure the ball of your back foot is on the center of the tail of your skateboard. Crouch just before you jump then swing your arms up as you jump, like a jumping jack. This makes you jump higher - and will give you that higher ollie which you need to do a kickflip. When you do an ollie properly, it should look like your feet are glued to the board. Keep working on the ollie and the kickflip will eventually be no problem as well. To see a video clip of an ollie, click here.

Hey Coach,
What are the trampolines made of in SlamBall? How do you put the trampolines in the court?
cow

Hey cow,
The trampolines used in SlamBall on TNN are the same ones used at the Olympics. They're made out of a polyurethane mesh and then sealed with a special paint, so they don't get wrecked when players jump off them. The trampolines are then placed in a steel structure, which is built into the SlamBall court. The mats you see around the trampolines are there so players don't land on the steel and hurt themselves when they do those high-flying dunks.

If you're interested in playing SlamBall yourself, you could soon have a place to play. The inventor of SlamBall has plans to set up SlamBall courts across the United States so anyone can train and learn to play the game. "The ultimate plan is have Slamball played across the country. Players of all ages could play in local leagues and be trained by certified instructors," says Mason Gordon, who invented SlamBall more than three years ago. That's sweet news for anyone who's always wanted to jam like Kobe or Michael Jordan but doesn't have the height or can't jump high enough.

Do you have a question on sports, skateboards, skateboarding, fitness, P.E. class, rules to sports or health? to the Kidzworld Coach. Keep in mind peeps, the Kidzworld Coach isn't a doctor or a professional athlete or anything like that. He's just a dude who digs sports, plays 'em and knows a lot about 'em. You should always talk to your 'rents, a doctor or your school gym teacher before starting a new sport or a new exercise.