How to Do a Pop Shove-It

Guide Note

The pop shove-it is a basic skating trick that looks and sounds complicated. Luckily, this trick is easier than it seems. This page clarifies, step by step, How to Do a Pop Shove-It.

Table of Contents

Introduction

  • Imagine you're living in the mid 1970s: the only video game is Pong, Kenny Rogers is what's on the radio and tuna casserole is what's for dinner. Depressing, isn't it? It's no coincidence that skateboarding's most innovative tricks were invented back then. Kids had to entertain themselves somehow.
  • Soon after the ollie was invented in 1976, Southern California pro-skater Ty Page came up with a clever variation on it: he combined the ollie with a rotation trick, the shove-it. This trick hasn't changed much since it was christened the "Ty Hop," but the pop shove-it remains extremely popular, and it's easier than it looks.

What is a Pop Shove-It?

  • To the untrained eye, the pop shove-it looks like an instantaneous blur beneath the feet of the skater. To the untrained ear, the phrase "pop shove-it" is just as inscrutable. Here's what it's all about.
  • Eye on the board: When doing a pop shove-it, it's important to watch the rotation of the board. (Creative Commons photo by Matt M)
    Eye on the board: When doing a pop shove-it, it's important to watch the rotation of the board. (Creative Commons photo by Matt M)
  • The Pop Shove-It
  • The pop shove-it combines two tricks, the ollie and the shove it, into a minor feat of rolling acrobatics.
    1. In a standard ollie, you use your back foot to "pop" the tail of the board against the pavement while jumping forward, propelling both you and the board into the air.
    2. In a standard shove-it, you kick the board sideways with your back foot, rotating it under your feet like a boomerang, so that the nose and tail switch places.
    3. In a pop shove-it, you "pop" the tail against the ground with your back foot while kicking it sideways and jumping forward, landing on the board when it has completed a 180° rotation.
  • Variations
  • The most common variation on the pop shove-it simply concerns the direction in which the board rotates.
    1. Kicking your back foot behind you, so that the board rotates inward is called a frontside pop shove-it.
    2. Kicking your back foot forwards, so that the board rotates outward, is called a backside pop shove-it.

What You'll Need

  • Doing a pop shove-it is not rocket science, but you will need to acquire certain skills and equipment beforehand.
  1. Learn how to ollie: The pop shove-it is basically an ollie that mutates halfway into a shove-it.
    • If you haven't mastered the art of ollying, see How to Ollie.
  2. Use a standard board: The most popular kind of skateboard—the standard, pill-shaped modern deck with low-diameter wheels—happens to be the best board for a pop shove-it.
    • This is mainly because it's lightweight and nearly symmetrical; both of which lend themselves to tricks in which the board rotates freely.
    • Do not try to learn to pop shove-it on a longboard, or you may lose an eye.
  3. Wear safety gear: Knee pads and helmet are particularly important when first attempting this trick.

Do a Pop Shove-It

  • Okay, this may seem complex, but just think of it as a "spinning ollie," take it step by step and don't get discouraged.
  1. Find a flat, smooth area of concrete away from cars and innocent bystanders.
  2. Gain some moderate speed.
  3. Assume the ollie stance, with your front foot near the center of the board and your back foot on the tail.
  4. Bend at the knees, in order to jump.
  5. As you jump, instead of simply bouncing the tail off the pavement and leaping forward with the board (as in an ollie), kick your back foot either in front of or behind you, causing the board to spin like a boomerang, level with the ground.
  6. Bend you knees as much as possible, for maximum height.
  7. Allow the board to spin 180°, so that the nose and tail switch places.
  8. Land with both feet on the board.

Professional skaters Mike Vallely and Stacy Lowery demonstrate the pop shove-it.

Tips

  • Like the ollie itself, the pop shove-it looks effortless, but can be a difficult skill to master. Here are a few practical tips.
  1. Keep your eye on the board.
    • Watch the board while you're in the air, so that you know when it has spun a complete 180°.
  2. Start with a frontside.
    • Most people find the frontside pop shove-it to be more comfortable than the backside.
    • This is because a backside requires you to kick your back foot forward, which can cause a sensation similar to that of slipping on a banana peel.
  3. Stay calm.
    • It can be sightly scary to try a new trick, especially one that could lay you out on your back. However, if you're nervous, you are more likely to injure yourself.
    • Remember: if you're wearing protective gear, you can afford to get knocked around a little.

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Have any great tips on How to Do a Pop Shove-It? Post your thoughts to the discussion board or email them to Andrew M: AndrewM at mahalo dot com.