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Within the world of skating, there are some tricks that defy belief, some tricks that are fundamentals you need to learn, which some consider easy, and there are tricks that are somewhere in between. However, it is rare that a trick gets a reputation as a super cool trick while still being a relatively easy and attainable one to pull off. Obviously, the difficulty of a trick is relative to the skater standing on the board, but what we are saying is that a kickflip is a much more attainable trick than, say, a backside disaster, and yet it still has a reputation as being one of the coolest things you can do on a skateboard. Well, we want to introduce you to another trick like this, the Fakie Big Spin.
This trick has maintained mainstream status within the world of skating for two reasons. One being that it looks super cool when done well, and two, the trick is a great way to bridge the gap from beginner to intermediate tricks, meaning you can make your games of S.K.A.T.E last a little longer. The nature of the movement on the board and the momentum it provides, along with the incorporation of the pop-shove motion, means that this one is perfect for beginner skaters, and with the right hints and tips, this one shouldn’t take too long to learn.
However, you may be wondering what this trick is and how to go about adding this to your repertoire. Well, we aim to provide all of this and more. So without further delay, here is our comprehensive Fakie Big Spin guide!
What is a Fakie Big Spin?
A Fakie Big Spin is a trick that takes the basic principles and movements of a pop-shove-it, and a body varial, then combines the two to create a trick that is super stylish but also relatively easy to perform. To be more precise, a Fakie Big Spin is when the skater starts from a fakie stance and rolls forward. The skater will then wind up their body and pop the board, rotating their body 180 degrees. Meanwhile, under their feet, the board will complete a 360-degree rotation, much like a 360-shove-it. Then the skater will land on their board and roll away in their normal stance. This is one of the first real tricks that a beginner skater will learn and is a trick that looks much harder than it is, which makes it a great one to show to your pals at the park.
Who Invented The Fakie Big Spin?
It’s hard to pin down who was the first skater to ever actually do a Bigspin, let alone a fakie big spin. If we were to guess, we would say this trick would date back to the late-seventies. However, we can tell you the skater that coined the term Big Spin and brought this trick to the forefront of mainstream skating. That man was former Blind Skateboards, Santa Cruz, Planet Earth, and H-Street rider Brian Lotti. The reason why this skater named this trick the Big Spin was because his name was Lotti, close to the word Lotto, short for the lottery. The Californian lottery at the time was known as the Big Spin, and so the trick’s name came to be.
Lotti still dips in and out of the skateboarding industry. He ran a reasonably successful skate brand called Telegraph Skateboards from 2008 to 2014. Plus, as recently as 2018, Lotti collaborated with popular sports brand Adidas to add Lotti’s name and label to the popular Campus 80 shoe.
Are There Any Variations of This Trick?
You may be wondering if there are any variations of this popular trick, and you would be right to be curious, as there are quite a few tricks closely related to this one. Here is a quick list of all the variations of a Fakie Big Spin:
BS/FS Bigspin
Firstly, we have the standard big spin. This is very similar to the Fakie Big Spin. However, the key difference here is that the skater will begin in their standard stance and body varial 180 degrees while spinning the board 360 degrees before landing fakie and riding away. As with all the tricks below, this trick can be done backside or frontside to tweak the trick further.
Nollie/Switch Bigspin
Another way that this trick can vary is the stance that you go with. Obviously, fakie and normal stances are covered, but you can also shake things up by popping nollie or riding switch when taking on this trick.
Biggerspin
The bigger Spin takes all the components present in the big spin and ups the difficulty a few notches. For the skater to complete a bigger spin, they will need to complete a 180-degree body varial while managing to spin the board 540 degrees below them. This is significantly harder than the standard big spin.
Gazelle Spin
Then if you want to up the ante even more, the Gazelle Spin is the way to go about it. This trick is when you to a 540 board rotation as described above. However, the skater will also need to do a full 360-degree body varial too. This takes a lot of practice and is really tough to land on flat ground.
Big Spin Flip
This trick follows the same principles as the standard big spin. However, to complete a big spin flip, you will also have to make the board do a flip alongside the rotation and the body varial.
Biggerspin Flip
You guessed it, you still have the 540-degree board rotation and 180-degree body varial seen in the standard bigger spin, but now you add a kickflip rotation into the mix.
Anti Big Spin
Then lastly, we have the anti-big spin. This is when the skater does a 360 shove rotation as normal but then goes against the momentum and does the body varial in the opposite direction to the standard big spin. This takes a lot of getting used to.
Tricks to Know Before Trying to Fakie Big Spin
As you would imagine, not just anyone can hop on a board and break out a Fakie Big Spin. There are some fundamentals and certain tricks you need to have in your locker before you are able to land this trick consistently. However, you may be scratching your head, wondering what they are, and asking yourself if you have what it takes. Well, wonder no more. Here are all the tricks you should know before you take on a Fakie Big Spin:
Essential tricks:
- Ollie
- Riding Fakie
- BS Pop-shove-it
- Body Varial
- pivots
Helpful to Also know:
How to Fakie Big Spin: A Guide
Okay, so let’s assume that you have nailed every trick listed above, and you want to get started on fakie big spins. Well, the good news is that you have come to the right place. We understand how this trick works, we know the pressure points of learning it, and we also know what things you need to do to get this one perfect, so you land bolts every time. So we have come up with a handy step-by-step guide that will help you break down this trick and eventually roll away smug and satisfied. So without further delay, here is how to Fakie Big Spin.
Step One:
Before you take the plunge and try rotating this trick, we would urge skaters to warm up and do some tricks that will help them get in the swing of things. Tricks that are in line with what they’re about to attempt. So ride around fakie for a while, do some half-cabs, some fakie ollies, and especially get your body varials and fakie pop shove-its on lock.
Step Two:
After this, what you will want to do is try and get the full rotation of the board down. Due to this, skaters should start riding fakie and have their feet in the fakie pop-shove-it position, with your back foot in the front pocket of the back tail, ready to scoop around. Then instead of committing to the trick initially, rotate the board and step off the board, allow it to rotate, and then try to catch this with your leading foot. This will act as a good way to practice the amount of scoop and power needed to rotate this trick.
Step Three:
Next, you’ll want to try and bring your body into play. So, replicate the same stance and foot position as above; however, this time, you should wind up your shoulders in the opposite direction to that which you are traveling, then release this tension, allowing your shoulder to rotate and turn your body 180 degrees. Meanwhile, you should rotate the board as you have done previously and again try and catch the board with at least one foot. However, this time you should be facing forward.
Step Four:
Now it’s time to put it all together and add some pop. To complete this trick, you will want to wind up your shoulders, have your foot in the aforementioned pocket and then release your shoulders and scoop the board around in tandem. When scooping, also add some downward pressure on the tail to give this trick some height off the ground and allow for an uninhibited rotation. When you have completed the scoop and release, you should jump slightly forward to meet your board. This should feel not unlike doing a half-cab ollie without contact with the board. Keep an eye on the board as it rotates, and when it completes its rotation, place your feet on the truck bolts and bend your knees to absorb the shock of the landing if necessary. Then sail off into the sunset with a new trick in your arsenal.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
As you would imagine, there are quite a few common errors that occur when skaters take on this trick for the first time. These errors can be the fine margins between skating home with a new trick in your locker or walking home sullen after focusing your board in frustration. So with that in mind, we want to highlight these potential pitfalls so you can sidestep them with grace and aplomb. Here are the most common mistakes you need to avoid when learning to Fakie Big Spin:
Let the Board Rotate
One of the most common issues, when beginners take on this trick, is that they tend to get in the way of the full rotation. This can happen in many different forms. You might not lift your feet enough and only rotate halfway. You may catch the board too early and end up landing 270 degrees round and at a standstill. Or you might not be giving the board enough pop/scoop off the ground, and the friction on the pavement may be stopping the rotation. So try your best to understand which of these is your primary issue and really focus on overexaggerating that part of the trick to make sure you are performing the movement as you should.
Board Flying forward
Another common one is the board shooting off ahead of you, leaving you to awkwardly chase it down the street, or worse, land on it one-footed and uncomfortably perform the splits. No one wants that. We skaters have broken bodies, and gymnasts we are not. So you should do something to curb this issue. The important thing to remember here is that this trick is all about scoop and body rotation. So if you feel like you are pushing the board away in any shape or form, you need to rethink your entire process. Perhaps go back to step two of our guide and break the trick down again, ensuring that when you rotate the board, the board stays just slightly ahead of you.
Using Your Front Foot
This is probably the most common issue with this trick, which is strange as, to learn a shove-it, you need to teach yourself not to do this. Using your front foot to assist in any shove-it rotation is asking for trouble. You see, with tricks like this, all of the scoop is carried out by the back foot, and anything that the front foot does will only upset the motion of the board and destabilize the trick, often leading to sketchy landings or seeing your board fly off in just about any direction. So when doing this trick, it might be helpful to really focus on letting your front foot relax and get out of the way. It can help for some to even bring this leg into your chest straight after take-off to ensure this happens. Experiment with this, and you will hopefully get some positive results.
Give It A Spin!
As you can see from the information above, a Fakie Big Spin is not only a super trick that looks incredible, but it is also a trick that can be learned with a little practice by most beginner skaters. As long as you have your pop-shoves down to a tee and you are comfortable rotating and doing body varials on your board, learning this one should be a piece of cake. We hope that this guide helps you land your first fakie big spin, and as always, thanks for reading!
FAQ Section
Answer: Are any skate tricks easy? Well, no, not really. However, when you compare this to the laundry list of mainstream skate tricks out there, this one is relatively easy. We would say this is towards the top end of beginner tricks and could be considered an intermediate trick if you are feeling generous.
Answer: Fakie is a stance that skaters can perform while standing on a skateboard. To ride fakie, the skater should be standing in their natural skating stance. However, it is only riding fakie when the skater is rolling backward. Other alternative trick styles and stances include riding switch and performing nollie tricks.
Answer: This will vary from skater to skater, but in general, most skaters will tell you that Fakie Big Spins are much easier to learn than 360 shove-its. This is because the backward momentum and the body varial involved in the Fakie Big spin all work in your favor to make the board turn the full 360 degrees. However, when doing a 3-shove, the skater has to generate all of the power to rotate the board from the scoop alone. So with this in mind, we would say that 3-shoves are definitely the harder trick here.
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