ADD 360S TO YOUR TRICK BAG

Tom Cardy explains how to spin a full circle – one of the best feelings ever!

Tom Cardy’s tips for spinning success

01 Set-up

Work out which direction you’re going to spin in – towards your back foot makes it easier to add variations. Next find a ‘flyout’ jump – a take-off with a flat landing, like out of a quarter pipe to the deck. You don’t need lots of airtime to pull a 360 off, so hit the flyout fast enough to get about 3ft of air. Approach standing in a neutral position, knees and elbows slightly bent, looking up at the take-off.

02 Out of the lip

Hit the take-off straight – don’t try to carve as you go up the ramp to get extra rotation, because this will make you go off to one side and you’ll miss your landing. As your front wheel reaches the top, turn your body in the direction you want to spin and look for your rear wheel. This will help you see in the rotation and keep you spinning. Don’t try this too early or your back wheel will scrub the top of the lip.

03 Mid rotation

When you’re a quarter of the way around, twist your hips in the direction you’re rotating. This will increase the speed of the rotation and help you pull your bike around. Use the same technique as you would if you were doing a 360 jump on your feet. Keep looking for your back wheel, because this will help continue the rotation and give you a gauge of where you are in it, which will make landing easier.

04 Landing

You’ll have spotted your landing at about 180 degrees. Stop looking at your rear wheel now and focus on touching down. Bend your arms and knees to absorb the landing, then roll away. If you’re underrotating it’s natural to stick a leg out, but don’t put it down – you can easily break a bone! Instead, lock the rear brake and drop the back wheel. This will allow you to pivot around and land the 360 straight.