How To Pop Shuvit a Skimboard
In this guide on how to pop shuvit a skimboard, you will discover step by step how to do 180 and 360 pop shuvits on a skimboard. We share actionable tips so that you know where to put your feet, how to make the board spin, and how to stomp the landing.
Pop shuvits on a skimboard are not as hard as you might think, once you have the technique down. And the technique is fairly simple and doesn’t require a lot of air. SImply:
- Get your feet in position
- Use the correct stance
- Begin to jump but spin the board around as you do
- Land in the starting position and stance as you continue to skim along the water
To learn more about what the correct position and stance are, jump straight to our beginner’s guide further down.
What Is a Pop Shuvit?
A pop shuvit on a skimboard is when you jump up and the board spins around underneath you while always remaining the correct way up (not like a skimboarding kickflip). The board spins a minimum of 180 degrees so that you can continue in a forward motion however it can spin any multiple of 180 degrees: 360, 540, and so on…
A pop shuvit means the board does a small ollie initiating the trick. It’s not completely an ollie but the skimboard gets a spring-like pop into the air as you jump and lift your knees up. This pop gives the board some air while spinning.
Shuvits are perfectly fine to do without the pop. In this case, the skimboard spins much closer to the ground and requires a less polished technique. You still need to initiate the same action of jumping and spinning your feet out though.
How To Do a Pop Shuvit in 7 Steps
Before we pop shuvit a skimboard in the water we must learn the pop shuvit on land. The good news is that we can practice this almost anywhere. The carpet in the house, in the garden, and on the sand at the beach are all perfect places to practice.
If you make a small mound of sand on the beach and put the skimboard on top of that as a little platform, it makes spinning the board easier. The action is to spin the boad as you jump and land back on the board as it completes its rotation.
The following steps will teach the shuvit and then the last few steps explain how to add a pop to your shuvit.
Step 1. Foot Position for Skimboard Shuvits
Place your front foot just in front of the middle of the skimboard (the lengthwise middle, not the widthwise middle).
Place your back foot about 2 to 10 inches (5- 25 cm) from the tail edge of the board. Eventually, for the ‘pop’, our foot needs to be closer to the tail.
Also, note the board spins faster (i.e. it is easier to spin the board faster) if your back foot is further up the board.
Step 2. Correct Stance for Skimboard Shuvits
A good stance is the foundation of most skimboarding tricks and a pop shuvit is no different. Once your feet are in position, your legs should act like the suspension springs on a truck. So we need to crouch a little so that when you jump you can get the maximum air and hang time.
We want to start, and land, in a good solid stance for our shuvit. Bend your knees and get low, but not too low. Probably half as low as needed for an ollie.
Use your arms for balance and maintain the correct posture in the run-up and landing.
Step 3. Jump and Spin the Skimboard
Jump and get the skimboard spinning by making a scissor motion with your feet. Take a step like you are walking. One foot goes forward and one goes back using the grip on our feet to influence the board into spinning.
For a left foot forward skimboarder (natural stance), we kick our front foot in front of our body and our back foot behind our body. This makes the board spin clockwise. For this shuvit, our back foot is the main creator of the spin. The front foot does not need to kick forward that much.
If the board is flying away in front of you, then you are likely kicking the front foot too much.
For the counterclockwise spin the foot motion is opposite and also the front foot kicks much more. How much more? This is trial and error!
Of course, all of this reverses for a right foot forward (goofy stance) skimboarder.
Step 4. Landing a Shuvit on a Skimboard
You’re jumping and spinning the board. Now you need to land back on the board in the same solid stance that you started with. Your board will not spin a perfect 180 degrees and then stop. So watch the board as it spins and be ready to adjust your feet and body to land nicely.
All of this landing adjustment happens very quickly and will come naturally if you maintain the correct stance.
Step 5. Adding The Pop
Now we’ve got the shuvit down, we can add in the pop. The pop is controlled with the back foot. Our back foot needs to be further back towards the tail to make it pop. This will mean that the skimboard naturally spins slower.
The pop comes from putting pressure on the ball and toes of our back foot. We do a pop motion, similar to an ollie, by pushing down and springing up with our back foot before doing the scissor flick.
The pop is easier in deeper water because the tail has more space to move down when you create the pop.
Step 6. Spin The Board in Both Directions
Try the shuvit in both directions. This will improve awareness of how much force is needed to spin the skimboard and also how the board itself spins.
Step 7. Practice and Repeat
As with all tricks, this will take some practice. Pop shuvits are relatively easy however the pop shuvit takes some practice to get the right amount of back foot pop.
How To Do a 360 Pop Shuvit
Before learning how to do a 360 pop shuvit on a skimboard you need to master the 180. Once you have done that you are halfway to completing the full 360.
Performing a 360 pop shuvit, (a “shuv 360” if you want to sound cool), is mostly the same as a normal 180 pop shuvit. Just twice the rotations.
The difference is that the scissor-kick action needs to be stronger and faster to make the board spin the full 360. It helps to have your back foot a little further up the board because it’s easier to spin the board faster.
However, the pop is harder to do with the back foot further up the board so there is a sweet spot that everyone must work out for themselves.
For a 360 pop shuvit, the front foot plays a bigger part in spinning the board. So if you’re having trouble spinning the board the full 360, try using more front foot kick.
Do You Need Air to Do a Pop Shuvit on A Skimboard?
Doing a pop shuvit on a skimboard does not need air. Generally, the ‘pop’ creates some air in this trick.
It’s common and looks cool, to do pop shuvits on flatland or beaches. Pop shuvits are not really done off ramps or waves because in those cases there is no need to pop. The ramp is giving you the air. This means it’s just called a shuvit.
You can still do a pop shuvit off ramps, but it may not be necessary to include the pop.
Is It Easier to Do a Skimboard Pop Shuvit in Deep or Shallow Water?
A pop shuvit on a skimboard is easier to land in shallow water but getting air is easier in slightly deeper water so which is easier?
The pop is easier and more effective in deeper water because the tail has more room to pop. The buoyancy effect of the water can also give a little boost to the pop.
However, it’s harder to land the pop shuvit in deeper water. Especially if the board doesn’t spin as nicely as we would hope. The only way to figure out what works for you is to try both until you find the sweet spot where popping a shuvit feels right.
We hope you found this guide on how to pop shuvit a skimboard helpful and you at least understand the method behind the spinning trick.
