# Pop Vs Ollie off jumps



## Guest

Is it better to pop off a jump with both feet or ollie?
which gives you more balance in the air
And is it actually harder to hit bigger jumps or is it just scarier?
thanks


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## david_z

i usually pop. feel more balanced that way. but then, i feel waaaay more balanced if I do a grab rather than just straighty.

I wanted to hit some 50+ footers until I actually put myself on a mountain with 50+ footers. It's mostly psychological, but IMO big jumps are scarier, not necessarily more difficult. you have to go much faster to not knuckle the landing, and they're usually much steeper ramps, too. If the ramp is very steep and you're not used to it, it'll throw you funny and you'll be off balance.


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## Vlaze

I believe an ollie would work fine on a very small jump with slow speed. But generally speaking from what I've seen with the pros and do myself, I just pop off the lip of the jump. Basically you're compressing on the board getting ready for the launch then tucking up when you fly off for whatever move you're doing. 

If you attempt to ollie or jump on your own it will be a lot harder to balance and likely wind up in a crash. All decent speed to high speed moves I see off kickers involve the person just crouching down preparing and turning to initiate a 5, 7, 10, whatever or a grab. I don't see anyone trying to force an ollie or jump off the kicker itself unless their going quite slow.


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## PeterG

I pop off the jumps. Seems to keep more much more balanced. Bigger jumps are not really harder, you just have to take them a little faster and be commited to them.


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## Guest

So you just crouch low and get ready for the take off for straight airs and pop with both feet?
I might try the large this weekend haha


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## Hurl3y182

good topic because last year i thought i needed to ollie off everything, popping you have soooooooo much more control.
and its harder in the sense that you have to be stable in the air longer than you would on a smaller jump, but its mainly the fear factor.


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## seant46

Pop for sure, how would you spin and do an ollie it seems like it would be way to difficult?


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## c_mack9

ok im a total newb when it comes to jumps. whats popping compared to an ollie? pardon my ignorance.


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## david_z

popping is like jumping from flat base or from an edge, as opposed to ollie (from the tail) and nollie (from the nose).


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## Enigmatic

How about in the pipe? 

if its really vert just ride off the lip? if its less than vert do more of an ollie? 

I'm still at that stage where I'm not really coming out over the lip, just sort of carving, pumping, maybe stalling at the lip if I'm feelin it, and doing small airs below the lip by ollieing. I guess the 13-15 foot walls still scare me alot.

On the flip side, I'm pretty comfortable in the 5 foot mini pipe, can throw 3's, cab 3's, 270 stall 180 in, but obviously thats a lot smaller and less "extreme"

With the real pipe, I keep seeing this mental image of myself airing out, my board coming in too deep on the top of the lip, my board slamming into it, causing me to flip forward onto my head in the tranny...I think this image is holding me back lol...am I just trippin?


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## david_z

there's a reason I don't ride pipe. I think you listed about 8 of them


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## c_mack9

david_z said:


> popping is like jumping from flat base or from an edge, as opposed to ollie (from the tail) and nollie (from the nose).


good explanation, thank you sir.


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## Leo

I pop off of jumps. I do ollies off of natural features on slopes for fun though. I'm no expert so I usually fall a lot :laugh:

I do know that a lot of pipe riders ollie off the lips. Even in skateboarding. Tony Hawk used to be called a cheater for ollying off of half pipe lips to get bigger airs. Now everyone does it.

I don't think they olly when they start getting into bigger spins though. I can't imagine how they would olly if they are already initiating a spin before take off.


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## Guest

Leo said:


> I pop off of jumps. I do ollies off of natural features on slopes for fun though. I'm no expert so I usually fall a lot :laugh:
> 
> I do know that a lot of pipe riders ollie off the lips. Even in skateboarding. Tony Hawk used to be called a cheater for ollying off of half pipe lips to get bigger airs. Now everyone does it.
> 
> I don't think they olly when they start getting into bigger spins though. I can't imagine how they would olly if they are already initiating a spin before take off.


that would be so scary to ollie off the vert on a skateboard lol


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## Cool_As_Cakes

i agree that popping is generally the better of the two, especially for spins. i do feel, though, that ollie-ing works better for me on straight air grabs. i feel like i have more control as i head off of the lip.

ollie-ing for spins does give a different feel and dynamic than popping also because your weight is back. this puts spins a little off axis and looks pretty cool.

big jumps are really just about big, giant, brass balls. lol


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## Guest

Cool_As_Cakes said:


> i agree that popping is generally the better of the two, especially for spins. i do feel, though, that ollie-ing works better for me on straight air grabs. i feel like i have more control as i head off of the lip.
> 
> ollie-ing for spins does give a different feel and dynamic than popping also because your weight is back. this puts spins a little off axis and looks pretty cool.
> 
> *big jumps are really just about big, giant, brass balls. lol*


lol i have those


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## Vlaze

Cool_As_Cakes said:


> big jumps are really just about big, giant, brass balls. lol


I prefer titanium ones danke


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## Guest

Snowolf- Everytime you write something about how to do something i have to pull apart everything you say in sections and actually imagine myself performing the move. haha. Great advice for sure. You really break it down step by step. As for the pipe...next time I wonder into there Im gonna be thinking about this thread lol. Natural halfpipes :thumbsup: Killington halfpipe :thumbsdown:

I need more practice in the real one....


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## rasmasyean

Enigmatic said:


> How about in the pipe?
> 
> if its really vert just ride off the lip? if its less than vert do more of an ollie?
> 
> I'm still at that stage where I'm not really coming out over the lip, just sort of carving, pumping, maybe stalling at the lip if I'm feelin it, and doing small airs below the lip by ollieing. I guess the 13-15 foot walls still scare me alot.
> 
> On the flip side, I'm pretty comfortable in the 5 foot mini pipe, can throw 3's, cab 3's, 270 stall 180 in, but obviously thats a lot smaller and less "extreme"
> 
> With the real pipe, I keep seeing this mental image of myself airing out, my board coming in too deep on the top of the lip, my board slamming into it, causing me to flip forward onto my head in the tranny...I think this image is holding me back lol...am I just trippin?


Don't air out of the pipe when you first try it. It's not that hard to turn 180 when you're vertical. You don't have to pop or ollie like you do on a ground butter trick. But start small. It's usually icy and I smashed my goggles once slamming on my face. If it wasn't for the helmet, I prolly woulda broke my nose too. And I only wen't maybe 3/4 up the wall. It's the scariest and most dangerous ramp imho. But the good thing about it is that you don't have to commit to it all the way like a large jump. Make sure your edges are sharp just in case. I've seen pipes that are so icy that no one goes on them. But it's prolly because before they got that way, someone got hurt.


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## Soggysnow

david_z said:


> there's a reason I don't ride pipe. I think you listed about 8 of them



Haha

I enjoy the pipe as a beginner, but grow fear of heights is always there...


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## Tech420

Soggysnow said:


> Haha
> 
> I enjoy the pipe as a beginner, but grow fear of heights is always there...


You did a 3 year grave dig for that?


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## Enigmatic

haha I'm gonna dedicate a full day of pipe riding in honor of this thread and last night's super pipe.. thanks for digging this out of oblivion


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## Jed

(edit - Wtf, I just realized SoggySnow bumped this thread from 3 years ago.)

*1) Almost always aim to pop off jumps*

In general, you should only be using ollie for flat surfaces and roller type features because pop is a lot more stable.

You can still get lots of air with a good pop, especially on backside spins.

*2) Bigger jumps are the same difficulty (sometimes easier)*

The only danger of bigger jumps is that getting the speed right is more important and you need to have enough control to be good at popping/controlling pressure because bigger jumps sometimes mean more force on you as you ride up the take-off.

Bigger jumps are actually nicer to hit once you have the speed dialled and know how to control pressure/pop properly. They're typically better maintained and the take-off/landings stay in better shape since it's only advanced riders that tend to be hitting the bigger jumps.


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## Soggysnow

Tech420 said:


> You did a 3 year grave dig for that?


If you happened to have scrolled over my own thread, it might make more sense. I was doing my own researching freestyle technique in general. Came up in a google search. 


What difference does it make how old a thread is, if someone finds it helpful. its better than making duplicates over and over. I read through the whole thread, one post made me laugh. Big deal.


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## bmaniga

Okay this looks like a good place to ask for clarity. What about park features like rails. Since I've only hit ride on rails or features that require the smallest of pop to get on I haven't had to attempt to ollie on just yet. So do you guys pop up of the set up ramp provided in the park or ollie onto rails that are say 6"< x < 24"?:dunno:


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## Casual

Depends... If you can get on with pop and that keeps you balanced then pop. If you need to get more height to get on a rail you might need an ollie. Personally I come from a skateboarding background so I can ollie really high and it sets me up with better balance on the rail, if I pop I'm more likely to clip the rail.


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## sheepstealer

I like this thread. Interesting stuff.

Alright so here's a question for you...how does one/what does it mean to "pop off your tail"? Is that just another phrase for ollie?

Reason I ask is because a friend of mine (who's a bit better at spins/big jumps) was giving me tips on how to spin faster. I can get 540s fine, but for some reason have a tough time spinning into a 7 and beyond. He said I needed to "pop off the tail". It was said in passing so I didn't get to question him any more but...any ideas?

Sorry for the slight topic change, but I thought it was relevant.


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## Jed

sheepstealer said:


> I like this thread. Interesting stuff.
> 
> Alright so here's a question for you...how does one/what does it mean to "pop off your tail"? Is that just another phrase for ollie?
> 
> Reason I ask is because a friend of mine (who's a bit better at spins/big jumps) was giving me tips on how to spin faster. I can get 540s fine, but for some reason have a tough time spinning into a 7 and beyond. He said I needed to "pop off the tail". It was said in passing so I didn't get to question him any more but...any ideas?
> 
> Sorry for the slight topic change, but I thought it was relevant.


Honesty, your friend's advice doesn't really make much sense.

540 spins are exactly the same technique as 720s except you pre-wind and release the spin a little harder to get that extra rotation.


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## Engage_mike

NyInfamous'Girl said:


> Snowolf- Everytime you write something about how to do something i have to pull apart everything you say in sections and actually imagine myself performing the move. haha. Great advice for sure. You really break it down step by step. As for the pipe...next time I wonder into there Im gonna be thinking about this thread lol. Natural halfpipes :thumbsup: Killington halfpipe :thumbsdown:
> 
> I need more practice in the real one....


Everytime I'm on this Forum and I read a snowwolf topic I tend to tell myself everytime...I NEED A PRIVATE LESSON!!  but I don't see myself ever making it up to washington is it? I had a group lesson 4 years back when I started and the guy wasn't half as descriptive nor did he seem to beable to talk to people correctly...thus SNOW WOLF VIDEOs...Thanks for those at the same time..all the how to threads..especially the thread by "Master Shake" about squaring your body down the mountain...wish I read up on that one before i went this past year as I am a total rudder footing dude...need to fix that QUICK! :dizzy:


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## sheepstealer

Jed said:


> Honesty, your friend's advice doesn't really make much sense.
> 
> 540 spins are exactly the same technique as 720s except you pre-wind and release the spin a little harder to get that extra rotation.


That's what I figured originally. I'll be having words with my friend. He seemed to think that the only way to spin faster was to cork it by "popping off the tail" (which I'm still confused about). Hm.


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## david_z

On bigger spins (definitely 9+ but maybe also on 7s) it's pretty easy to get corked accidentally if you're not using good technique you could end up sideways when you don't want to be.


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## Jed

sheepstealer said:


> That's what I figured originally. I'll be having words with my friend. He seemed to think that the only way to spin faster was to cork it by "popping off the tail" (which I'm still confused about). Hm.


Well basically corking can make certain rotations easier to do because of how easy it is to huck into an off axis spin.

For example, I can huck my lead shoulder towards my back foot off a medium sized 30-40 foot jump and end up in an attempted double cork 1080 spin if I do that movement hard. No carving needed, just literally throwing my shoulder in a specific direction while riding straight off the jump.

There's a lot less worrying about carving and other things used in non-corked spins if you're corking using this method. It basically becomes an exercise in aerial awareness and hucking your shoulder/body in a certain direction as you ride off the jump.

However, the problem is if you start relying on corking to get bigger rotations, you'll start to rely on that cork technique to generate spin instead of advancing your basic spin technique, and it can leave serious gaps in your freestyle ability later.

Definitely a much better idea to learn spins without corking first, then later learn to add off-axis rotations for some flair/style.

Spin technique is one of the most important skills to master in park riding and you definitely don't want to skip progressing it properly.


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## john doe

Leo said:


> I pop off of jumps. I do ollies off of natural features on slopes for fun though. I'm no expert so I usually fall a lot :laugh:
> 
> I do know that a lot of pipe riders ollie off the lips. Even in skateboarding. Tony Hawk used to be called a cheater for ollying off of half pipe lips to get bigger airs. Now everyone does it.
> 
> I don't think they olly when they start getting into bigger spins though. I can't imagine how they would olly if they are already initiating a spin before take off.


In skateboard vert the ollie they do is about getting the board into their hands for the grab so the board doesn't fly away. It won't give you any extra height. Anything that gives you height while flat (popping/ollie) will push you away from the coping/edge on a vert and you drop to flat. Having done it at a concrete park while messing around on an oververt, it sucks.


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## kosmoz

Didn't want to make a new threat so here we go.

I always liked to bomb hill, carving, high speed, powder, always in control, but I'm total noob in park and kickers. BA in his website always speaks about boards ability or inability to boost of the lip of the kicker. How to do and feel that? With pop or ollie or sth different? 

I mainly ask on this because 1. i want to learn proper technique, so next season wouldn't end with sth broken, like my last one did. 2 to do that I need to be in control. I remember myself just picking the right speed, approach straight and be compact, don't remember trying po pop or ollie of the lip, but will do that next season, at least try to do that.


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## Bertieman

Am I the only person who has taken a freestyle lesson and was told to not pop or ollie when going off a jump? This was mainly for grabs. The instructor said the only time he pops/ollies is when he doesn't have enough speed. Or do you have to pop when starting 3s and other spins?


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## Big Foot

Bertieman said:


> Am I the only person who has taken a freestyle lesson and was told to not pop or ollie when going off a jump? This was mainly for grabs. The instructor said the only time he pops/ollies is when he doesn't have enough speed. Or do you have to pop when starting 3s and other spins?


If I'm hitting a big jump I don't pop or ollie. I just let the lip at the end up the jump do it's thing and send me flying. Smaller jumps I'll pop to get some extra air, and I ollie off rollers just because it's fun.

I'm by no means an authority on jumps, and don't spend much time in the park though, so my take on it really doesn't hold any value.


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## Bertieman

Big Foot said:


> If I'm hitting a big jump I don't pop or ollie. I just let the lip at the end up the jump do it's thing and send me flying. Smaller jumps I'll pop to get some extra air, and I ollie off rollers just because it's fun.
> 
> I'm by no means an authority on jumps, and don't spend much time in the park though, so my take on it really doesn't hold any value.


That's good information though. I got comfortable on 10 ish ft jumps and never popped or ollied. I tried a 15 ft ish a few times and that was pretty nuts for myself. I'll keep those tips in mind for this upcoming winter.


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