Difference Between a Pressure Flip and a Hard Flip

Pressure Flip vs Hard Flip

Pressure flip and hard flip are two types of skateboarding or flip tricks. As these two types of tricks are associated with skateboarding, they are usually performed with a skateboard with a variation on the skateboarder’s actions to perform both tricks. Both tricks require agility, balance, and movement precision.

The starting position for both tricks is having one foot at one end of the board and one foot at the front of the board. In landing, both feet are expected to be on the board after the flip.

Another common denominator of both flip tricks is that they are considered basics. Many variations of these tricks have been developed and performed in many events.

In a pressure flip, the skateboarder applies pressure (by using one foot) to the back of the board to make the board flip. Pressure is usually applied by the back foot on the rear side of the skateboard. If the pressure is applied by the front foot and released by the back foot, it is still a pressure flip but it also considered a nollie. Depending on the location where the pressure is applied (either heel side or toe side), one can perform a variation of the pressure flip.

The flip of the skateboard is not a result of a pop. A pressure flip can result in flipping the skateboard in any direction or doing varial flips.

At one glance, a pressure flip can look like a hard flip among many other forms of trick flips.  Some of the variations of this flip trick are: pressure varial kickflip, pressure varial heelflip, 360 pressure inward heel flip, and 360 thunder flip.
On the other hand, a hard flip looks almost the same as a pressure flip. However, a hard flip is actually a combination of a front side pop shove and a kick flip. A hard flip can also be described as a hard varial kickflip. This trick is attributed to Rodney Mullen.

Like a pressure flip, the position of the feet in a hard flip is the same. The back foot is used for the pop position while the front foot enables the skateboarder to make the kick position. Unlike the pressure flip, the hard flip is performed with a pop with the back foot performing the pop position.

In addition, most hard flips are performed to rotate at 180 degrees. A variation of the hard flip can make the flip turn 360 degrees. In performing the hard flip, there is a trademark, the illusion flip. The illusion flip is the perception where the skateboard seems to flip between the skater’s legs instead of flipping under the flip.

Its variations include the fakie hard flip trick, pressure hard flip trick, and the 360 hard flip.

Summary:

1. Both the pressure flip and flip trick are two types of flip tricks (or skateboarding tricks) that are popular with skateboarders. Both tricks are considered basic or “old school” flip tricks.
2. A pressure flip is a trick that can be made into a variation, but it is simple in its essence. On the other hand, a hard flip is a basic trick but is also a combination of the front side pop shove and kick flips.
3. A pressure flip is a basic flip trick which involves applying pressure to the back end of the board with the back foot. The front foot in a pressure flip does not do anything. On the other hand, the hard flip makes use of both feet. The back foot does the pop while the front foot makes the kick position.
4. A pressure flip does not include a pop in its execution while a hard flip requires a pop.

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