How to do a 360 on a BMX: the full spin, step by step

If your 180 already works on flat ground most of the time, the 360 is the next spin: the full turn, landing forwards. It is not a new trick, it is the same move with more of everything: more speed, more hop and, above all, eyes that do not stop halfway round.

Before you start: what you need first

• A consistent flat-ground 180. “Sometimes” is not enough: to spin twice as far, the half turn has to be automatic, landing and fakie exit included, without thinking. If you still put a foot down on many 180s, your 360 will stall at 270° every time.
• A high bunny hop with your legs tucked. The full turn needs airtime; on flat ground that time comes from the hop. Practise bunny hops really pulling your knees up, not just yanking the bars.
• Comfort rolling out of a ramp or bank. The normal progression starts there: the ramp’s lift gives you the airtime you have to manufacture yourself on flat ground.

Safety and spot

• A helmet always, and shin pads strongly recommended: short attempts end with the bike twisted and the pedals near your shins. The BMX protective gear guide covers the rest.
• Start on the flyout of a gentle bank or a ramp with a wide, clear landing, with nobody waiting right at the bottom. If you practise in a shared park, read the skatepark and track etiquette.
• Check your steering before every session: stem and bars properly tight. A 360 works the front end far harder than a 180.

The progression: ramp help first

The order that works is this: 180 out of the ramp, then “270 and keep going”, and finally the full turn. On the ramp, roll in a little faster than your flat 180, make the same move (wind up, bunny hop, turn head and shoulders) and keep looking over your shoulder: when you see the landing, your body has completed almost the whole spin. Land on both wheels together and keep rolling forwards.

The flat-ground 360, step by step

1. Roll in faster than for the 180, in the attack position with cranks level. A full turn on flat ground needs momentum: too slow and the spin dies before it closes.
2. Carve a gentle S: just before you jump, trace a small curve first to the opposite side and then into your spinning side, a short “S” on the ground. That sway loads the spin and puts the bike on a curving path already.
3. Wind up harder than in the 180: turn your head, shoulders and hips the opposite way with more commitment; the margin you load here is the one you will miss at the end if you stall at 270°.
4. Take off with your highest bunny hop and turn your head and shoulders towards your natural side (the same as your 180). Tuck your legs to give the spin time and height.
5. Do not stop your eyes at the 180: this is THE step of the trick. Keep turning your head over your shoulder until you see the ground in front of you; by about 270° you should already be looking at the landing. The bike goes where your eyes go: stop them and the spin stops with them.
6. Land on both wheels together, arms and legs bent and absorbing, and keep rolling forwards. No fakie: if the spin closed, you land travelling in your original direction.

Honest expectations: for many sessions you will land at 270° and ride out with a rear-wheel pivot or a foot down. That is the normal progression, and in fact the repeated “nearly 360” is how your body learns how hard it has to push. Count it as progress every attempt where your eyes make it all the way round even if the bike does not yet.

Common mistakes when learning the 360

• Stopping your head at the 180: the number one mistake. Your eyes used to look for the ground halfway round in the 180; here they have to keep going until the circle closes.
• Not enough hop: without height there is no airtime and the spin closes against the ground. Before more speed, get more bunny hop.
• Leaning back on take-off: the front wheel drops early and the spin stalls. Keep your weight centred and your chest over the bars as you leave the ground.
• Wanting it on flat before the ramp: the ramp is not cheating, it is the natural order. The flat one comes once the move is automatic with help.
• Opening up too early: straightening your body mid-spin to “see what happens” kills all the rotation. Commit until you see the landing.

Find a skatepark with a gentle bank in the directory to practise the progression with room.

What comes next

• The 360 on ramps and quarters: the same move with the big flyout; it comes once the bank version is automatic.
• The opposite 360: spinning to your unnatural side. It is almost a fresh learning process, and one for much further down the road.
• Linking it into lines: a clean flat 360 fits any street or park line and is the base later combinations are built on.

Frequently asked questions