How to Master the One Foot Japan in THPS 3+4 (Double-Tap Secret)

Why This Guide? (My Struggles with One Foot Japan)

After dozens of hours skating through Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4, I hit a wall with the infamous One Foot Japan grab-specifically when tackling the Tower Poppin’ Transfer challenge on the Los Angeles level. This wasn’t your average trick. Even with years of muscle memory from past Tony Hawk games, the double-tap mechanic tripped me up-so I’ve written this guide to save you hours of frustration, streamline your inputs, and help you knock out those obscure trick challenges fast.

What Makes One Foot Japan Tricky?

The main difference here is that unlike most grabs, One Foot Japan isn’t just up-left + grab. If you tap grab once, you’ll just get the regular Japan grab. The game now requires a double-tap on the grab button, with precise timing and the right stick direction. If you’ve played previous THPS versions or are relying on muscle memory, this change is easy to miss-I struggled with it for days before digging through the tricks list and finally figuring out the trick’s input specifics.

• Double-tap needed: Most grab tricks use a single press—this one needs two quick taps.
• Timing matters: Too slow or too fast, and you get a different trick or nothing at all.
• Obscure by default: Unlike kickflips or indys, this one isn’t on your everyday rotation.

Step-by-Step: Performing the One Foot Japan

Step 1: Find Your Controls & Set Up Your Session

I play THPS 3+4 on PlayStation, but the inputs are similar across all platforms. First, confirm which button is mapped to “Grab” (usually O on PlayStation, B on Xbox, or Circle/default on PC).

• From the menu, go to Options → Controls to double-check your grab assignment.
• If you remap buttons, make sure you can comfortably double-tap the grab without missing jumps.

Step 2: Build Up Speed (Don’t Skip This!)

This is a step I used to rush—and it constantly led to failed attempts. For transfer-based challenges (like One Foot Japan the Tower Poppin’ Transfer), you need plenty of speed so you stay in the air long enough to both input and see the animation change. Cut corners and you’ll land mid-trick or bail.

• Hold your push button as you approach the ramp. Don’t be afraid to circle the map once for extra speed.
• Don’t manual into the ramp; straight-line speed is more reliable for these grabs.

Step 3: Approach the Lip/Jump and Start the Input Sequence

Your best shot is catching a vert ramp or a quarter pipe with enough air time to fit in the double-tap. Here’s what works for me:

• As you hit the up-slope of the ramp, immediately angle your stick or d-pad top left (diagonal up-left).
• Never wait until you’re in the air—I find starting the stick movement as you leave the lip gives a smoother trick input window.

Step 4: Double-Tap the Grab Button (Timing Is Everything!)

This is where hours of testing finally clicked. A quick, controlled double-tap—think: tap-tap, not mash or hold. If you tap too slowly, you’ll just get the standard Japan grab.

• Quickly double-tap O/B/Circle while continuing to hold the stick up-left.
• Release the grab after the animation starts, but before you land. Holding too long risks a bail if your timing is off, especially at low altitudes.

Tip: Do a “dry run” in Free Skate first. Practice hitting the input sequence until the ‘One Foot Japan’ text flashes in the trick tracker. Once I dialed in the timing, I could land this trick pretty reliably—usually within 2 or 3 attempts.

What If One Foot Japan Isn’t Registering?

Here’s what tripped me up the most, and what I wish I’d realized earlier:

• Did you tap the grab button twice, fast enough? Too slow = regular Japan.
• Correct direction held? Any other angle won’t trigger the trick, especially if you drift to pure up or pure left.
• Enough air? Without height, game cancels your input as you rush the landing animation.
• Check that you haven’t bound “Switch” or another command to the same button—or you’ll get inconsistent inputs.

I wasted a half hour thinking the game was glitched, but it was always a matter of my timing or direction input.

Special Case: One Foot Japan the Tower Poppin’ Transfer (Los Angeles)

This challenge was my real test, so here’s my actual route:

• Start on the raised platform ramp near the fountain for a clean line.
• Drop into the lower ramp, using your push for extra speed and angling for a straight approach.
• Hit the launch ramp and, at peak airtime, perform the double-tap One Foot Japan (Up-Left + Grab double-tap).
• If you’re missing the gap: try jumping a hair earlier or push longer before the jump to maximize speed.

Pro-tip: If you’re having trouble hitting the transfer but nail the trick, you can use revert or manual on landing to recover—just don’t stress perfect alignment at first. Get the trick timing down, then worry about landing the gap cleanly.

Common Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t Have To)

• Not double-tapping quickly enough (the usual culprit!)
• Forgetting to angle the stick exactly up-left (too vertical → no trick)
• Trying to combo too many moves in one air—start simple and chain later
• Bailing because I held grab after landing—in THPS 3+4, you only need to hold for the trick, not the landing

Advanced Tips & Alternative Approaches

Once you can hit One Foot Japan consistently, try these to speed up your challenge clears:

• Remap your grab button to a trigger if your thumb coordination is slow—this let me double-tap much faster.
• For transfers, favor bigger ramps with longer air time—the timing is much more forgiving.
• Combine with manual or revert right after for higher combo scores if required for goals or S-K-A-T-E lines.

Summary: What You’ll Unlock (and Remember)

Mastering One Foot Japan isn’t just a checklist item—it’s essential for 100% completion, and the double-tap timing will help with similar obscure tricks later (like Sack Tap or Airwalk variations). Expect each successful trick to take less than 10 seconds once you’re familiar, but plan on 10-20 minutes of solid practice before it feels natural. If I could nail it after a week of frustration, so can you—just double-tap with confidence.

Good luck, and see you on the leaderboard!