... turning 180° in one move
The U-turn is about as extreme as it gets when changing direction. this comes in handy when there is no room for small intermediate steps, for example if your wheels are aligned on a narrow edge or just gripping onto ridiculous spots. There are 3 main approaches: pivoting on either the rear or the front wheel, or boosting a U-turn impulse with a pedal kick.
The rear wheel pivot approach will set you back a bike's length, whereas the front wheel pivot will require some landing spot in front of you. Now if you are balancing onto sharp edges and there is nothing around, your only option is a clean and sharp U-turn on the spot assisted by a brief pedal kick. In all these techniques, body weight shifting is key, with both brakes locked at all times (except for the pedal kick)
1° From a balanced position, lean over the bars, turned in the opposite direction
to the move, ready to push on your front wheel, away from its position.
2° Push yourself away from the bars and turn them to the other side
to build momentum with your shoulders, move your waist backwards at the same time.
3° Carry on the move by staying well balanced over the rear hub, so that you can spin on site
without being dragged sideways.
The body weight shifting will define the move entirely. On a smooth or slippery surface, you can keep
your rear brakes into a full stop and spin nicely.
See this move in a video
More tips?
Well, if you shift your body correctly, this moves comes effortlessly, especially if you are on slippery grounds.
You can stop the rotation with precision by leaning forwards and pushing the front wheel downwards.
After some practise, you'll be able to go full-turn or add some nice street-cred to your portfolio.
On grippy surfaces, the rear tire friction will tend to stop you
half-way through, but you can finish the turn by a slight pedal pressure (not a kick) while releasing the rear brake to let the tyre roll and
re-adjust to the new direction.
1° Start in balance with the bars pointing in the opposite direction to the turn, so that you can flick them and build momentum.
2° While turning the bars in one swift move, shift your weight forwards, right above the stem, following the rotation with your shoulders.
3° Once the rear wheel is lifted, keep your weight well above the front hub, so that you don't get dragged sideways during the rotation.
When the front wheel stops spinning (because of friction), try to push the rear wheel further by swinging the frame
with your legs while twisting your hips to follow the move.
See this move in a video
Balancing above the front hub.
Controlling the turn
You can stop the motion at any time and with precision by moving your body back over the rear wheel and nailing the rear tire down.
Now, there is a subtlety. Even with the brakes locked, the front wheel will still roll slightly (as you lift the rear wheel) and you need to
take your marks for that (especially on narrow edges). At the beginning, it helps to learn the move riding at a slow pace instead of starting
from a trackstand, but you will never get as much control, as the bike ends up dragging you, instead of you controlling the move. For a full turn
(no use in biketrials but "street-cred through the roof", according to Wing), you'll need to launch this
move in a light slope, going upwards (180° then facing the slope down) to finish with the rear wheel going down into the slope (you compensate
your lack of momentum by using gravity pulling your rear wheel back after the 180°).
U-turn on the spot or over a bridging gap
1° If you are bridging over a gap, make sure your rear hub is positioned over or has passed the rear edge on which your rear tire is gripping (to avoid an OTB when kicking). Lean forwards to pre-load the move.
2° With a quick push-up from the arms, eject yourself away from the front edge and spin the bars in the direction of your turn. Follow up by lifting the front wheel, give a slight pedal kick while extending in a spiral.
3° The kick sends you off the rear edge, but not over the gap. Keep your rotation momentum going, and readjust the bike in the opposite direction, past your body alignment, with a maximum twist of the waist.
Try both directions, as you may find that one is easier than the other.
See this move in a video
Fine tuning.
The pedal kick must just compensate for the backwards motion you would get when pivoting on the rear wheel,
not send you over the gap to back wheel. Depending on the final position you aim for, you can increase or decrease
the power you put into this kick. If you overdo it, you'll end up jumping over the bridging-gap with a
180° to backwheel. If you don't kick enough, you'll
end up a little bit offset backwards from your initial position like when pivoting on the rear wheel.
Turning right on the same spot is a bit more delicate since you must find the right kick pressure, and this will vary depending on the surface/edges gripping characteristics. If you are bridging over a crest, then you can still use that technique, but make sure you pull up the bike a lot more to overcome the height of the edge. The pedal kick must take place at the last moment, after extension, to avoid being stuck on the up-slope of the crest and go Over-The-Bars.
If you want more info about this move or would like to share your own experience and tips,
just type in your questions / comments in a 
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