Preparing Your Body
Work with a partner. Make sure you have someone with you when you are practicing flips for the first time – serious injuries are very possible if things go wrong. They can also spot you, making the whole process easier. Just make sure they don't get hurt themselves. If the person you’re with is comfortable on a trampoline and knows what they’re doing, consider having them help launch and rotate you. They can place their arm near your back and help propel your feet over as you flip. Both you and your partner should be prepared for when you attempt. It is important to be prepared for when you will be rotating. If the person you’re with isn’t comfortable on the trampoline or you’re not comfortable with another person being on it while you flip, have them standing off to the side, ready to take action if need be.
Warm up on the trampoline. Stand directly in the center of the trampoline. Start by warming up on the trampoline to get your body ready for the challenge. Jump around, limber up your legs, and get a feel for the material underneath your feet and how it bounces. Do a few tuck jumps and straddle jumps to stretch you muscles. Some trampolines are a bit different than others. Make sure you're familiar with the one you're working up to a flip on and make doubly sure it doesn't have any weak spots. Falling through the trampoline is a very unsafe landing. Dynamic Warm-Up: Engage in a dynamic warm-up routine, including light jogging, jumping jacks, and leg swings, to increase blood flow and loosen your muscles. Stretching Exercises: Follow your warm-up with static stretches to improve flexibility. Concentrate on stretching your legs, back, and shoulders, as these areas are heavily involved in a backflip.
Do a backdrop. Once you’re warmed up, do a backdrop. This means falling on your back and bouncing right back up. To learn how, try doing a seat drop then go back. When you feel comfortable enough, try the backdrop and throwing your legs over, like a small, slow somersault and it is called a backdrop pull over. Try to do a backdrop, lifting your legs up and throwing the behind you, and then using the bounce back up to rotate behind you and onto your knees. This will get you used to the momentum of going backwards, which can be quite unnerving.
Working Up to a Backflip
Bounce. The bounce is the foundation of a successful backflip. Learning to control and utilize it effectively is crucial. Basic Bouncing Technique: Practice bouncing on the trampoline while maintaining proper body posture. Keep your knees slightly bent and your arms at your sides to establish balance. Controlled Bounce: Focus on controlling the height and rhythm of your bounce. Gradually increase the height of your jumps while maintaining stability.
Learn the tuck jump. The tuck jump is a fundamental skill that will help you prepare for the backflip. Tuck Position: While in the air, pull your knees toward your chest and grab them with your hands. Maintain a tight tuck position to rotate efficiently. Tuck Jump Practice: Practice tuck jumps to get comfortable with this position. Aim for a tight tuck and controlled landing on your feet.
Learn to spot. Spotting is a critical skill for maintaining orientation during a backflip. Identify a Focal Point: Choose a fixed point in the sky or on the trampoline's frame to focus on during the flip. This will help you maintain awareness of your surroundings. Practice Spotting: Practice bouncing while keeping your eyes on the chosen focal point. Get used to tracking it as you go up and down.
Do a “sideways” handspring over your shoulder. A backdrop is the basics of this move, only it lacks the momentum. Now aim for a back handspring that’s more off to the side – it’s much less scary. Here’s how to do it. Bend your arms at your elbows and imagine them going up and over your head, propelling you backwards and fully around into a full circle. This is the motion you need to keep throughout the jump. Look behind you. This will drive your body as your neck brings the rest of your body with it. It will also help you place your jump. Get a good bounce going and jump up straight. At the peak of your jump, propel yourself over your shoulder. Aim to land on your hands. At first, don’t worry about your landing. On your hands and then knees is fine.
Try a regular back handspring. Once you get the over-the-shoulder handspring down, do a full back handspring. Instead of looking over your shoulder, you’ll need to look up and behind you. Other than that, it's the same. Make sure to get plenty of air! If you propel yourself mainly backwards, you may fall off the edge of the trampoline. Start near the edge of the center, and aim to jump up and then around – not backwards. If you just throw your body back, you could seriously injure yourself.
Keep repeating this until you can land on your hands and feet. You’ll need one more push of momentum to get your feet on the same plane as your hands when you land. This power will come from your abs and hips – when you’re in the air, you’ll need to throw them into a fuller rotation. Remember: it’s the same as a handspring, but with your feet rotating a bit further around you. Tuck in your legs and arms to get more momentum. You know how when an ice skater wants to go faster, she pulls herself in? Do the same thing for your flip, making your surface area smaller. Trampoline to Back: Begin with a simple backward flip onto your back on the trampoline. Practice this until you feel comfortable with the motion. Adding Height: Gradually increase the height and intensity of your backflip practice, focusing on maintaining control.
Practice jumping higher and higher each time. While you're in the air, push as hard as you can and lean back and bend your knees. Look back like you're looking into the sky to find the trampoline. It is recommended that you clear a minimum of 6 feet for an adult to complete a backflip. You might over-spin initially, but that’s all right. Don't give up if you don't get it the first few times. It’ll come. You’ve got to trust yourself! Stop if you get frustrated; you can always pick it back up tomorrow. Practice makes perfect, and patience is a skill you can learn. You don't want to break your neck or tire yourself out, which could also lead to injury.
Consider incorporating a one-handed tuck. One-Handed Tuck Technique: During your backflip, release one hand from your knee tuck position and extend it outward while maintaining balance. Controlled One-Handed Tuck: Practice this move carefully, ensuring you maintain control and balance throughout the flip.
Land the backflip. It is just as crucial as the flip itself. Spotting the Landing: Focus on your chosen focal point during the flip to spot the trampoline mat for a precise landing. Knees to Chest: As you approach the landing, pull your knees back to your chest to prepare for a soft and controlled touchdown.
Continue to refine your backflip. Work on consistency and style. Repetition: Practice your backflip repeatedly to build muscle memory and improve your overall performance. Adding Flair: Experiment with variations, like different tuck positions or even a twist, to add flair to your backflip.
Completing the Challenge
Position yourself when you go for the jump and look backwards. To do this properly when you look backwards make sure you're not looking diagonal or to the side but straight to the back and make sure you can see the floor straight behind you. Be just a step or two away from center to give yourself a bit more room to land the jump. When you find the right place, your instincts will take over. Remember the upward and then over momentum. This combined with a big bounce will be the set up to a successful backflip.
Do a full backflip landing primarily on your feet. Use your hands to steady you (or possibly to protect your neck), but flip so that the majority of your weight is being carried by and lands on your feet. At this point, it’s a backflip! Just not a graceful one yet. For now, your aim is to get over your body, not to land it perfectly. Remember to use your arms to propel you up and then around – as long as you land and don’t hurt yourself, you’re doing it.
Get as much momentum as possible and land only on your feet. Start by landing on your hands and knees, move to your feet and hands, and then, finally, get to just your feet. To do this, you just need more momentum and a higher jump – and possibly positive thinking. If it makes you uncomfortable, don't force it. Give yourself time to get comfortable with each step. If it's difficult for you, find friends who can walk you through it (flip you?), watch videos, and read more tutorials on different techniques. No two people do it the exact same way (unless they're professionally trained) – someone else may have a theory that works well for you.
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