Mechanics · The rotation
The rotation is the second phase of the backflip: you've already initiated the rotation on your set, the phase before this one, and now you're performing the full spin over your head and coming down back to your feet. It's the part where you go backwards blindly, so it's a little bit scary. If you want to understand why the spin happens the way it does, or you can set but the spin over your head is the part that scares you, I want to give you the one idea that speeds the rotation up, and then show you how to train it without doing the actual backflip itself.
In the video
- The rotation is the second phase: the full spin over your head after your set
- The tuck — pulling your knees to your chest — over or under, and why under helps weak hip flexors
- Knees to chest, not chest to knees: the drill I want you to do lying on your back
- Hanging leg raises to strengthen the muscles that pull your knees in (your hip flexors)
- Pulling yourself backwards over your head on rings (skin the cat): look for the ground as you come over, let go earlier each time
- Rolling off your bed: slow and lying down first (really slow tips you over one side), a little faster each attempt, then fast from sitting
- Working with the fear; soft blocks and the friend variation
- The yoga ball roll to finish
What I want you to take from it
- Pull your knees to your chest, not your chest to your knees. That's how you speed up the rotation, and it's all in the hip flexors, the muscles at the front of your hips that pull your knees in.
- Lie on your back and pull your knees in so aggressively that it rolls you over your head. The more aggressively you can do this, the better.
- Strengthen those muscles with leg raises, ideally hanging from a bar or a tree branch: start fully extended and pull your knees into your chest. If you can do it with straight legs and touch the bar above you, even better.
- Learn skin the cat: on rings you can reach while standing, jump and pull yourself backwards through and over your head, then come down. You hold yourself the whole time, so focus on the rotation, spot the ground as you come over, and let go as soon as you see it. Then work towards letting go earlier and earlier; you're training the spotting and the landing too: absorbing the impact as you come down back to your feet.
- Roll backwards off your bed, or soft blocks at a gym, or a friend's shoulders, with your shoulders and head hanging over the edge. Start slow and lying down: if you go really slow it'll probably send you over one side first; doing it faster makes you go straight over, so make each attempt a little bit faster. Build up to sending it as fast as possible from a sitting position, once you've found the right position.
Before you try this
Set yourself up to make this as safe as possible. When I roll off my bed I have a bit of a ledge, so I stay mindful of it and put a blanket down to soften it up as much as I possibly can.
Start nice and slow. Reach your hands far out first, just to make sure you don't fall on your head, and only then start bringing your legs towards the floor.
Make each attempt only a little bit faster than the last. When you move to sitting, make sure you find the right position first, shoulders and head over the edge, and only then send it as fast as possible. Even then, stay mindful of your surroundings and don't hit your head on anything.
If your gym has soft blocks, use those instead of a bed. They're much better.
If you use a friend, sit at least on the back of their shoulders, so that when you lean back your head and shoulders come off the edge. Keep your arms above your head to stop yourself from falling on your face.
On skin the cat, if it's too difficult, get the rings a bit lower and start lower. Letting go earlier might take some time; don't rush it.
These rotating moves send you backwards blindly, so always practice on a soft surface with someone watching over.
I run every one of these drills band by band on the First Flip Trainer in the full progression.