4 steps to perform a backflip on the ground safely

Coming from gymnastics, the backward somersault from the ground is quite impressive and not always easy to perform.

It can also be dangerous and cause serious injury if the figure is not well controlled.

It is therefore essential to follow the learning technique step by step and not to overlook safety.

Perform a backflip correctly in 4 steps

Before you jump in, you need to understand the mechanics of the backflip.

Here are the 4 steps to a successful backflip:

1/ Preparing for the jump

1. Begin with feet hip-width apart, on demi-pointes, with arms extended overhead.
2. Look straight ahead keeping your back straight.
3. Bend over your knees resting your heels on the ground and place your arms still straight towards your knees.

To have a good impulse, it is necessary to find the optimal flexion: neither the knees too bent, nor too tense, as well as a good synchronization of the arms and the legs.

2/ The extension jump

1. To generate a maximum power before the famous jump, pass your arms backwards as far as possible while keeping them stretched.
2. Jump vertically in the air with a very slight backward angle while positioning your arms straight at the ears.
3. Keep your gaze in front and your back as straight as possible while remaining sheathed.
4. The higher the jump above the ground, the more time you will have to turn.

To give height, it is essential to be well sheathed.

3/ The grouped movement

1. Bend your knees towards your chest to create the force needed for the turn.
2. Wrap your knees with your arms once morest your chest.
3. The more you are in a ball, the faster you will spin.

Be careful, it is the knees that must join the chest, and not the other way around.

4/ The backward rotation

Last step: launch and turn!

1. After you complete a U-turn, look down to where you’re going to land.
2. Once this is the case, straighten the legs, cushion by bending the knees and straighten the bust.

It’s important to keep your knees slightly bent and your feet flat to absorb the shock of landing and not hurt your joints.

7 tips to avoid injury while learning to backflip

The movement of the backward salto remains quite dangerous if it is badly executed.

Follow these tips to avoid injury:

1. Do not send the arms or the head backwards. These movements are incorrect and you might injure yourself. So keep head aligned with back during the whole realization of the backflip.
2. stay focused throughout the execution of the backflip to avoid landing on your head and seriously injuring yourself.
3. When landing, to prevent your legs from giving way under your weight, land hard and contract the muscles of your legs firmly by squeezing them once morest each other.
4. You may land on your hands and knees at the start of your practice. It’s normal ! Training will allow you to acquire the right movement.
5. The ideal is to train in pairs or even better with a qualified instructor to limit the risk of injury. The second person can guide you by placing one hand behind your back and another behind your thighs to help you feel safe during the backflip.
6. Use a mat to cushion falls. You can also train on a soft surface like grass.
7. Warm up properly before training. Doing somersaults is very taxing and you can quickly injure yourself or strain a muscle. Beyond the general warm-up, pay particular attention to the ankles, at the wrists as well as the neck.

Overcome your apprehension of falling backwards

The steps seem simple to perform, but it is not always easy to overcome the apprehension of the backflip.

The most difficult thing is not the rotation itselfbut the fact of throwing oneself backwards.

Even if the body has to be rotated 360° above the ground, as soon as the 180° are passed, there is no longer the risk of crashing to the ground head first.

So you have to learn to throw yourself back.

First, simply drop backwards onto a soft surface like a mattress, with your hands crossed over your chest.

Once you feel confident, try dropping from a little higher.

Then you can push up a littlet then dropping backwards.

Also feel free to do mental visualization to properly represent the movement before performing the backflip.

And to gradually overcome your apprehension and better understand this movement, follow the exercises below which will prepare you for it.

4 exercises to practice the back somersault

Here are several exercises to help you succeed in the backflip:

1/ Practice jumping high

To perform a backflip, you must have a good vertical leap.

Indeed, the higher you jump, the more time you will have to turn in the air.

So you have to practice jumping as high as possible.

How to jump high?

Bend over your legs, unroll your feet and use your arms to gain maximum momentum.

Then try to jump vertically as high as possible, with only a very small angle backwards, without throwing the head backwards.

If you can safely jump over a waist-high element, that’s a good start for what’s next.

2/ Do somersaults backwards

Check that you drive in a straight linewithout deflecting to the side.

Once you do, you’ve already learned the right backward spinning motion and you should feel more comfortable with the notion of spinning.

3/ Train with a pull-up bar

Practicing with a pull-up bar will allow you to feel the backward rotational movement that you will achieve during the backflip.

Jump to recover the pull-up bar, then continuing the movement, bring your knees as close as possible to your chest, keeping your head straight.

If you feel, keep turning, let go of the bar and land squeezing and contracting the legs.

4/ Perform back somersaults on a trampoline

Start on a trampoline is a good idea to gain confidence and overcome his fear.

Avoid small individual trampolines and prefer trampolines present in sports facilities.

Jump several times vertically and rotate backwards when you are at your highest point.

You will have more time to prepare for the landing than if you start from the ground.

The trampoline will cushion the fall, so you have little risk of injury.

If you’re comfortable, move on to the next step: perform the somersault from the trampoline.

Conclusion

The exercises and preparation steps for the back somersault are essential to perform the movement correctly, gain confidence and avoid injury.

Don’t ignore safety, a fall on the head can happen quickly and have serious consequences!

And then once you master the movement, have fun!

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sport-cat-date-updated">Updated by Camille on:09/02/2023

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