Evolutionary Athletics

The backflip is a whore. It’s appealing until you find out how easy it is to take advantage of. And if you’re dilligent, the whole “taking advantage of” gig won’t take longer than thirty minutes of solid practice time.

You don’t need a massive vertical jump. You don’t need freak strength. You just need technical knowledge, friends, and cojones. So take some action. Your path to superhuman awaits.

Before you think about flipping end over end, have a mental plan. Know the technical aspects of the backflip. Study this tutorial from Jujimufu. Understand the move from every angle possible.

It isn’t about jumping backwards, I can tell you that. Don’t do that unless you’re looking for a disability check in the mail.

Memorize the form and  visualize yourself performing it perfectly.

Find two able body friends. Disinterested Mothers and Fathers aren’t ideal.Not only aren’t they the strongest candidates, but they also aren’t big fans of perceived potential neck breaking activities. (Even though the backflip is rather safe, especially when using this technique.)

So get two people that are strong enough to carry you. And the teach them how to backflip. Force them to read the tutorial. Discuss it over coffee. They are your safe net. It’s your responsibility to get people you know and trust to help you do this safely.

With backflips there’s no prerequisite fear abolisher. It’s kind of a “just do it” moment.

Using a spotter is a great idea. But even then, you still have to muster the courage to chuck the flip. Luckily, I have a fool proof method that will have you flipping within a half hour using your two volunteer friends. They take fear out of the move completely, which is why this technique is so effective.

The spotters will be on each of your sides—one to the left, one to the right. They are going to put one hand on your lower back, and the other on your hamstrings. From here, they are going to lift you up so that your legs are off the ground. It’s going to look like you’re sitting in an invisible chair. None of your body will be touching the ground. This is why you need strong spotters.

Your job, at this point, is to extend your hands above your head. Your spotters are going to lean you back so that your hands touch the ground, and once they do, they will throw your legs over your head. This basically is an extremely spotted back handspring, but it gets you familiar with the feeling of going backwards. Repeat this process until you’re comfortable with how it feels. It shouldn’t be “scary” at all.

involves adding a small dip and jump under your own power. The spotters will still be latched onto your lower back and hamstrings at all times. But instead of them picking you up and tossing you, you’re going to provide a little leg push off of the ground. They’ll still end up supporting you in mid air and tossing your legs over your head. You can have your arms near your head during the entire movement to support against the ground if needed.

is the same except you want to use a little more leg, and you want to swing your arms down and up on the jump (unlike last step, which was all leg power). Your spotters will be cradling you the entire time, so there’s no need to be afraid. What’s different about this step is that you’re actually going to use your arms a bit to help you jump, and you don’t want them to contact the ground. After you swing them for the jump, you can keep them near your head for your own personal peace of mind, but you’ll soon realize that you’re not coming anywhere near landing on your head.

The reason why you need to abandon your arms is because, at some point, you have to learn how to jump up and not back. Using your hands for protection at first is fine because it helps you with the fear, but the backflip is a jump up in the air. We don’t want to cross our wires.

is the same only you’re going to use more jump and more arm swing on the takeoff. Focus on jumping up in the air and actually tucking your legs to your chest on the flip. Don’t use, or even think about using, your hands for support. Don’t use them for “protection.” Your head isn’t going to hit the ground, especially if you’re spotters were good enough to make it this far. Swing them down and swing them up on the jump. Bring them back to help tuck your knees to your chest.

, the spotters will remain in the same place—supporting your lower back and hamstrings. But by now they shouldn’t be doing anything but flipping your legs over your head after you initiate the jump and flip. Their hands will remain in place, but only for your peace of mind. So during this step you really want to focus on doing the flip yourself. Dip and swing your arms down (you might hit your spotters arms that are on your hamstrings; warn them that it will happen, but it’s won’t affect anything), and jump up in the air. You should be landing your flip, and your friends should be helping you less and less.

your friends shouldn’t be helping at all from a physical standpoint. Their arms are only giving you the mental edge you need to complete the move. They are spotting you, but they are only there in case you decide to bail. Groove some backflips, and when you stick them consistently, have your spotters remove the constant contact on your hamstrings. The lower back will still be supported at all times.

This isn’t to say that your spotters shouldn’t help flip your legs over if needed, but the main goal of this stage is to remove one of the physical contacts so you get used to performing the move unassisted.

remove one spotter. The last remaining spotter will keep contact on your lower back throughout the movement. The other spotter will be there, but they will have no body contact and should only help if needed.

, both spotters will spot, but neither will have any pre-takeoff contact.

, remove one spotter completely. Now, only one spotter will be there on whichever side is most comfortable. They shouldn’t have any contact until you’ve begun the flip.

, remove both spotters. You are now free.

What’s good about this method is that there’s something comforting and calming about feeling lower back support before you initiate the jump. It’s a huge safe net that mentally signifies that someone will be there to catch you. And with two people, it makes the move that much safer.