Not to mention the mattress will absorb a lot of the shock of shorting front flips. You feet slamming the ground repeatedly like that can be brutal on the knees and the rest of the body. I say keep it.
But yes, blocking. Keep your approach jump as low as possible, but not too short. The higher your approach jump is, the more energy you fall with and the more energy you need to redirect back upward again when you explode up for the flip. Also remember to explode up with your whole body, don't swing down with your arms or torso. You can go up in an arcing motion, almost like a high dive roll. Tuck just at the peak of the jump. Land. Try not to over rotate.
