Topic: Front Flip Confusion??

[Astrauk]

Before I begin, I know there's already a ton of topics on how to front flip, I'm just kinda confused.  So I've watched a bunch of tutorials on how to front flip and I've come across two different techniques and I don't know which one is right.  So either you swing your arms up to get jump height then swing them down to flip, or you star with your arms bent and hands behind your head and throw them forward into a flip.  Which is the right way to do it?  Thanks

[Jordan Strybos]

It's really up to you. Both techniques have been proven to work fine, it's just a matter of preference. The first technique will get you higher, but will result in a slower rotation because your arms coming down counteracts the first movement (them swinging up). The second technique will not get you as high in the air, but it is the best way to complete the rotation quickly. What I was told for the second method is that you should imagine yourself throwing-in a soccer ball, and that's the sort of motion that you want with your hands (because you don't want to throw them down; then you will be throwing your body into the ground). I would recommend, granted that you have some form of soft padding to try it on, that you try both techniques and see which one feels more comfortable for you. Good luck!

[Astrauk]

Ok cool thanks.  I've been practicing both on a big trampoline I have and I came to the same conclusions (that the first one gets you higher but the second one makes you spin faster.  I'll keep practicing both.

[Adam McC]

I tend to naturally take a middleground between the two techniques you're describing. Rather than throwing my arms down, or swinging them up, I shoot them straight out. Imagine you were doing a dive into a pool. Superman style. I get the full extension and reach from the extension of my arms, which assists my legs pushing me in the direction I'm going, whether its up for height or out for distance. Getting that nice extension in your flip is vital. The more you extend, the swifter your rotation will be, if you tuck well. For the tuck, from there, I allow my arms to circle from a 'superman' position town towards my shins. It's kind of like dunking a basketball in a really high hoop. Reach, then dunk down. See how that feels for you! It works great for me.

[Jordan Strybos]

Ok cool thanks.  I've been practicing both on a big trampoline I have and I came to the same conclusions (that the first one gets you higher but the second one makes you spin faster).  I'll keep practicing both.

Yeah, Adam pretty much summed up what I was going to say back; the ideal is the happy medium between both styles. However, if you can practice it off of a trampoline, that would help as well (i.e. if you have an old mattress or futon to set on the grass and use as a pad). Practicing tricks on a trampoline isn't terrible in that it helps you get the feeling of the rotation and helps you with proprioception and spatial awareness in general, but at the same time, you definitely do not want to get dependent on the spring of a trampoline. Try to get some way of working on the solid ground (soft grass) so that lack of height doesn't turn into a problem.

[Grip]

I like keeping your arms bent behind your head, jump while throwing your arms up as high as you can, THEN throw your arms down and tuck into a tiny ball like sonic the hedge hog, then you will rotate soooooo fast that you will be able to easily over rotate the filp, you have to get used to it to know when to open up and land.

[Astrauk]

Yeah, Adam pretty much summed up what I was going to say back; the ideal is the happy medium between both styles. However, if you can practice it off of a trampoline, that would help as well (i.e. if you have an old mattress or futon to set on the grass and use as a pad). Practicing tricks on a trampoline isn't terrible in that it helps you get the feeling of the rotation and helps you with proprioception and spatial awareness in general, but at the same time, you definitely do not want to get dependent on the spring of a trampoline. Try to get some way of working on the solid ground (soft grass) so that lack of height doesn't turn into a problem.

Yeah, I found some blankets and stuff that I put on the ground to practice flips on the ground.  I practiced like all day on the ground, and I'm going to continue to practice so hopefully I can get my front flip on the ground before winter comes.

[Jordan Strybos]

Yeah, I found some blankets and stuff that I put on the ground to practice flips on the ground.  I practiced like all day on the ground, and I'm going to continue to practice so hopefully I can get my front flip on the ground before winter comes.

Cool man, good luck, and if all else fails, give it a try into the snow (it's great padding)! Be sure to keep us posted on how progress

[Astrauk]

That was actually my first thought when I was thinking of how I would be able to practice them in the winter

[Heck]

I imagine that throwing your arms down from behind your head would work well if you can do some good blocking  

[Astrauk]

Just a progress update, I've been practicing almost every day that wasn't rainy or freezing cold, so here's a video I put together of todays practice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C87e8eN8_A

[Jordan Strybos]

You're getting there, the form is definitely improving, I think the main thing that you need to focus on is your tuck. If you can tuck more, your flip off of the trampoline will definitely feel easier, and you will get a lot closer to landing them on the ground. Don't just try to pull your knees in, reach for your ankles! If you are laying down, curl up into a tight ball and really pull yourself in as tight as you can, just so that you get the feel of what it's actually like to be that small. Once your tuck is better, you will complete the rotation a lot faster from the trampoline, so you will need to open up a bit once you make it around (so that you don't over-rotate). This will actually improve your spatial awareness, because it will help you actually feel where you are in the flip in relation to the ground. Really really focus on your tuck, you'll get it

[Astrauk]

You're getting there, the form is definitely improving, I think the main thing that you need to focus on is your tuck. If you can tuck more, your flip off of the trampoline will definitely feel easier, and you will get a lot closer to landing them on the ground. Don't just try to pull your knees in, reach for your ankles! If you are laying down, curl up into a tight ball and really pull yourself in as tight as you can, just so that you get the feel of what it's actually like to be that small. Once your tuck is better, you will complete the rotation a lot faster from the trampoline, so you will need to open up a bit once you make it around (so that you don't over-rotate). This will actually improve your spatial awareness, because it will help you actually feel where you are in the flip in relation to the ground. Really really focus on your tuck, you'll get it

Thanks a lot for the tips and encouragment, I'll definitely work on my tuck.  Thanks!:)

[Astrauk]

So I have this target for bow shooting (or whatever) practice,  and I was practicing flips off of it by lying in on it's side on the ground, it's about 10 inches high I think, and I asked my brother to record me on my iphone doing them, I didn't land any of them, I go and take my iphone from him and find that he accidentaly didn't record any of it, so I asked him to redo it, the first five I did off of the target and landed the first one I tried!!!  I preceded to land two more and missed a couple then stopped.  I'll post a link to the vid when it's done uploading to youtube.

EDIT:  Here's the link to the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59x_judMNF8