Topic: Wall flip; help please!

[childatheart]

So I've been trying to backflip off a wall for MONTHS now (and by try, I mean run up the wall and fall back down).  I know I've got the physical ability to do it, but I just can't seem to work up the guts to follow through off the wall.  I've looked up tutorials and haven't learned anything new, much less something that would help me.

Does anyone know what I need to do?  Or even just some small little piece of advice, any and all help is welcome.

Also, I really need to get this done for my senior project: long story.

Thank you!

[mpParkour]

What can help is, if you move a trampoline over to a wall, or tree. And jump onto it and push off with your foot flipping in the air. If your falling off the wall, it may be because you don't have enough grip. or your trying to take too many steps before you flip. Try just jumping off one foot onto the wall and pushing off with the other, just put your foot higher onto the wall. That's how i practice them.

[childatheart]

that's exactly what I do.  Just one step, just below chest height.  And I wear Ariakes so grip is no problem.  It's just working up the nerve to flip.

[mpParkour]

So is it the fear of going backwards?

[childatheart]

Yes, I know once I've gone back I can rotate fully, but it's just geting up to that point.

[Swa]

wallflips are fun haha i got mine before the standing backflip.  i would reccomend trying to use a tramp to get over the fear of going backwards, then when you do the wallflip, run at the wall slowly, preferably close so you dont have much time to think about it and psyche yourself out, and jump UP and put your foot about chest height, then just kick that sucker down and back.  try to shoot yourself at a 45 degree angle.  i know, this technique is horrible for normal backflips, but you're on a wall.  just run up to it and jump back and up as much as possible without flipping, and then go for it.  think of it realistically, you're already a quarter done with the flip when you kick off the wall.

take a look at this,

see how i'm at that angle when i'm on the tree?  now all i have to do is make it 90 degrees and i'm completely upside down.  at that point, do you know what can help me?  HANDS ding ding ding!  if you're too afraid, use hands!  and let me tell you, wallflips are VERY easy, and you get pretty high due to the position of your foot.  soooo it comes to these three things.
1. Come at the wall at a decent pace
2. Place your foot somewhere in the mid/upper torso reigon
3. Kick that sucker down and hard.  to make you go UUUUPPPP and back. 
remember to go up.  and nature will take over making you rotate backwards while being far away enough from the wall to not hit it. 

the wooing of the ladies will come later.

oh, and i did these in converse when i first learned them, so as long as you can wallrun it, you can wallflip it.  its actually easier to wallflip it due to the angles, but remember to be safe.

[Grip]

you need to master backflips on a trampoline, that's the bare minimum for a wall flip
what might help is doing one footed backflips off of an object,
get some strong guys to spot you when you do you are ready to commit to the flip

[childatheart]

Thanks, Swa, I think that detail will really help. I can to a backflip on a trampoline without even bouncing.  It's just going backward and knowing that there won't be anything absorbing all the landing force.

You did a wall flip in Converse?! Chucks are awesome, but the grips suck.  I can't wait to try it out with my Ariakes.

[Kyle Rudolph]

you need to master backflips on a trampoline, that's the bare minimum for a wall flip
what might help is doing one footed backflips off of an object,
get some strong guys to spot you when you do you are ready to commit to the flip

False. I was 270 lbs. when I did my first wallflip and was unable to backflip.

All it is man is just putting one foot on a wall, leaning back and jumping up. Wallflips are mad easy bro. You can probably just go do one now. Go try.

Also, this isn't tricking. Just a heads up for next time mang. 

[Jordan Strybos]

You did a wall flip in Converse?! Chucks are awesome, but the grips suck.  I can't wait to try it out with my Ariakes.

Grip really has nothing to do with wallflips. Even wallruns (which are harder for grip because all of your momentum will be going up instead of up and back) can be adapted and done properly to eliminate the problem of slipping and poor traction. You need to think about this from a physical viewpoint. Obviously, if you push your foot down a wall, it will slip, no matter how good the grip is. What you need to do is absorb into the wall (horizontally) when you come at it, and then rebound off, forcing your body up. You push back against the wall, but it still propels your body up.

The same can be said for wallflips. When you come at the wall, place your foot around chest height, and kick into the wall, but kick off a bit more than you would usually do for a wallrun. The main difference is where your torso goes; in a wallrun, you keep it straight, so you travel up. In a wallflip, you throw your arms up and your torso rotates, generating momentum away from the wall as well. As long as you get a good upward push off of the wall, your time spent flipping in the air will feel comfortable and relaxed.

None of us can tell you how to overcome your mental fear (just like how you said you didn't learn anything from tutorials), you're going to have to figure that out on your own. We can give you advice on technique and how to block up to it, but when it comes down to it, you are going to eventually have to just do it, and trust yourself with the form. Let us know when you get them down and post a vid! Hope this helps

[childatheart]

I knew it would come down to me in the end, but I think it's helped a lot to find out exactly HOW I should be doing it.

Thanks everyone.

[Matthew Kuhstoss]

how i learned is i 1st started off with just doing it one footed. two foot is more intimidating for most people. whats funny is that i learned how to do wall flips before a regular backtuck. idk if thats weird but just sharing a small fact about me.  make sure that u dont push ur foot just straight off the wall, you'll land awkward and hurt urself or ull just land on ur head or something like that. not fun. u want to jump up and out of the wall to make sure u get the height which gives u more time to tuck, and rotate, its kinda like running straight up a wall to grab a ledge. u wouldnt want to just push straight out cuz then ud just hit the wall and bounce straight backwards and get no upward height. u want to jump up the wall and its pretty much the same thing with the wall flip. with getting over the fear of doing it, thats a task that u have to conquer on ur own. tricking, parkour, freerunning, a big part of it is overcoming fear.

[childatheart]

Okay, so I finally got a couple of spotters and went for it. Difference was there' was't a wall handy so we were using hay bails (stupid country neighborhood) which is, apparently significantly different.  but me going for it was progress in its self.  I guess I've gotten too used to flipping on my trampoline because I was told that I bend my legs too much and I'm pretty sure I try too much for height.  Needless to say, I couldn't land any of them.

So is the motion really just like you're running on the wall and not so much pushing off?

Either way, I'm going to try it on my own on a brick column so I can try to get my landing down.

[Jordan Strybos]

Be careful trying it on your own if you haven't landed it yet, that could be really dangerous. You push off, but not too much. Imagine yourself coming at the wall, taking a step onto it and then immediately rebounding off, but pushing your body up and back as much as you can. The only fear that we are expressing here with pushing back too far is that you won't get enough height to complete the rotation.

[childatheart]

Okay, I think I understand the motion now.  And I won't gt stupid with it.  I've got good rotation and I kept landing on my butt or back so I know I can make it around and not land on my head which is my biggest concern.  But I do know how to be cautious.  Thanks for the concern, Strybos.

[Erus de Parkour]

Well, since I recently was able to achieve the wall flip, Ill tell you what I did. It may be a repeat of somethings other people said (and Im sorry for that if it is) but here is what I did.

First, get the actual form of a back flip down. Do this on a trampoline, without jumping, and landing without falling on your butt. Its a jump up, tucking your legs in, rotating, spotting the landing, extending, landing and bending your knees, and putting your hands out for balance.

Once you are able to do that, move onto the wall. the actual jump is very important. Truthfully, you only need to be maybe 3-4 steps away from the wall. the more speed you have, the harder it will be to change forward momentum into upward momentum. Go to the wall, and step off your weak foot first, plant your strong foot on the wall, and then jump up. the jump needs to take you back maybe a foot or two, so dont push off really hard. again, your focusing more on the upward momentum than the backwards momentum...

Ill finish this once I can get to another computer... sorry 

[Erus de Parkour]

Ok, so I finally was able to get to a fast running computer, so im going to finish my post.
Once you are able to launch off the wall, lift your arms up, have a slight arch in your back, and land on the balls of your feet. Do this several times till your comfertable and can do the jump up with the same form  9 out of 10 times. Your almost to the wall flip!!

Now here is the hardest part... Linking all the sensations together. The jump off the wall, lifting your arms up in the air, and as your doing that, remembering exactly how you did the standing backflip on the edge of the trampoline: Jumping up, waiting for the highest point on your jump, tucking your legs in, keeping your eyes OPEN, spinning backwards, spotting your landing and opening your legs, landing on the balls of your feet, crouching slightly while bringing your hands forward as to stop over rotation.

Once you have linked all of them, the final thing to do is to just do it!! You can use a spotter, (actually i recommend it) but once the spotter helps you two or three times, you should try it without him. The reason why: the more the spotter helps you, the more your going to rely on him. So just get the feeling down, and then just DO IT!!

That is how I learned how to do the wall flip. I hope it helps.

[Jared Clark]

When you kick off the wall, don't push out. Push at an upward angle.