Flips & Kicks — Beginner Guide for Martial Arts & Gymnastics

In this intro lecture you get a little background about warming up in general and "why" it is so important. You will know exactly what the benefits of a good warm up are.

This lecture shows a warm up routine which covers the whole body from head to toes. It is a full length routine and I recommend you to follow along the routine a few times until you know how it works. I recommend you whenever possible use at least 10min to warm up your body correctly. This warm up routine contains quite a lot of exercises and you don`t need to do all of them each time. Feel free to pick the one`s you like but always make sure that you`ve got one or two exercises per body part so that you cover the whole body.

Warming up and conditioning the body is one of the most central things in my coaching. It helps so much in feeling better in general and just being in good shape. And when it comes to such complex movement like in acrobatics it is even more important to keep a good health and a strong body.

This lecture is the short version of the previous warm up. It is designed for times when you`ve got really little time and want to spend a minimal amount of time for warm up. This warm up is in general a bit less complex than the standard one but still covers the whole body and the most important elements.

Follow along this routine as well and memorise all the exercises so you can do them anytime anywhere you like!

This is a quick introduction lecture with general information about the handstand. After this lecture you have an image of this move and you know what it looks like. And you are ready for learning the move by using the following progressions.

In this summary video you see all the steps and the progressions from step 1 to step 3. It is in slow-motion and gives you an overall idea and structure on how to work through the steps. You learn how the handstand is built up and how the teaching structure in this lecture will be.

In the first lecture you learn the correct starting position and how to actually come up into a handstand in the first place. As you start working on getting your feet up your body will get used to the motion. Everything is practiced against a wall which gives you support once you reach it with your feet. After this lecture you will be able so successfully kick up into a handstand and support yourself on your hands with your feet touching the wall!

In this step you actually learn how to balance your handstand without any additional support. We still practice at the wall while slowly decreasing the contact with the feet until eventually standing without touching the wall. At the end of this lecture you will be able to hold the handstand for about 3-5 seconds without touching the wall!

This last step shows you how to progress from a wall handstand to a free standing handstand. It teaches you on which points to focus and also how to improve strength and balance. Nevertheless the handstand is a move which takes a lot of recurring work on it. Standing freely for a few seconds is an awesome feeling and from there you can improve it furthermore. Congratulations and have fun doing your handstand everywhere!

This intro gives you a quick understanding about the dropspin and what it actually is. You learn that it is one of the essential beginner moves for moves executed on floor and why you should learn it in the first place!

In this summary you will see all steps and progressions from step 1-3 of the dropspin. By studying it you will get a reference and an image of how this move is built up. It gives you an overview about the structure and how you can follow the steps to learn this move.

In this first step you learn how to correctly place your feet and hands. The move isn't very complicated but still can be a bit troublesome if you don't know where and in which order to position feet and hands. So first you practice this in slow-motion, remember correct technique and quickly you will get the hang of it...I promise!

Step two teaches you how to add momentum and make the dropspin a really effortless move for you. Since you have the correct positioning this is the fun part about the move. After this lecture and with a bit of practice you will have a really cool dropspin!

In this last step you will learn that there exist different types of dropspins. Mainly two different variations such as a small&fast dropspin and a big&slow one. Each of them can be useful for different purposes. After this step you know how you can choose different styles of dropspins and when to use it the best. And after all you can start creating your own dropspin-styles! Congratulations!

This lecture gives you a introduction to setups in general. After this lecture you will know why setups build an essential element to any acrobatic movement.

In this theory lecture you learn about the three main setup types and how to distinguish them properly. You will be able to clearly see which part of a move is a setup and which is the core element. This will help you a lot in learning new tricks and is an essential element. Please memorise this lecture well and use the new gained knowledge right away in the following sections!

This is a quick introduction lecture with general information about the scoot. After this lecture you have an image of this trick and you know what it looks like. And you are ready for learning the move by using the following progressions.

In this summary you will see all steps and progressions from step 1-3 of the scoot. By studying it you will get a reference and an image of how this trick is built up. It gives you an overview about the structure and how you can follow the steps to learn this move.

In this first step you learn the basic motion of the scoot. You learn the correct positioning of your hands and legs and how to turn your body correctly. Basically you already do everything you would do for a normal one just a lot smaller....let`s call it the "baby" version!

Since you know the basic motion you can start to make it bigger. Step two teaches you gradually how to add more flow to the scoot motion which helps you to widen the motion... until you can execute a really nice and big scoot. This also enables you to get a lot of momentum out of the motion.

In step three you learn how to use the scoot. As already mentioned is the scoot a trick (obviously) but also a setup. This lecture teaches you the main applications for scoot for both possibilities so that you get an idea of how you can use this move effectively! And then you have it - congratulations and have fun with playing around with this cool move!

This is a quick introduction lecture with general information about the hurdle step. After this lecture you have an image of this setup and you know what it looks like. And you are ready for learning the setup in the following lecture!

In this lecture you learn exactly which steps to take for the hurdle step. Slowly we add step by step until you memorise the steps and are able to execute it in one go. You work towards the take off point of the setup and after this section you can already use this setup for the roundoff. Don`t worry if it isn`t perfect yet...we will practice this setup many more times during the duration of this course!

This is a quick introduction lecture with general information about the roundoff. After this lecture you have an image of this trick and you know what it looks like. And you are ready for learning it by using the following progressions!

In this summary you will see all steps and progressions from step 1-6 of the roundoff. By studying it you will get a reference and an image of how this trick is built up. It gives you an overview about the structure and how you can follow the steps to learn this move.

The first lecture is all about the gymnastics cartwheel. You learn what kind of cartwheel you need to do for the roundoff. You should be familiar with cartwheels and being able to execute the gymnastics cartwheel with a good form. If not please practice it a little bit more until you feel fully confident in doing your gymnastics cartwheel.

In this step we start to modify the cartwheel. You learn how to put your feet together during the motion and also land it with both feet at the same time. You learn how to control yourself really good on your hands, how to keep a strong body tension and hold it until you land it.

In this third step you learn how to setup correctly for a roundoff. Since roundoff is a move which requires a lot of momentum you always use a run-up to enter. Therefore you learn exactly which steps to take and how you can create lots of momentum by using only few well placed steps.

Ok in this step we finally combine the hurdle-step and the cartwheel. You learn how to link these two motions with each other and gradually add more flow to the motion. After this lecture you will feel like this is only one motion.

In lecture five you learn how to add more power to the motion. Step by step your roundoff will become more efficient until you really feel how to convert the horizontal momentum into vertical momentum. And you almost have your roundoff mission completed!

This final lecture teaches you some additional tips on keeping the body tension. You learn which form to keep when landing the roundoff. This is very important especially when you use the roundoff as a setup into flips...which you most likely will do! :-)

But hey...congratulations on the roundoff. That is great and you have now a solid basis for this trick. Keep on refining your technique and have fun!

This is a quick introduction lecture with general information about the hook kick. After this lecture you have an image of this kick and you know what it looks like. And you are ready for learning it by using the following progressions!

In this summary you will see all steps and progressions from step 1-3 of the hook kick. By studying it you will get a reference and an image of how this kick is built up. It gives you an overview about the structure and how you can follow the steps to learn this move.

The first step starts with the inside crescent kick. Please make sure that you are familiar with this kick...if not please practice it a little more until you feel fully confident to continue.

You learn how to modify the inside crescent kick and adding a spin beforehand. This already gives you the basic structure to continue to the hook kick afterwards.

In this step you learn how to turn the spinning inside crescent kick into a hook kick. Step by step you learn how to shift your hips and how to position your body for executing the kick. It already starts to look and feel like an real hook kick. So enjoy!

This is the last step and you gradually learn how to add more momentum, more power and flow to the hook kicking motion. By repeating it over and over again you will soon have a very sharp and powerful hook kick....which is a lot of fun! Congratulations you got it!

In this first challenge try to combine the hook kick and the dropspin by connecting them smoothly with each other. Do each move separately and slow first and gradually add more flow until you can link them smoothly. Have fun and get your first combo!

In this medium challenge try to combine the scoot and the hook kick by connecting them smoothly with each other. Do each move separately and slow first and gradually add more flow until you can link them smoothly. Have fun - you`ve got that!

In this last challenge try to combine the hook kick - the dropspin and again the hook kick by connecting them smoothly with each other. Do each move separately and slow first and gradually add more flow until you can link them smoothly. Have fun and don`t forget to celebrate when you completed all three challenges!