How to Do a Backflip — Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

This is the first thing you need to learn when you start practicing backflips. Don't worry it is not as hard and you will get used to it in no time!

In this lesson I will show you the first key element which is the "arm swinging motion". Try to understand this motion and keep it in mind for the next lessons. 

You learn the second key element, the tucking motion of the legs. You will understand the importance of this element and keep it in mind for the upcoming lessons.

This particular exercise helps you to build strength in your abdominal muscles. It especially helps to build that explosive power you need to do the tucking motion for the second key element.

This exercise helps to get a powerful arm swing out of the setup. You learn how to get power into the setup and really jump high into the air. It is a good preparation for the first key element.

This is a very special drill which helps you to overcome the fear of going backwards. If you do it like this you already get a very realistic feeling of the backflip motion.

In this lecture you learn how to do the correct setup for backflip and you get to know a helpful drill to practice it!

In this step you get the help of two spotters. They support you and just turn you around. You actually don't need to put in any effort here...it is mainly to get used to the motion!

You are going to try the backflip the first time. You combine the previously learned setup with the rotation and the spotters will add the support to get you around safely.

In this step we reduce the amount of spotter to one person. You have to put in more effort by yourself to get around but you still have the support of a person.

In this final step we gradually switch over the work from the spotter to you. This forces you to add more power and effort by yourself. The spotter reduces his support little by little until you eventually do the backflip without any support at all. The spotter remains close for safety just in case. 

In this first step you learn how to do the macaco! :-) 

We add a bit more momentum to the macaco so that it becomes smoother.

Now we enter the macaco by jumping into it. It will feel a bit scary at first but you will get used to it quickly.

Once you feel comfortable with jumping into the macaco, you can gradually make it more straight and inverted.

This step is the first milestone because you will master the backhandspring. YAY! :-)

You keep on doing the backhandspring and put gradually more power into the move...until you get very high and feel the hang time!

A very important detail is the "rowing motion" with the arms. You learn how to apply them within the move and you will feel a big difference. 

The "tucking-motion" is an essential part of any backflipping technique. This will finally help you to get around without using the hands. :-)

This last adjustment will transform the motion into a real backflip! Congratulations....you have mastered the backflip without any crash mats! :-)

This bonus lecture will show you a way to practice all the previous steps by using an inclined part of grass. Especially if you have troubles getting inverted or upside down this can help you a lot! 

In this first step you will get over the fear of falling backwards.

Now you actively jump backwards and let yourself fly.

In this step you learn how to "tuck" and initiate the rotation

You will land the backflip on a crash mat

You learn to do a backflip without the foam pit from from an elevated position.

You learn how you gradually decrease the height you are jumping off until you land the backflip on flat ground. Congratulations! :-) 

The first step starts by simply doing a backward roll on the trampoline.

You let yourself fall into a backward roll and jump back on your feet without using your hands for support.

In this step you learn how to tuck tightly and keep on turning a bit further. This motion is a vey good drill and is actually a backflip. Once you can do this you are ready to try backflip on trampoline.

You do your first backflips on trampoline by looking over your shoulder to spot the ground. You gradually learn how to make the flip more inverted until you are able to do it completely over head.

You gradually use less bounce from the trampoline until you are able to execute the backflip from a standing position.

You put a crash mat on top of the trampoline and do the backflip from there. This makes it even harder. Then you even put the mat on the frame of the trampoline to kill the bounce entirely. After you land the backflip from there you will be ready to leave the trampoline!

In this last step you do the backflip on thick, soft mats. Each time you feel confident enough you take away layer by layer until you can do the backflip on normal solid ground!

This lesson teaches you to pull your arms back in the middle of the backhandspring. This adds extra momentum to the motion and helps you to get further around. 

You learn the tucking motion which means that you learn to pull your knees towards your chest. This speeds up your legs and your rotate around your upper body. You will start making it all the way around without using your hands. 

The last step and one last adjustment of the head. After that you will be able to do a clean, nice backflip...Congratulations! :-)

Just me saying thank you! :-P

In this lesson you practice to look forward as long as possible when you setup for a backflip.

In this lesson you get to know the importance of keeping your back straight when you land the backflip. It helps you to absorb the energy and prevents you from lower back pain.

Here you practice to land softly on your forefeet and to absorb the energy of the impact with your ankles and knee joints.

In this exercise you do the backflip on a higher position...so you will land it higher than you actually started. This will improve the height of your flip!

In this lesson you do the backflip on top of a soft surface like crash mats. It is much harder to jump up and this will train your take off and your legs to become super strong!

This lesson is a lot of fun and you will feel how you literally hang in the air. This exercise will teach you how to create and apply hang time!

A fairly simple exercise but still different. Try to get used to do backflips with your shoes on and feel the difference. If you can do this you will be able to take it on concrete floor as well!

This exercise is a challenging one but a great exercise to really get a safe backflip. Each direction will feel different and it might feel weird at first....but master this and you have the backflip 100% for sure! :-)