How do you get over the fear of backflips?

Question

so i've been trying to learn a backflip for like a year now, and i know the steps i know what to do how to do it i can do it into a pool on a trampoline i've taken every measure i can, to learn the trick, but i still can't get over the whole "omfg my neck is going to break if i fail" and unfortunately i don't have anyone strong enough that has expertise in the area that is willing to help or that i can fine...for free

Answer 1

use a spotter.

Answer 2

What I can tell you from not being a gymnastics specialist, just being a guy who has always been able to learn/ perform flips, the way that I learned was pretty simple. After learning to do backflips off of a diving board, then on a trampoline, and got to the point where you are, I started doing them off of things. Only a slight elevation though. Things like the side of the trampoline, then off of the top of a picnic table, then the bench or the picnic table, until finally I was prepared for the flat ground. The best thing about a backflip is you can see yourself coming over after you pass that initial blindness! Good Luck

Answer 3

Adrenaline rushes/ pools.

Answer 4

haha same problem! I learned how to back dive which got me used to upside down over water and then when I could do that I just pulled my legs around and I can do them now

Answer 5

go to a gymnastics class

Answer 6

Try on a trampoline doing back flops where you lean back and fall and bounce back up to your feet.  I think that would help me.  The rest is fairly easy as all you have to do is get over the top.

Answer 7

Are you talking about a back handspring (back flip with hands) or a back tuck (some people call it a back somi), which is a back flip with no hands?

If you are talking about a back handspring, just keep your arms tight and straight throughout the skill. You are landing on your hands, and your arms are going to be absorbing all the impact, so there is really no way to break your neck. If you bend your elbows your head might hit the floor, so just keep your arms right by your ears and keep them tight. My coach as a kid used to tell us "your arms are married to your ears" to get us to put our arms right.

In a back tuck/somi, the key is to lift your body upwards, not backwards. From a standing position, swing your arms down and then up forcefully - at no time should you drop your chest.  Then you need to "set" or "block" with your chest - it's hard to explain but try looking at a fixed spot on the wall, like where the wall meets the ceiling, for as long as possible, and then at the last minute when you are at the height of your takeoff, grab you knees and pull them around tight for the rotation. The idea of "blocking" or "setting" in tumbling is to ensure you are taking the skill upwards as far as possible rather than whipping backwards...that is not good, the more you travel backwards the less height you'll have...which equals less rotation time and the more likely you won't complete the skill in time to land on your feet.



I would recommend doing a bunch of them on the ground with a spotter -(preferably a coach or a friend with gymnastics experience who knows how to spot a back tuck, otherwise it is easy for both of you to get whacked in the face.) Have the spotter reduce their spot until they are hardly spotting you, then you'll feel more secure trying it on your own without worrying you're going to crash.

Another thing we do to help kids get back tucks is set up a folding panel mat that is a little higher than floor surface...maybe like a foot of the ground to start. Doing back tucks off of that setup will give you a little bit more time to rotate the skill and get comfortable with it. When you can land it succesfully, reduce the size of the mat until you are doing them on a flat surface.

Can you do a good roundoff? Because a roundoff-back tuck combination is easier for most people to learn than a standing back tuck because of the speed and momentum generated from the roundoff.

Good luck =)