How to do a Gymnastic Front Flip

Gymnastic Front Flip

In this lesson you will learn how to do a tucked front flip in artistic gymnastics. Before you try the front flip, you should learn the front roll, the dive roll and the gymnastic handstand. I recommend you try your first front flips with a trampoline or a springboard. Find more gymnastics instructions at artistic gymnastics main.

Execution

  • Run forward and keep your upper body vertical as you run. Lift your arms in the last few steps and keep your head high. Speed is important for a high gymnastic front flip.
  • After the last step, jump forward and close your legs. Before your feet touch the floor, your arms should be fully extended over-head and lined up with your upper body. Look straight forward or at least keep your head straight, because if you bend your head down, you will automatically bend your back, which is the biggest mistake you could make at this point. Make sure your upper body remains vertical as you jump off and keep your head high. Contract your abdominals slightly. When your feet touch the floor, you can bend your elbows a little to create a better impulse when you jump off. When you do a gymnastic front flip, you should keep your knees pretty straight and bounce off the balls of your feet.
  • Extend your arms and your legs and jump up as straight as possible. Reach with your hands as high as possible and extend your body to gain height before you initiate the actual flip. You will mess this jump up if you bend your upper body down too early or bend your knees too much when you jump off.
  • Shortly before mid-air, make yourself a ball and grab your shins to initiate the rotation.
  • Open up again to stop the rotation. The further you separate hands and feet, the slower the rotation becomes. For a full gymnastic front flip you only have to touch your shins for a millisecond. If you keep your hands on your shins for too long, you will over-rotate or do a double front flip. Practice the timing jumping from a trampoline or a springboard.
  • Land your front flip in a stuck landing. A stuck landing is when you land on both feet at the same time without the need of an extra step. Keep your upper body tight and lined up with your arms. Fully extend your arms and look straight forward. Also don't sit down too far as you land. I recommend you jump onto a pile of mats at the beginning. To jump higher use a trampoline or a reuther-springboard.