How to do a Wall Flip

How to do a Wall Flip

In this lesson you will learn how to do a wall flip. The wall flip is a lot easier if you can already do a gymnastic back tuck or at least a back handspring. I will explain 3 wall flip variations in this instruction. The easiest and safest one is the Tucked Wall Flip, because if you mess up, you have your hands in front of your body and can land on all 4 like a cat. Then there is the wall flip stepout, where you kick the second leg all the way through and land on one leg first. This is a little more dangerous for the landing leg, but not much harder. And then there is the moon wall flip and the wall flip layout. This will be quite easy for the gymnasts among you. BTW, as you can see, I posted the wall flip in the parkour and free running section. But the wall flip can be quite interesting for anybody who is into acrobatics, acrobatic martial arts or gymnastics. Find more parkour and free running instruction on the parkour main page.

Instruction

  • Before you start practicing the wall flip, you have to find the right wall and the right ground. Don't just take the next banana tree or the wall of your bathroom. The BEST environment without doubt is a gym wall with a sticky carpet layer and a 4 inch tumbling mat. Not a judo mat, not a landing mat, a "Tumbling Mat"! Tumbling mats are hard enough to run on, but you will no injure yourself if you fall. These mats have a thick carpet layer on one side, which makes practicing the wall flip a lot easier and safer.
  • Start about 2 meters from the wall. I recommend you just do 2 or 3 steps. Of course you can run more than 3 steps, but keep in mind that if you are too fast, it will be hard to get away from the wall. If you are too slow on the other hand, you might slip off the wall.
  • Step forward and strike out with your arms from behind your back.
  • The last step should be between 1m and 1.2m from the wall.
  • Step up onto the wall and aim for chest height. I personally step up with the left leg. Don't jump up to high and don't run towards the wall too fast. Also swing your arms forward up as you initiate your wall flip.
  • When the push-off-leg touches the wall, the knee should be about 3/4 bent. In order to get used to pushing off the wall, you can push yourself away and land on a pile of landing mats (on your back). Do this a couple of times.
  • Then push yourself off the wall and kick up the other leg. Arch back and and push your hips up. Reach up with your hands as high as possible. A lot of the technique is in the arms. If you are afraid, you will probably end up not throwing your arms up high enough and automatically fall. It's actually OK if you go a bit sideways at the beginning. I did this myself when I tried my first wall flips and it only took me a few days to straighten my technique afterwards.
  • Arch back and push your hips up towards your hands. DON'T whip your hands down towards your legs! => Bring your legs up. If you whip your hands back down to your legs, you might stop the rotation and fall on your head.
  • Once you are high enough, tuck. Think about it as if you want to bring your knees to your chest. This will speed up your rotation. You can also grab your knees if you want. You will also have your hands in front of your body in case you mess up.
  • Land on the balls of your feet, but bring your heels down ASAP! You don't want to put unnecessary stress on your achilles tendon when you land your first wall flips.

Advice

  • Always practice the wall flip with shoes. The harder the ground you practice on, the softer your shoes should be.
  • Make sure the ground and the wall are not slippery.
  • Practice in a gymnastics gym if possible.
  • The wall flip is a lot easier if you can already do a gymnastic back tuck or a back handspring.
  • The tucked wall flip is the easiest and safest wall flip variation. The wall flip layout is just a little harder. There are also extended variations of the wall flip => The moon wall flip and the wall flip layout.
  • You can also practice the wall flip with 2 training partners. Ask them to support you at the shoulders and the lower back. But make sure your support guys understand the movement before you try this. You don't want them to dislocate your shoulders when you try your first flip.