Wushu Headspring

Learn how to do a wushu headspring. The headspring is one of the easiest wushu flips, and you will also see this technique in parkour, gymnastics and wrestling warm-ups. The headspring is also called Flip Flop, and in Chinese, this Ditangquan-technique is called "An Tou". But before we get started, keep in mind that it's no our fault if you break your neck or injure yourself. Follow this instruction at your own risk. Find more wushu instruction at wushu main.

Execution

  • Things you should practice before you try the headspring are: The front roll, the bridge and the headstand, with your head and the hands on the ground.
  • There is also an advanced variation of the headspring, where you don’t use your hands, but let's talk about that later.
  • Step 1: Warm up running a few minutes, stretch and do a couple of front-rolls. Then practice the headstand and balance your legs in different positions. At the beginning you can plant your hands in front of your head because the headstand is easier like that, but a proper headspring is done with the hands behind or in one line with the head.
  • Step 2: Practice the headstand with the hands behind the head. The reason why this is the only right way is that if you plant your hands too far in front of your head, your arms are already extended when you are supposed to start pushing.
  • Step 3: Now do a headstand and fall on your back. Of course you don't want to practice this on concrete. Fall on an old mattress, foam, sand, a pile of garbage, or anything soft.
  • Step 4: Learn how to push with your hands. Of course you will not be able to jump off that position just like that, that's why you have to whip your legs really really fast. If you move your legs fast enough, the impulse will lift most of your weight. Make Sure you don't bend your head forward as you start pushing and don't push too hard at the beginning. This is a little easier if you bend your legs and kick them up, but it's harder to control this way and I don't want you to get injured, so keep your legs straight and closed. Take your time! At this point you should only concentrate on moving forward (a little) and creating a small hop, nothing else.
  • Step 5: Do the same thing again... But now pull your feet down after reaching the highest point and ALSO keep your hands on the ground. So you basically tuck, then do a headstand, push yourself into a handstand and then fall into a bridge. Make sure you keep looking down to your hands. That’s very important!
  • Step 6: Combine the push, the whip and the bridge until you can land it. After a while you won’t even feel the bridge anymore. Bring your feet close to your hands and try to get up. Keep you head and your arms down as long as possible. But Please DON’T bend your head down and your arms up! Get used to looking at your hands. You don't have to do this with a strong push right away! So just keep going until you can do it like this.

Variations

  • The headspring WITHOUT HANDS - Please don’t even try this if your normal Headspring is NOT perfect !!!!
    • First of all practice your Headstand with your hands in one line with your head. Next, only use your finger tips. And after a while, try to lift your hands off the floor. But make sure your posture is perfect and your neck muscles tight!
    • Now practice the headspring with your hands in one line with your head... And then with your finger tips. Push less and less ever time, until you don't have to use your hands anymore. Strengthen your neck muscles and make sure you keep your neck straight and tight when you put your head down.
    • Oh, and ONE more thing, if you do it like this (see video), too flat with and with you neck relaxed... You will probably die!

Advice

  • If you can do a kip-up, the headspring will be much easier because the timing for the leg-whip is exactly the same.
  • Here are a few tricks to make the handspring easier.
    • Separating the legs.
    • Bending the knees and getting closer to the starting position.
    • Throwing the hands forward.
    • Or bending the knees and kicking the legs forward up. But as i said, this one is a bit dangerous and I'd only recommend doing this if you can already do a PROPER headspring with straight legs and want to go higher.
  • Use mats, foam, an old mattress, a carpet or practice on grass. Don't get injured!