How to Do a Front Flip

Learning Gymnastic Rolls

Stand in an extended straight line. Stand straight up with your legs together and raise your hands straight above your head. Your body should form one straight line. Stretch your arms up as high as you can so that your hands and feet are as far apart as possible.

Lean into the roll. Keeping your knees as straight as possible, move your arms, head, and trunk down as one unit. You should not be bending down at the waist. Instead, try to keep your torso and legs in a line, which means your legs should go down as your torso lowers to the ground. Reach toward the ground as you lean into the roll. Your hands will connect with the floor as your body goes down as one unit in an almost straight line.

Push your hips forward when your hands touch the floor. Your hands should touch the floor with your fingers pointing ahead of you. Your upper body should be all lined up with your hips slightly elevated. Bring your hips forward with your legs following. Make sure to keep your legs straight. Don’t fling your legs over your body. Move your chin towards your chest to protect your neck.

Roll forward onto your back. Keep your legs straight as you flip over on your hands in a slow, controlled motion. Bend your arms slightly as you roll onto your back. As you roll onto your back, tuck your knees towards your chest. Grasp your shins or your knees as your roll forward.

Stand up. As you roll from your back to a vertical position, roll flat onto your feet. As soon as your feet are flat on the floor, lift your arms over your head as you stand up.

Try a dive roll after you’ve mastered the front roll. Doing a dive roll will help you transition to a front flip. It’s similar to a front roll, but you jump instead of slowly lowering yourself into a roll. Start by running forward and jump from the balls of your feet. Keep your knees as straight as possible. Just like with the front roll, keep your body as straight as possible. When you jump, jump forward as you reach your arms forward toward the floor. When your hands touch the floor, go into the normal front roll you’ve already mastered.

Practicing the Elements of a Flip

Learn the stretches needed to prep for a front flip. Stretch your ankles by sitting down on the floor and rotating both feet in full circles in both directions. Next, loosen up your hamstrings by standing up and pulling first your left foot and then your right up so it touches your buttocks. Hold the stretch on each side for about thirty seconds. Finally, rotate your wrists and neck several times. You can use your hands to rotate your feet. Be gentle when rotating your neck. Go slowly and don’t push your neck in any direction that causes pain. You should stretch before every practice session.

Take a few running steps and then "punch jump" straight up. This move will help you gain vertical momentum. Focus on jumping upward with as much vertical force as you can. Practice taking a few running steps, bending your knees slightly, and then jumping straight up. Your hands should be high in the air with your elbows by your ears. You'll land with your knees bent at about 1 foot (30 cm) lower than your regular standing position with your arms up straight in front of you. After you land with your feet on the ground, you can straighten your body and lift your arms in the air for a graceful finish.

Practice your “pump jump” with your knees tucked. Once you've developed the basic "punch jump," repeat this move while tucking your knees up toward your chest instead of keeping them straight as you jump. This will prepare you for the rotation part of the flip.

Practice the rotation of your flip on a trampoline. Start with the "punch jump" and then tuck your knees as you rotate forward, landing with your knees bent before you straighten up. The trampoline will help you feel safe and secure while you perfect your rotation. Have a knowledgeable spotter stand by you as you practice the flip. The spotter should keep their hand on or near your stomach so they can help you rotate forward.

Do a front flip off of a gymnastics block that faces a soft mat. The mat and block will help get you even more ready to do the flip on the floor. It’ll be a bit harder to do your flip because you won't have the extra upward bounce that the trampoline gave you. You'll have to work on gathering your own momentum. Good momentum comes from a really good jump, so be sure to keep doing your “punch jump.”

Executing the Front Flip

Do a front flip on the gym floor. Once you've mastered the trampoline and block, it's time to transition down to the floor. You’ll be combining the “punch jump” and rotations you’ve now perfected to do this safely and effectively.

Run forward. To start the flip, you should run forward as you keep your body as straight up as possible. Run fast enough that you get enough momentum to really jump up high. As you get close to the jump, lift your arms into the air with your head held high.

Go into a pre-jump. You will do a small jump before you jump into your flip. Jump forward as you keep your arms lifted over your head and your legs closed. Continue looking forward with your head straight and do not bend your head. This will cause you to bend your back, which can mess up your flip. Keep your abs contracted.

Jump as high as possible. Jump into the air from the balls of your feet with your arms extended overhead. Don’t bend your knees to jump. Keep your body straight and reach as high as possible to gain height for your flip. Bending your knees or bending your body down at the wrong time can mess up this flip.

Grab your shins during the jump. When you are in the air, tuck your knees to your chest to make yourself into a ball. Grab your shins as you move into the rotation for the flip forward.

Let go of your shins at the end of the rotation. Once you feel your body complete the rotation, let go of your shins to stop flipping. You don’t have to hold on to your shins for very long to get a front flip. Holding on for too long can cause you to start another flip, which at this point will cause you to mess up.

Land on your feet. As you complete the flip rotation, extend your legs down so you can land on your feet in a stuck position. This means that you shouldn’t bounce or have an extra step after you’ve landed. As you land, bend your knees slightly but try to keep your body as straight as possible. Be aware that a front flip requires a blind landing. You won’t be able to see the floor before your feet touch it. But don’t worry! Keep your knees bent and your body straight and trust that you’re coming back down for a good landing.