So you can do backflips from a standing position? That don’t impress me much!
Not my words of course, but a paraphrasing of Shania Twain’s smash hit from 1998 That Don’t Impress Me Much.
Seriously, though, backflips of any kind impress me, as someone who regularly pulls push doors and vice versa.
However this video of Dominique Lewis doing a series of insanely agile backflips from a sitting position might be one of the most impressive things I’ve ever had the good fortune of seeing.
Watch the video right here:
How sick is that? Lol. You’re gonna be hard pressed to find something better than that.
Now you might be forgiven for now wanting to do nothing but backflips. One problem stands in your way: they’re pretty difficult but I managed to teach in the middle of writing this and I’m willing to pass the torch.
But first, check out Dominique in action again:
First of all, you’ve gotta understand the rotation of a backflip. How they work physically. Basically, in order to rotate, you’ll have to lift your hips up and over your head. Try this drill to help you get the feel for the right kind of tuck up by lying on the floor with your whole body stretched out.
Your arms should be straight and by your ears. Then, tuck your legs up and over your head. Make sure to rotate your hips up, not just tuck your knees to your chest. Knees together, toes pointed. I won’t tell you again.
God, these drills are boring, aren’t they? OK skip all this and just go to a gymnastics club. Let’s get you on that trampoline!
Bag yourself a coach to guide you through perfecting your first flip.
Get them to teach you arm technique. It’s all in the arms as much as it is in the legs. Then just go for it. Why not? Just give it some bloody welly and lets see some As for effort! Once you’ve mastered the trampoline get yourself attempting a flip on the floor.
It’s pretty much the same without the spring. Got it? Now. Do it all alone. Tell your coach ‘Your work here is done, jabroni’ then have at it.
Performing a back tuck by yourself will most likely by a gradual process, if you’re a loser. For all your pros out there who dare to dream, it should come easy.
There you have it. A backflip in just one day. Now you can tell all your mates.
Disclaimer: half of my advice is actually genuine believe it or not, but a lot of it is ridiculous and likely to end in disaster. Please ignore me if you really want to learn backflips. A gymnastics club will help, though.
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