How To Do A Backflip On A Trampoline (Step-by-Step)

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Have you recently taken up a new hobby, and do you want to take it to the next level? Well, here you can find out how to do just that. Here we will talk you through the safest ways to learn how to do a backflip on a trampoline.

If you can do a frontflip, we would say that a backflip is the next logical step for you to progress on to.

This is by no means something that you should rush into, you should progress on to this move with caution and care and progress on to it slowly. This is a move that you can break down into smaller chunks and build yourself up to it. 

Prepare Yourself As Best As You Can 

The best way to prepare yourself to get into this maneuver is to not try this by yourself. Make sure that you have someone with you to help build your confidence and support you until you are ready to perform this move on your own.

If possible, get a partner who is comfortable with being on a trampoline. This is ideal to ensure that you feel completely safe.

Your partner will also be able to help launch and rotate you too. They can place their arm around your back and help propel your feet over as you rotate until you are confident enough to attempt this solo.

Before you attempt any kind of rotating movement on the trampoline, make sure that you have warmed up well. Make sure you jump around, limber up your legs and get fully comfortable with the springy surface.

Different trampolines will obviously have different bounce capacities. for example, rectangular trampolines will give you a higher bounce than round ones. So make sure that you are confident working with the trampoline to avoid injury.

You may also like: Best Rectangular Trampoline for your Backyard: Buy Guide & Reviews

After You Have Warmed Up

So, once you have warmed up, ease your way into performing the backflip. Breaking this move down into stages, the first thing you should do is perform a backdrop.

This is just falling on your back and through the motion of doing this, you should spring back up on the trampoline.

This is a great way to build your confidence before you start moving on to the backflip and will get you ready for the sudden feeling of the move.

Once you are backdropped out, now it is time to start progressing closer towards the backflip. The next stage is to perform a sideways handspring – this basically means a handspring over your shoulder.

Do not get us wrong, the backdrop will gear you up for the backflip – it just lacks momentum, but that is where the sideways handspring comes in. This is much less scary than a handspring straight away, it kind of builds you up to it.

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To do a sideways handspring, bend your arms at your elbows and imagine then going up and over your head, propelling you backward and fully around into a full circle; this is exactly the kind of motion that you need to retain throughout the jump.

Your focus needs to be behind you as this will drive your body as your neck brings the rest of your body with it, which will also assist your jump.

Make sure you get yourself a good bounce and jump up straight, then at the peak of your jump make sure to propel yourself over your shoulder.

Aim to land on your hands, but do not be too critical of your initial landing – on your hands and knees is completely fine.

Once you have tried this, you can then move on to a regular back handspring. It’s all about breaking things down into chunks and building yourself up to each move.

The only aspect of the handspring that you are tweaking is where you look. Instead of looking over your shoulder, your full focus is behind you. Last time your focus was here but more as an aiming point.

Now, you need to look up and behind you. 

Make sure that you get your positioning right on the trampoline, after all, you don’t want to propel yourself off it. So, start off with positioning yourself in the center of the trampoline, and focus your jump upwards directionally, rather than just backward.

This will help you to avoid any injuries. Keep repeating this until you can land on your hands and feet as this will gear you up really well to do a backflip.

As you repeat this move, make sure you try and jump higher each time as this is a crucial element of the backflip. 

Time For The Backflip

Once you are confident with doing a full back handspring, then you should be ready to move on to the final step. That’s right, it’s time for the backflip!

Make sure that you position yourself when you go for the jump, and look backwards. To ensure that you do this properly, when you look backwards make sure you are not looking off diagonally or to the side; precision is key so look straight to the back.

The best guideline is to make sure that you can see the floor straight behind you. We would advise that you are a step or two away from the center of the trampoline, just to make sure that you give yourself enough space to land the jump.

Bear in mind the upward then over momentum that we talked about earlier, your jump needs to have enough height just so you can flip yourself over.

You should aim to land on your feet when you do your backflip, and use your hands to steady you and protect your neck.

Try and flip so that the majority of your weight is being held by and lands on your feet. This will give you a pretty great backflip, although it might not be so graceful yet. Your primary aim at this stage is to get over your body! 

Make sure that you use your arms to people you up and then around, a good sign is if you land without hurting yourself. This is a pretty strong indicator that you are doing it right!

Make sure that you get as much momentum as possible in order to land on your feet. Initially, you can start by landing your backflip on your hands and knees, then progress this on to your feet and hands, and then finally land your backflip on just your feet.

This can be achieved by getting as much momentum via the trampoline as possible. A positive mental attitude will also assist you pretty nicely here.

The thing to remember along this learning process is that practice makes perfect. If you feel uncomfortable or you do not feel confident at any stage then do not force it.

Make sure that you give yourself time to get comfortable with each part of the process before moving on to the next stage.

There is no rush to achieve the perfect backflip as far as we are concerned. It might be a great idea to involve friends who can help you through the backflip, or just be there to give you that confidence boost.