Tutorial of Running Front flip

Tutorial of Running Front flip

The illustration below is a flow of a Front flip from run-up.
In reality, you don’t move that much(An illustration of each form is shifted to right).

running front flip

  1. Jump before punch
  2. On the ground
  3. Take off
  4. In the air
  5. Prepare for landing
  6. Landing

Ways to Practice (Running Front flip)

① Jump before punch

the last jump before punching

Run faster and jump long and low.
Don’t slow down to jump; use all the momentum of run-up to jump longer like a long jumper in track&field.
The height of your waist should be kept(the yellow line).
Put your legs forward after the half in the air.
When your feet touch the ground, you should be leaning back.
In the air, you can swing your arms neighther upward or downward.
However, note that your arms should be in front of your chest when your feet touch the ground.

② On the ground

punching form when front flips

Your run-up is transformed by frictional force to rotation in the air.
If you have only short run-up, you should get more momentum.
Therefore, you should swing down your arms.
To get higher dive roll, your waist should be above your feet.
(cf. Swing your arms and upper body)

③ Take off

front flip takeoff

To get more height, you should make your lower body vertical to the ground.
(Make your center of gravity be above your feet)

And as with standing back flip, to lean forward with your chest arched is better than with your waist arched.
Until you completely take off the ground, make your hip-joint continued to be extended.
Therefore you should have been waiting for tucking or piking.
Therefore, the angle of your hip-joint is the largest at the moment of taking off.
Also, you should look forward.

 

④ In the air

front flip in the air

The things you have to do in the air is the same as a standing back flip.
In the air you cannot generate more rotation.
(cf. We don’t rotate by momentum of tucking at all)

The only thing you can do in the air is to increase your rotation speed by making your form small (tucking) and putting strength to your whole body.
(cf. How to make your form more efficient for rotation (including improving tuck))
You should get small without thinking as soon as possible after taking off otherwise you would lose rotation due to your loose muscles.
(cf. Put strength to all your muscles)

However, sometimes the notion that you should tuck as soon as possible prevents you from proper taking off.
Therefore, you may want to wait a split second before tucking(or your hip-joint may start being closed before taking off).

 

⑤ Prepare for landing

front flip prepare for landing

After you rotate enough, you should prepare for landing.
If you rotate enough and continue to tuck, your face will be hit by the ground or by your knees.
Prepare for landing has 2 ways, which are the opposite to the way of increasing rotation.
The one is to make your form big.
And the other one is to loosen your muscles.
In these 2 ways, you can slow down your rotation speed.
Unlike a back flip, it is difficult to find out the ground.
Therefore, you have to try again and again to know the timing of landing.

 

⑥ Landing

front flip landing

Bend your knees slightly otherwise you may break your knees if you miss the timing of landing.
After your feet touch the ground, you should bend your knees more and absorb an impact of landing.
To stick your landing, you should utilize your arms properly.
(cf. How to stick your landing)