Front tuck, questions + tips

[Sephy]

Ok I want to try and do front tucks/Front flips. I have a number of questions if anyone can answer any or all that would be great.

1. Can you learn one in a similar way to a backtuck i.e Stand in the stance, and jump up and tuck then land?
2. Is there any way to remove the fear of going forward (I have a fear of jumping up and then tucking so i just sorta jump and stop? Yet on a trampoline its fine...? I know its easier because you get more bounce but any hints?
3. Is there any other hints or tips people can give e.g. get a spotter etc?

Thanks and as I said any help would be great :smile:

[Dylan]

Ok I want to try and do front tucks/Front flips. I have a number of questions if anyone can answer any or all that would be great.

1. Can you learn one in a similar way to a backtuck i.e Stand in the stance, and jump up and tuck then land?
2. Is there any way to remove the fear of going forward (I have a fear of jumping up and then tucking so i just sorta jump and stop? Yet on a trampoline its fine...? I know its easier because you get more bounce but any hints?
3. Is there any other hints or tips people can give e.g. get a spotter etc?

Thanks and as I said any help would be great :smile:


1. What your describing is a standing front tuck, with no run preceeding it. This is going to be much much more difficult to learn, especially on grass, so I'd definitely recommend learning it with a slight run up.

2. It isn't unusual for someone to have difficulty going up before tucking, and yes a trampoline can help getting in the habit of this. If your using a trampoline practise them from standing with absolutely no bounce... if you can't do a standing front tuck and land straight up on a trampoline, your chances of landing it on the ground aren't very good.

3. There isn't really anyway to spot for a frontflip (not that I know of anyway). After you get them effortless on the trampoline just go out and practise them. Theres no real way of injuring yourself doing a front tuck on the grass. It might hurt a little to land on your ass, but that's how you learn.

good luck:good:

[Sephy]

Thanks Dylan, I'll try it next time I go outside some really helpful tips :-)

[Source]

Of course there are ways to spot a front tuck. Another easy way to learn them without a spot is to practice high dive rolls. If you can do a really high dive roll (not a long one), then a front tuck is a simple modification.
If you want someone to spot you, get them to stand on either your left or right.
Stick out one hand (right hand if standing on the left). Try to jump over their hand before you tuck and as you are going over they push you up with that hand and rotate you with the other. (kinda hard to explain clearly but simpler than it sounds).

[Sephy]

Thanks source, maybe i'll give that a try too, cheers.

[Dylan]

Yeah source come to think of it i have heard of that.... although i've never seen it done and do not understand at all how it works:tongue:

but you dont need a spotter to learn a frontflip....give er a whirl and keep us updated

and always listen to source, he is kickass at flips

[Sephy]

I've tried a couple recently, and the problem is just the part just after you jump and rotate I lose loads of my high so it looks almost like a Front hand spring without hands...its really low to the ground?
Is it just a case of jump higher and stall more?

[Shikayo]

I've tried a couple recently, and the problem is just the part just after you jump and rotate I lose loads of my high so it looks almost like a Front hand spring without hands...its really low to the ground?
Is it just a case of jump higher and stall more?

You answered your own question. Jump UP, rotate, LAND.

Often, the height of your front tuck is determined by your setup and takeoff.

In Dogen's tutorial on 'blocking' (the transition of horizontal momentum to vertical - described in Juji's article "Universal Tricking Tactics"), he stresses the importance of digging into the ground with your feet slightly infront of you, making sure that you go UP in your front tuck, if you understand?

Also, a useful tip for the takeoff. When you run up, and then dig into the ground to jump, make sure that that dig doesn't last longer than a split second. At my gymnastics place thingy, we call a front tuck a "Punch Front", because the dig is literally a punch of the floor. The longer you are in your dig, the more energy is absorbed into the ground, consequently diminishing the height in your front tuck.

Good luck mate!

P.S. - To understand more about the blocking technique, go to this page:

http://www.dogentricks.com/index.php?s=tutorials

It's Dogen's tricking page, with his tutorials. Go down to the 'blocking' tutorial and download it.

[Dave]

Source have I seen you tumbling on some paradise beach? And do you use the russian front technique?

As for frontflip help, well I wouldn't learn them on plyo. I don't know about tramps either but if it helps getting over fear it should be all good.

Do them onto a mattress or something to help absorb impact...sandpit, etc.

First you need to try it, to know what you need to fix/work on :D

[Dave]

Shiyako:

My personal experience is. I learned fronts on plyo. I could land them. On grass I failed for so so so long. You can't punch grass like you can for plyo... It just wont rebound you as much. Therefore you need to push more. Less punch, more push for grass. That's what helped me along with a few other things but yeah, thought i'd put that out there...

[Sephy]

Thanks guys all helpful tips, I'll go try some then post a video about my progress then if its ok, you guys can comment?

thanks a bunch.