Btuck Question

[Banned]

Hi

I've been looking at some tutorials for doing btuck, I have one question about where you look though. In Juji's Btuck tutorial he says

Quick note about visionary focus during backflips: Why keep your eyes focused forward? Because if you prematurely look back, your neck extends and your chest opens up - meaning you create unnecessary arch in your lower back which slows the rotation and eliminates height. Sure, the move works if you look backward and have a parachute chest as you advance - but by not looking back and keeping a relatively hollow body position, will make good for maximum height and rotation during the backflip. For example, if you ever want a double backflip, you'll kill yourself if you don't maintain the hollow position with rounded forward shoulders: And the only way to maintain that is blind entry into the move - by not ever looking back for the ground.

Basically meaning look forward as long as possible.

While in Chase Armitage - admin from 3run.co.uk's tutorial he says
-http://streetstunts.co.uk/3run/tutorials1/backflip_tutorial.doc

At this point you have thrown your arms up and backwards and have sprung off your toes, Now you need to look backwards with your head. With every trick, I have learnt that the direction you look in is key to doing the flip right, so look upwards then directly back in the direction you are going. Arch your back; this helps you spot the ground quickly. “What ever you do, don’t get scared and tuck your head into your chest, because you won’t see where your going”.

I'm just wondering which is actually the proper and best/efficient way to get the btuck down.

Thank you

PS. Why are 'keep in mind', 'specific problem advice' and 'spotter adivice' the exact same in both tutorials

[Cicero]

Juji is talking about not looking back while & before you jump and reach max height, while Chase on the other hand is refering to what happens after you have reached max height.

You never, ever look back in a backflip before you have some decent height. On the other hand when you're high enough you should extend your head and shoulders backwards while bringing your knees to your chest and tuck.

[sp3ctum]

The spin is going to be a bit slower if you look back, so why look back?
You can't see much anyway.

[Dovicka]

in back tuck looking back hinders you flip to a major extent, im not sure about gainers, I'm gonna try them this thursday, but it is kinda tricky to keep your head foreward, but once you get it you don't even have to think about it. My avatar is about 6 inches lower than I can now, it is 3 days after I learned to keep my head foreward.

[Kipper]

Listen to Dovicka. That is one high backflip you have there, man.

[Neodine]

yes, i need to learn to do backflip like dovicka, cause now, i just look back right after i jumped :/ so my bflip sucks :/ gotta try it again later today cause my friend can spot me today :)

[Cicero]

You have to look back at one point... if not you're not going to turn.

[Peleke]

As he says in his exampler, imagine theres a bar on your shoulders that pushes your head back as you reach the maximum height of the jump...its hard to explain, watch the exampler and see if you hear it.

[Neodine]

YEAHH!!!! yesterday my friend spotted me, and my backflip was SOO HIGH when i jumped up, not back at all :) too bad we hadn't got much time, so i did not try it without spotting, but still i'm so excited that finally my backflip looks like backflip, and its high too :D, ill just need to train a bit more then its just best backflip i ever made :)
*edit, everybody who has bad backflip or is too afraid to do it, should try spotting, it just helps you ALOT. and its allmost impossible to land on your head (but still its possible :)) but yeah ! :D

[Dovicka]

juji actually is not a very good example of a proper back tuck, he is an example of a GOOD back tuck, but he throws his head back quite a bit, Joe eigo is has pretty much perfect one but he leans back a little to much (using his arms not his head) and could be higher, even though his insane vert makes him go really high.

[fosskers]

the backflip is so fast you dont have time to look at much anyway

[Lord Moe]

Juji is talking about not looking back while & before you jump and reach max height, while Chase on the other hand is refering to what happens after you have reached max height.

You never, ever look back in a backflip before you have some decent height. On the other hand when you're high enough you should extend your head and shoulders backwards while bringing your knees to your chest and tuck.

Watch an example of Juji's backflip. He's does exactly what Cicero is saying. Watch it in slow-motion.

[Peleke]

juji actually is not a very good example of a proper back tuck, he is an example of a GOOD back tuck, but he throws his head back quite a bit, Joe eigo is has pretty much perfect one but he leans back a little to much (using his arms not his head) and could be higher, even though his insane vert makes him go really high.
Juji>Joe, and that is why we use him as an example. Seriously though, I think that he is a perfectly fine example for someone who is learning.

[Less than Dan]

Actually, everyone in here who said that the looking backwards at some point intiates the flip, they happen to be dead wrong. The momentum of bringing your knees to your chest is what starts the flip.

As well, people fail to realize is that an easy way to get over in the backflip (like that guy from the freerunner site, saying he looks back. He most likely has a pretty shit backtuck) is usually never the best way. It's all about getting up, pushing off of your toes, even when doing standing ones, pushing from your toes through your legs, and stretching out your abs like a rubber band on the way up. When you force your knees to your chest, you initate the flip, and then your abs actually snap back and scrunch, aiding the power of the flip. Notice how most people have sore abs when they first learn this move?

The backflip is fast, but it's not THAT fast, where you can't spot your landings. I open up a split second after seeing the ground when I'm totally upside down, and it's gotten to the point where it's just instinct. Aerial awareness is truly the most important factor of learning any flip. You need to know where you are in the air.

People do backflips differently as well. Some people jump up and then just force their knees to their chest, giving the flip a true "Float, up and down" look, like Dovicka and Joe Eigo, for instance, while people like myself, and perhaps even Juji, who jump up, and stretch out and then scrunch our abs as well as force our knees to our chest, and then open up. Is any way better? Not really. One gives the illusion of height, one gives the illusion of speed, when in reality, the moves happen at the same height and speed.

It's all about style.

juji actually is not a very good example of a proper back tuck, he is an example of a GOOD back tuck, but he throws his head back quite a bit, Joe eigo is has pretty much perfect one but he leans back a little to much (using his arms not his head) and could be higher, even though his insane vert makes him go really high.

You see, though, Juji isn't throwing back ANYTHING, and definatly not his head. He does just like I do, it's hard to explain, but he truly is jumping straight up, just at an angle, because if you notice, he stretches out his abs and midsection, and then uses it in the tuck.

[Dovicka]

Ya, I can't really debate that because I learned to focus foreward far after I could land easily using bad technique, and had no fear. haha , that was suppose to go before lessthandan's post, but he beat me to it. But I do agree, after thinking about it and looking at vids, that it is you bringing your legs up that stops your height and established your Center of Gravity, if you look at my avatar, I stop going up right as I start to to, that is a problem that I am currently trying to fix in both roundoff and standing back tucks. But if you throw your head back it arches your back making you have to tuck. and if you lean back too much, even if your back isn't arched, it is like pushing a flat piece of cardboard through the air as opposed to pushing it through the air by the thin side.

[Less than Dan]

Ya, I can't really debate that because I learned to focus foreward far after I could land easily using bad technique, and had no fear.

Your backflips are great though, so don't worry. You have the backflip that a lot of people LOVE to see around here. Reminds me of Anis' backflips, straight up, and he just freezes in the air, and the knees overtake, just like you do :)

[lak89]

do not lean your head back to look for the ground, doing so will give you a wrong sense of rotation, while you may be able to see the ground, your body isn't rotating. You will land the backtuck before you know it