How to Do a Cheer Flip

For anyone interested in being a cheerleader, learning a few basic gymnastic moves is imperative. You can find things such as back handsprings, forward and back flips, or tucks, and round-off cartwheels in the routines of even the youngest cheerleaders. Of course, without proper training, these moves can be dangerous, so work with a professional -- ideally a gymnastics coach -- to help you learn the safest and most efficient ways to use your body. Once you have some basic training under your belt, you can start learning some of the more challenging moves.

Things You'll Need

  • Thick long mat
  • Sturdy surface 1-2 feet taller than the mat to jump off of
  • Trained spotter
  • Athletic clothing
Show More

Instructions

  1. Front Flip (Tuck)

    • 1

      Warm your entire body up. After doing a few jumping jacks or few minutes of light jogging, stretch your entire body.

    • 2

      Break the move down by first practicing your jump that will take you into your flip. The higher you can jump, the easier it will be to do the flip. While on your mat, start out by taking two to three steps to get momentum, and on the last step, bend your knees, lift your arms and press through the ground to jump straight up as high as you can. This is called the push-off. Practice this several times until you get a good rhythm.

    • 3

      Continue working on the push-off, but this time when you jump, pull your legs into your stomach as close as possible. Practice this until you can get your legs in the right position.

    • 4

      Stand on the edge of the solid surface you have to jump off of, making sure that you place your mat up against the surface. If you don't have a solid surface to jump off of, go to Step 5. When you're ready to flip onto your mat, jump as high as you can, making sure to quickly tuck your knees and your head as close to your stomach as possible by grabbing onto your legs. Use the momentum of your body to flip forward. Land the flip by bending your knees and landing on your feet, standing up straight once you have found your balance.

    • 5

      Practice the flip on the ground after you have mastered it from the taller surface. To do this, take a few steps onto the mat and go into your push-off. Once you're in the air, tuck your body as explained in Step 4 and flip. Land on your feet with knees bent, and stand straight up to finish it.

    Back Flip (Tuck)

    • 6

      Warm your entire body up. After doing a few jumping jacks or few minutes of light jogging, stretch your full body.

    • 7

      Prepare your body for a back flip by having your spotter stand behind you with her hands holding the sides of your body. You'll want to lift your arms in the air, and simply jump -- your spotter will lift you slightly to help you go higher -- swinging your arms down to your side just before you jump and then back up as you're in the air. Practice this several times. Once you've warmed up a bit, continue to practice the jump with your spotter, only this time bring your knees into your chest. Do this until you feel comfortable with this movement.

    • 8

      Practice the back flip by having your spotter stand at your side and place one hand on your back and one hand on your leg. The spotter's job will be to flip your body backwards so that it can learn the motion. Do this on a mat by jumping as high as possible, arching your chest to the sky when you jump, making sure to swing the arms as described in Step 2 to help give your flip momentum. After jumping, pull your legs into your body quickly, bringing your arms to the side of the legs after you have swung them. Land on your feet with your knees bent.

    • 9

      Continue practicing the back flip with your spotter. As you gain strength with this move, have your spotter provide less and less force when flipping you so that eventually you are the one flipping yourself and not the other way around. When you feel confident you can do this on your own, you can practice back flips on the mat alone.