Getting a new trampoline and jumping on it is the most fun thing in the world… until it’s not. Make no mistake, we don’t think jumping on a trampoline will ever get old for most people. We do think the initial thrill you experienced the first time you jumped on a trampoline can wear off over time, however.
What’s the solution? Like anything else that becomes mundane, becoming excited about your trampolining experience simply requires you to try some new things! One way of having more fun on the trampoline is jumping with friends and playing trampoline dodgeball.
Of course, that requires you to have friends to jump with. Unfortunately, having others to jump with isn’t always possible. If you’re alone and seeking a new thrill on the trampoline, consider learning how to do a backflip.
While learning how to do a backflip on a trampoline may seem difficult and intimidating, it isn’t an overly difficult maneuver to learn. While results may vary, it isn’t uncommon to be able to learn how to a trampoline backflip in just a few days!
Apart from being a lot of fun, being able to do backflips on a trampoline will also be impressive to your friends. That’s why in this post we’re going to discuss precisely how you can do a backflip on a trampoline.
Note: While doing backflips on a trampoline may not be as dangerous as one may expect, anytime one performs tricks on a trampoline they face a risk of injury.
Although we will do our best in this post to provide advice that will minimize your potential risk of injury, we cannot guarantee you won’t get hurt attempting to do backflips on a trampoline.
By continuing to read this post, you agree to take responsibility for your actions and not hold us (TeamTrampoline.com) liable in any way for your actions following your consumption of this post or any of the resources we may link to from this article.
With that short disclaimer aside, let’s get to it!
Tips for how to do a backflip on a trampoline
Below we’ll list some of our key tips for successfully landing your first trampoline backflip. We’ll also link out to some relevant Youtube videos when applicable. Enjoy!
Tip #1 Warmup & inspect your trampoline
Before doing any tricks on a trampoline you should always do two things. First, you should inspect your trampoline. If you’ve ever watched a trampoline fail compilation (see video #2), you’d notice that a lot of the fails/injuries people have on their trampolines are from unexpected holes/weaknesses in the trampoline.
By inspecting your trampoline before doing tricks, you can identify if there are any holes in your trampoline, or if there are any areas where the trampoline seems to be weak. This will help you reduce your chances of injury later on.
Before doing any tricks on a trampoline it can also be helpful to warm up your body. This will not only reduce your risk of injury but also increase your body’s ability to perform.
Tip #2 Eliminate your fear
Doing a backflip on a trampoline isn’t rocket science, but it isn’t something that comes naturally to most of us either. Unfortunately, there’s a paradox that makes doing backflips of any kind difficult.
Because we cannot see the ground when doing a backflip, we feel hesitant to commit to the movement fully because we are afraid we will hurt our neck or back. While this is a natural response of self-preservation by our body, it’s actually counterproductive!
You see, by failing to fully commit to a backflip we essentially guarantee that we won’t pull off the maneuver successfully. We need our body to fully commit to the backflip if we are to be successful because a successful backflip requires all the momentum our body can muster.
Isn’t it interesting? We are scared of doing backflips because we don’t have experience with doing them. Yet, we can’t gain the ability to successfully perform backflips until we overcome our fears! How can we do that?
We recommend you follow the advice from the above video. Basically, what you need to do is break down the backflip into smaller less complex movements. By mastering each movement in isolation, you’ll increase your confidence, and more quickly progress towards being able to complete a pure complete backflip the way you’re able to in your dreams!
Ideally, you’re able to watch the video embedded above for a vivid image of what we’re suggesting you do. If that’s not possible, however, we’ll do our best to explain the movements through text.
#1 Jump on the trampoline.
This is self-explanatory.
#2 Do a back drop
Once you’re comfortable jumping on your trampoline, you’ll incorporate a new movement. A backdrop is basically jumping up and in mid-air adjusting your body so that you land on your entire back rather than on your feet.
#3 Learn back pull-over
Once you’re able to consistently do backdrops, you’re ready for the next step. That step would be a back pull-over. A back pull-over is basically a glorified backdrop, but instead of doing a backdrop and bouncing forward back onto your feet, you’ll do a backdrop followed by a small backward flip onto your feet.
#4 Attempt pure backflip
At this point, you’ll have the technical base necessary to attempt pure backflips. If you’re still too frightened, however, you can try doing “diagonal flips” which are basically backflips done on a diagonal axis that are less scary to execute because they still allow you to see the ground/trampoline during every point of the maneuver.
Regardless of whether you start with diagonal backflips attempts or go straight to pure backflips, you’ll be well on your way to being a consistent trampoline back flipper!
Tip #3 Come back tomorrow
While some people are able to learn how to do a backflip on a trampoline in just 1 day, there’s a good chance you won’t be so lucky. That’s ok though! If you stick with it, you will be able to learn this trampoline trick. Practice makes perfect.
One thing we will recommend, however, is taking a break if you get frustrated. If you get frustrated, there’s a good chance you’ll start to become too aggressive and tense. Learning how to do a trampoline backflip is something that requires you to be in the right state of mind.
If you get too frustrated take a break and come back tomorrow. Your brain will process the things you’ve practiced while you are sleeping and you’re likely to find things will be easier the next day!
Conclusion
While learning how to do a backflip on a trampoline isn’t easy, it’s well worth it! The backflip is one of the most simple, yet rewarding maneuvers you can learn on the trampoline. Nothing is cooler than the feeling of complete control over your body!
P.S. One hidden danger of doing backflips on a trampoline is falling off of your trampoline. For that reason, you’ll always want to do backflips starting in the center of your trampoline. You’ll also be safer using a large trampoline than a small trampoline.