rosesred

2 days ago I started to learn backflips, there's a huge pile of soft snow for a landing so it's really hard to get hurt. The first few times I tried, I landed on my head or back, the 4th time, I had the full rotation, I just didn't land it. Now, whenever I try to do a backflip, I end up doing a messed up 180. What am I doing wrong from the other times?

It gets really frustrating

Freebird34

backflips take commitment. you just have to know that you can throw it and then throw it. Can you do a backflip of a trampoline, or maybe a diving board? If you dont know the general mechanics of a backflip then you probably shouldnt try it on a snowboard.

booyakasha

although i'm not skilled enough yet, i don't think the mechanics of a backflip on a trampoline is the same as on a snowboard. I feel with snowboard, it's more of a sideflip aerial sort of thing and then turns into a backflip.

For regular ones, you just jump straight up and then at the peak of your height, you cock your head back and tuck in your knees. Keep in mind that when you tuck, you're tightening your abs. There's this invisible pull when this occurs. The natural momentum should flip you around and then you spot where you're gonna land. Technically you shouldn't have moved from your original spot as you're falling back down. With snowboards though, seems like a whole new deal. I'm sure there's a different way to jump off the lip, rotating laterally, etc...

KIRKWOOD-$LUT

use a tramp

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SirchCA

Generally it will be easier if you have the basic mechanics of a backflip down before you try to do it with a board strapped to your feet. When learning a basic back tuck you want to jump as high as possible, using your arms to help propell you. Booyakasha does a pretty good job breaking down the steps of the flip, but I would caution the cocking of the head. Most people learning how to do a back flip make the mistake of not setting their flip, which means when they jump, they'll automatically throw their head back. This action causes the upper body/back to arch, which takes away from the height of your jump. When you jump, try and focus on one point as long as possible and tuck your legs up to your chest quickly to get your body to rotate. Your rotation should come primarily from the tucking action. By setting your flip you'll keep your jump verticle and maximize height. Get comfortable doing a normal back tuck and it should make learning one while on a snowboard easier.

berg

are backs harder or easier than fronts? i'm thinking about trying inverts this season?

Snowolf

This is way beyond my scope of ability as a rider and instructor, but something I have noticed about the more advanced freestyle tricks is just how critical the takeoff is. For doing a backflip, one thing that seems important is picking a takeoff ramp that really starts the rotation. Try to find one or build one that drops down then really launches you vertically. Natural features like shallow gullies are ideal for setting yourself up for a backflip. That`s about all I got.

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Sookao

Ok i cant do any snowboard tricks but i do know the mechanics of a back flip.

A back flip on the ground (no board) you have to jump and as other people have said that at the height of your jump "knee your face". It has nothing to do with your back. This puts all the flip momentum up so you get more hang time blah blah blah.

Off subject- on a front flip i usually make a fist above my head and sorta swing a hammer towards the ground.

Schwaller15

Yeah, I'd imagine you'd need to know the mechanics of a backflip as well, besides if you practice it on the group/tramp/divingboar/whatev you'll probably be less likely to freak yourself out while trying on your board and you won't freeze up. And they're fun to do, extra bonus in the learning process. Here's a nice visual tutorial that I've used before, YouTube - How To Backflip