How to Run up a Wall and Flip

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Have you ever seen an action hero star or video game character run towards a wall, take a few steps on it, and flip backwards? Did you silently wish to yourself that you could do the same? Believe it or not, while difficult and risky, it is possible to run up a wall and flip. The move is called a "wall flip". After plenty of training and experience, here are the steps you can take to complete this incredible (and potentially dangerous) move.

Steps

Gather experienced spotters who know how to properly spot a wall flip.
Check the condition of the wall to ensure for a sure grip and stable surface.
Run at the wall with moderate speed. Looking at the spot you are going to put your feet is very important. When you are learning this move, you'll need more speed, but once you've got it down pat, you can try it with less speed as it becomes easier.
Plant your weaker foot about a meter away from the wall and keep looking at the spot you're going to place your second foot on the wall. This should be about chest height, although it varies.
Push into the wall, looking at the spot where your foot is. The longer you look at it, the higher you will go. Keep your chest and head as high as possible for as long as possible - this will give you more height on the rotation.
Lean back! This is very important. If you don't lean back, you won't make it round. Aim for the horizon. Make sure to keep your legs going around. If they stop rotating, so do you.
Look at your position. At this point you should be horizontal, with your trailing (weaker) leg thrusting upwards to provide the power of the rotation. This is essential. Continue to push your planted foot (stronger) downwards against the wall to extend the upward motion.
Lean your head back also! A general rule of rotations is that your torso follows your head. Arm positioning is not important, and is just dependent on personal preference. Your ankle does a small flick to complete the rotation.
Look at your landing and force your legs around to it. Keep your eyes open to spot it correctly! This is hang time, with a small tuck to control the rotation (tight tuck for a quick rotation, open makes it slow).
Bend your knees to absorb the landing and retain balance. This is a very high impact move, even on grass, so don't overdo it.
Practice to do a swift turn-around, or you could do a backwards recovery (which is even more difficult, but great if you can pull it off).

Tips

Focus on becoming horizontal, and really drive that leg skywards to get the rotation over with as quickly as possible.
Supporting (spotting) is important when learning this move - especially for people who are not used to flips.
Start using a wedge shaped mat placed up against a wall with another flat mat below, if possible.
Envisioning making it IS important. If you can't see it happening and put the full effort into it, you probably won't. Have confidence.
Try placing a trampoline against a wall and doing a rebound flip off of it. You get the height you need to practice without needing to run all the way up the wall.
If you want to do two steps on the wall: place your first foot lower then you would with a one step flip, this way you can push youself upwards so you can place your second foot higher. If you don't do this you might not get your second foot on the wall and fall down.
If you are trying it for the very first time, try a soft patch to land on

Warnings

The wall flip is inherently dangerous and can cause severe injuries if improperly executed. Never attempt to learn this without two trained people who can support your falls. See How to Support a Wall Flip. Before attempting, consider the risks (surface conditions, distance to a medical facility, skill of spotters, previous injuries, etc.
Always remember to make sure that the wall you are doing this on is solid. If it's not, you could easily put your foot into or through it, and if you get your foot caught, you could be dangling upside down with no way of getting your (broken) foot out on your own.
Understand that these directions assume the prior ability of being able to perform a back flip. If you do not know the necessary conditions in which it takes to fully rotate through a successful backflip, do not attempt the wall flip. Learn the back flip first on a trampoline or on some mats. Definitely not concrete!
Always warm up and stretch before attempting.
Seriously, this can be dangerous. Real people have broken their necks and lived the rest of their lives as quadriplegics because they screwed up when they tried this flip. Follow all precautions if you are new at it, and don't try to impress your friends by doing it when you're drunk.
If you are going to do it, set up a safe landing, grab some people to spot you and go for it 100%. DO NOT get halfway up the wall and decide that you aren't mentally prepared to do it yet, this is how most tumbling injuries occur. Don't run at the wall until you are fully committed to completing the move.
Do not try to do a backflip after you land! it can seriously hurt you!

Things You'll Need

Good shoes with treads.
A solid wall
Supporters or Spotters (people to help you and make sure nothing goes wrong).
Mats or another soft landing area
Confidence

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

ScrewGravity.com - How to Wall Flip - Extensive Parkour website and source the original page on this topic written by "Levity".

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Run up a Wall and Flip. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Friday, January 25, 2008

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