Backflip

A backflip is a BMX trick where the rider and bike rotate backward through one full vertical loop in the air and land on both wheels. It is the most common flip in BMX and the base for many combinations, including the flair.

Overview

The rider leaves a jump or ramp, throws their head and shoulders back, and pulls the bike over with them. Bike and rider turn together around a sideways axis, like a wheel rolling backward through the air. The rider spots the ground again, opens the body up and lands.

Backflips are done on dirt jumps, quarter pipes, vert ramps, box jumps and big park lines. They carry real risk when learned badly. Most riders learn them in a controlled setting first, such as a foam pit, a resi ramp or an airbag, before trying one on a normal jump.

A backflip needs height, speed and commitment. Of the three, commitment is the one riders struggle with most.

How to do it

Do not skip the early steps. Each one removes a reason to bail halfway through the rotation.

1. Build the basics. You should have a solid bunny hop, a clean tabletop and steady control at height. You should also be comfortable going upside down in a safe setting.
2. Start in a foam pit or on a resi ramp. Do your first flips where a mistake is soft. Repeat until the rotation feels automatic.
3. Pick a jump that suits you. Look for a tall, smooth takeoff with a long, steep landing. A jump that is too small gives you no time to finish the flip.
4. Hold steady speed. Roll in at a consistent speed. Hitting the jump slower or faster than you practised changes how much rotation you get.
5. Pop and extend. Press through the lip and let the bike rise. Keep both hands tight on the bars.
6. Throw your head and shoulders back. Pull the bars toward your chest as you tip backward. This starts the rotation. Do not wait until you are at the top of the jump.
7. Tuck. Pull your knees toward your chest and keep your feet on the pedals. A tighter tuck rotates faster.
8. Spot the landing. As the bike comes around, look for the ground. When you can see the landing, you are close to finished.
9. Open up. Extend your legs and push the bike down and slightly forward so both wheels land together. Ride out and keep rolling.

Variations

Once the plain backflip is consistent, riders add other tricks to it.

• No-hander backflip: one or both hands come off the bars during the flip.
• Backflip barspin: the bars spin while the bike rotates. Riders often learn it after a clean plain backflip.
• Backflip tailwhip: the frame whips around the bars during the flip.
• Backflip x-up: the bars turn to the side in the air before the landing.
• Double backflip: two full rotations in one jump. It needs much more height and speed.
• Flair: a backflip with a 180 turn, done on a quarter pipe.

Common mistakes

• Not enough height. A small jump gives you no time to finish the rotation. Use a bigger takeoff, or work your speed and pop first.
• Leaning back too early. If you tip backward before you leave the lip, you can land flat on your back or rear wheel.
• Stopping the rotation. Bailing midway is the most dangerous mistake. If you are not ready to commit, go back to the pit.
• Letting go of the bars. Losing the bars makes the bike drift away from you and makes the landing worse.
• Not looking for the landing. If you never spot the ground, you open up at the wrong time.
• Opening too early. Extending your legs while still on the way up leaves you short of the rotation.

History

Riders were attempting backflips on BMX in the 1980s, and by the early 1990s they were being landed on ramps and in contests. Accounts of who landed the first one differ, so this wiki does not name a single inventor. What is clear is that the trick became standard in dirt and ramp contests as ramps and jumps grew larger and as landing aids such as foam pits became common.

Backflips then became the base for newer tricks. Riders added hands off the bars, bar spins and whips, and the backflip became a normal part of dirt, park and vert riding. The flair is one of the best known examples of a backflip built into something larger.

Related tricks

• Flair
• Barspin
• Tailwhip
• No-hander
• X-up
• Tabletop