Frontflip
A front flip (also known as a front tuck and a front somersault) is a movement where the body spins or rotates around your center of gravity in mid-air by utilizing your forward momentum and sometimes incorporating a tuck (made by throwing your arms forward and grabbing onto your knees). Like the backflip, additional rotations may be added to make it a double or even a triple. This can be executed either from a run (less difficult due to added momentum) or from standing (much more difficult)
Variations
- X-In
- Started identically to a normal frontflip, however, the legs are extended outwards to the sides in the shape of a "V"
- Front Half Twist
- The take off is basically identical to that of a front flip. Once the body is inverted, though generally the twist happens after most of the flipping rotation, it twists 180°, leaving the person facing the other way they took off from. This can be done either tucked or with the body straight. Different practitioners perform it different ways either for technical accuracy or for performance style. Note: This is different from a barani where you twist as you flip, essentially a Roundoff without hands. Here, with the front half twist, you flip then twist.
- Webster (Also known as a Front Walkover)
- This is comparable to a Flash kick, in that the legs are split in the direction of the flip. Another variation of this same move is a sparing move. The main difference is that the landing is more of a crash, instead of landing on both feet. Also, the legs are not split, only one is extended. Both of these differences are so the heel of the foot is able to hit the desired target (normally the opponent's head). In the past this move has been popularized in matches by martial artists such as Billy Blanks and Kim Do Nguyen.
- Arabian
- The athlete jumps into the air, while executing a 180° rotation. Once they are at the peak of the rebound and are facing the opposite direction, they pull into a front flip. The Arabian can be executed in a tuck, pike or lay-out(straight body) position. Arabians are typically done out of a round-off, but can be executed from any bounding skill or from a stand.
- Reverse Front Flip (Also known as a Loser)
- Similar to how a Gainer is to a Backflip, a Loser is where a Frontflip is executed, but the practitioner lands behind the spot they took off from (loses ground). Can be done tucked or with the legs split like a webster. It can be executed from either a standing position or while moving backwards.
- Bicycle Front Flip
- A front flip manoeuvre over the handlebars of a bicycle. The master BikerFox ®
- Frontflip Kick
