How To Do A Front Tuck/Front Flip (Complete Guide With 17 Drills) (2023)

Ask any new gymnast, cheerleader or tumbler the following question:“What’s scarier, going backwards or going forwards?”

…and about 95% of the time, they’ll answer “Backwards!”

And it makes sense. We humans LIKE to know where we’re going. It’s normal, its natural and it’s how we’re wired.

Tumbling backwards is only more comfortable after years and years of training.

Personally, I’d rather do a double back tuck than a double front tuck any day of the week.

Why? Because I can spot my landing. Well… most of the time anyway 😉

What I’m getting at is that while the front tuck is much, much easier to initiate, finishing the skilltakes some real practice since it’s more of a “blind” landing.

Also, I’ve never come across anyone that has a mental block when it comes to front tucks… so that’s always a good sign.

Side Note: The landing is not actually “blind” per say. But when you rotate forwards your chest/torso is in the way, so the success of your landing becomes a combination of visual spotting, muscle memory and an educated guess. When you combine all three perfectly, you can nail a front tuck every single time.

So… how do we actually do one?

Well first, let’s get into a few prerequisites that you’ll need to master. Like most of my guides, I’ve created this process to help competitive athletes. This means things will be done properly and in a logical order following the P3 Philosophy (Practice > Perfection > Progression).

I suggest you stick to this process… lest you get a bloody nose.

Oh, you didn’t know that can happen with front tucks? Well, I hope you never have to find out. (I’ll do my best to keep your nose and general facial structure as pretty as possible.)

Prerequisite #1: Front Roll & Shaping

I know this seems obvious. Like, if you’re going to front tuck then “DUH!”… of course you should know how to roll forwards!

However, there’s a bit more to it than that. It’s not just about a front roll. I’m sure my dad can front roll under the right circumstances (and the right amount of beer). But would his front roll translate well into the front tuck?

Not a chance!

It’s about the quality of the shape. Take a look at the shaping drill I use with my athletes:

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I’m telling you, this little drill is absolute magic. It’s job is to ensure two very important things:

• ONE: The quality of the tuck shape (Hint: The tuck shape is the same whether you’re doing a front tuck or back tuck. The only thing that differs is the order, timing and the direction of entry into its initiation.)
• TWO: The integrity of the tuck shape. That’s just a fancy way of saying that you need to stay tight at all times. Remember that bloody nose I was talking about? Yeah, that happens when athletes “throw” front tucks with a shape that’s about a solid as a piece of wet tissue paper.

Prerequisite #2: Dive Roll

The dive roll has gotten some hate as of late. Some gyms have banned it saying its dangerous or useless. The truth is, incompetent coaching and carelessness can turn even an innocent cartwheel into a life threatening activity.

Hell, I know people that are so clumsy, that they’re a threat to themselves just walking!

So no, dive rolls are not scary monsters.

Have people been hurt doing them? Yes…

But are they a useful tool that can be used safelyto help you learn a front tuck? Heck yes!

Take a look at an example below:

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Let’s go over a few pointers so you don’t get brain damage when doing dive rolls (and make it to college).

• Chin position should be neutral during the dive, then tucked in during the roll. This habit should’ve already been ingrained into you (or your athlete) during the learning phases of the front roll, but it bares repeating.
• No part of the head should touch the ground. Like, ever. As you’re rolling out of the dive, your arms are where the magic happens. They take and absorb your force. A good idea is to learn a handstand roll out with absolute control. You (or your athlete) should be able to hold your body weight and lower it gently. If your handstand roll out “plops” to the ground, you don’t have the strength to dive roll.
• Get some height. Think about doing a dive roll over an object that’s at least your hip height (this will also come in handy during front tucks)
• Do it on a soft & forgiving surface. I almost never let athletes dive roll on floor unless it’s skill testing day.
• Don’t “roll out” or go into a tuck shape too soon. This will result in a hard landing right on your back. I mean, you won’t die… but you’ll definitely get winded. And that’s never fun.

Prerequisite #3: Hollow Shape Rebound (From Run)

I also call this a “front tuck set position” from time to time, but the official name describes it best, so that’s what I’ll keep in the subtitle. I usually don’t let my athletes run more than 2 steps.

Here’s how it should look:

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A few key pointers to remember for the Hollow Shape Rebound:

1) Angle Of Impact (AOI): When the feet (more specifically, the toes) make contact with the floor, they should be in front of the hips. Or in other words, imagine drawing a vertical line from the upper body down past the hips. The legs should be anywhere in front of this line. This ensures that all the power and force will go upwards, resulting in a beautiful and high front tuck. If the AOI is zero (toes directly under hips) or negative (toes behind hips) then you can expect your front tuck to be low and fly forwards uncontrollably.

See the diagram below for further clarification:

Side Note: Before you slap a protractor on the screen and get too obsessed with exact angles, understand this is simply a model to demonstrate a concept. To use this concept practically in training, just remember: The more horizontal momentum you’re carrying, the more aggressive you want your AOI. So if you want to do a punch double front tuck, you’ll need to run harder and get your toes further in front than someone who just wants a single front tuck. If you have to front tuck over an object (for whatever reason) you’ll need a slightly negative AOI so you can get enough distance to clear it.

Optional AOI Drill: Cheese Sliders.Sometimes, it can be hard to master the correct AOI. So if you (or your athletes) are having trouble getting the feet in front of the hips, check out the animation below for a simple drill that helps exaggerate that AOI:

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2) Go For Height: It’s one thing to rebound on a flat surface, but I generally require my athletes to do it on top of a block without a bend in the knees. This allows me to see the true height of the rebound. If you (or your athletes) are doing this drill and instinctively bend the knees in order to clear the block, more work needs to be done. Either add more power or check the AOI.

Horray! It’s Time To Get To The Core Drills…

Now that we’ve taken care of the prerequisites, it’s time to get into the meat of the skill!

You’re about to get access toevery single progression that I have used to successfully teach front tucks to hundreds of athletes ranging fromall shapes and sizes.

This process is as fool-proof as it gets! So go ahead, make your way over to page 2…

Oh, and before you go: Please take a moment to share this page with your friends, teammates and coaches. These guides take me weeks (if not months) to put together, and it really means a lot when readers like you help spread the word!

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