Back when I was a teenager (many moons ago), whenever someone found out I did gymnastics, the very first question they inevitably asked me was: “Cool! So can you like, do a backflip?”
“Of course” was usually my answer, knowing full well that their follow up would be a request to show it off.
And show it off I did!
When you learn a standing tuck, you have this urge to do it literally anywhere and everywhere. But if they wanted to see it a second time, it would cost them.
This little scheme resulted in 50% of my high school lunches being fully covered for. It even helped me break up a fight once – I mean, what kid in their right mind wants to take on someone who can backflip? So instead of wanting to put a fist through my face, it was instant friendship!
Basically, to me the standing tuck is not just some backflip, it’s an essential life skill. And today I want to teach it to you using the very methods that gymnasts, cheerleaders, martial artists and break dancers pay me good money for. Trust me, even if you’re just starting or have failed to nail your tuck in the past, you’re going to learn something new. And this time, it’ll stick!
Quick Warning: Please make sure that you do not attempt the techniques you see below without the professional supervision of a coach. Also, me being young and stupid does not mean you should go around doing back tucks everywhere. I will take no responsibility if you hurt yourself. Train smart.
Prerequisites Needed
If you’re a gymnast or cheerleader and you currently do not have a round-off back tuck, then standing tucks should be put on the back burner. Ideally, a round off back handspring tuck would be an even better base to start from. This is how I train all my competitive athletes.
The only time I make an exception to this rule is when break dancers, martial artists and parkour guys book a private lesson with me to exclusively learn a standing tuck. If you happen to be in this camp, then you might want to work with a certified coach to learn the round off tuck (it won’t take long and in the long run, you’ll have two skills to show off). Therefore, for the remainder of this guide I’m going to assume you already know how to do a round-off back tuck at the bare minimum.
Terminology Guide
- RO = Round Off
- BT = Back Tuck
- SBT = Standing Back Tuck
- BHS = Back Handspring
Phase 1: The Eagle
The absolute first thing I teach is something I like to call The Eagle position. This is crucial since 99.9% of the time athletes learn their BHS well before they get to tucks.
This means they most probably have a habit of keeping their chest upright.
An upright chest position is great if you want to go backwards, but a SBT requires height while minimizing any horizontal distance travelled.
In order to achieve this, you need to drop your chest. Also, just as in a BHS, a SBT requires a very aggressive arm swing and shoulder lift, giving you some added height (more on that soon).
Here are some key points to remember about The Eagle:
- Head position stays neutral (i.e look straight ahead, not down or up)
- Drop your chest (but not so far that your torso is parallel to the floor)
- Arms go as far back as they can
- Do not sit all the way down (this is not a squat, so no need to go too low – thighs at a 45 degree angle is all you’ll need)
- Get into position slowly, but come out of it explosively
Drill #1: Eagle to Straight Jump (15 reps)
Drill #2: Eagle To Tucked CandleStick (30 reps)
- Be sure to follow the timing and rhythm exactly as shown. Do not rush it.
- A Vault is not required, you can used stacked mats or blocks. Just make sure it’s above-waist height.
Drill #3: Eagle To Dead-Bug Jump Back (30 reps)
- Notice how I drive my hips into the air and appear to “float” for a second? This is what you’re looking for.
- Do not drive your knees & hips up quickly here, as it will cause you to rotate and land on your neck. You need to take the fall on your back. We’ll work exclusively on the rotation in Phase 2.
- Leave your arms up and do not drop them
Important Note Going Forward: Never initiate a standing tuck drill (or the tuck itself) from The Eagle or a hands-down position. Always start while standing on your toes with your arms by your ears. The reason for this is simple: you’re pre-practicing the position you want your body to hit in the air. The order of execution for a standing tuck are as follows: Stand tall > The Eagle > Straight Jump > Tuck. Memorize this.
Hand Placement During The Tuck
One of the worst trends I’ve been noticing over the years is when athletes grab either their hamstrings or the back of their legs during a standing back tuck (or even a RO BT).
Not only is this inefficient and hideous looking, but it gives you almost zero control, doesn’t translate well to helping you learn more advanced skills, and happens to be pretty dangerous.
Don’t believe me? Try out this experiment: While standing, bend over into tuck position, and put your hands on your shins. Now tilt forward as if you’re going to fall on your face but at the very last second, catch yourself with your hands. Chances are managed just fine and still look pretty.
Now go back into the tuck position and grab your hamstrings (behind the legs). Now tilt forward and try to catch yourself at the last second. This time around, you’ll notice there’s about a half-second delay in speed, and it was much harder.
In the world of tumbling, half a second might as well be as long as half an hour. It can mean the difference between saving yourself and falling straight on your face (see my case in point below):
Now granted, the people in the video were doing a lot of things incorrectly, but I’ve seen this exact incident repeat itself one too many times. So put your trust in someone who’s been doing this for a while and grab the shins. You’ll thank me later.
“But Coach, I feel like I need to pull my legs over, or I won’t make it!”
If you lack the core strength to drive your hips and snap your knees over your own head then you’re not ready for a SBT. You can easily test your tucking power by doing a RO BT without grabbing anything and leaving your arms by your ears. If you land short, you know your rotation speed is too slow, and needs work.
So instead of using a Band-Aid solution by pulling your legs over, work on your core strength and hip drive. It will not only improve your tucks, but further down the road it’ll make your layouts and fulls faster, prettier and safer.
Think about it for a second: you can cheat a tuck now, but what are you going to do when it’s time to work a layout double twist? Grab one side of your body and yank yourself over in mid-air? I think not.
“In the world of tumbling, half a second might as well be as long as half an hour”(Tweet This)
Enjoying This Content?
Did you know that 99% of the resources on this site are available for free? That's over 100 articles and 300+ drill videos with no paywalls and no ads. Just real value shared with everyone. All made possible by generous readers that stepped up to support the site's maintenance costs. If you would like to help keep this resource alive, click below to donate or visit the store to show your support.
Phase 2: Tuck Timing & Rotation
The two biggest differences between a RO tuck and a standing tuck (besides the take off) are:
- The speed of rotation.
- The timing of the “open” during landings.
While the actual rotation technique stays the same, you have much less time to make it over, requiring you to be explosive. This is why one of my favorite transitioning drills is a straight jump rebound to back tuck on a Tumble Trak, as seen below.
Drill #4: Straight Jump Rebound To BT (50 reps)
Drill #5: SBT With Spot on Tumble Trak (10 reps)
It’s extremely important to film yourself at this stage because if you’re making any of the common mistakes such as:
- Not throwing your arms up and opening your shoulders
- Throwing your head back
- Dropping your arms during the tuck
- Not having enough hip drive
…then you want to fix them now rather than later. Once you form a bad habit, it’ll take twice as long to learn it right.
Enjoying This Guide? Why Not Download The Premium Edition?
✓ Compatible With All Tablets & Smartphones
✓ Download Access To All Video Files For Personal Use
✓ Bonus Videos With Advanced Progressions To Try
✓ Bonus Conditioning Plan To Boost Jumping Power By 20%
✓ Warm Fuzzy Feeling Of Supporting The Site (so I can keep it ad-free!)
Reg: $15 Now Only: $7.99!
Drill #6: SBT Without Spot On Tumble Trak (50 reps)
Phase 3: Are You Strong Enough?
As a coach I make it my job to always be honest with my athletes – and sometimes, this requires telling them things they need to hear (even if they don’t want to). So let me just go on record to say that if you have a terrible vertical jump, the SBT will forever be out of your reach.
Unlike a RO BT where you can rely on technique, angles, momentum and a sprung floor to give you the height you need, the SBT requires you to generate power from next to nothing, and therefore, strength has a big role to play in the equation.
I’ve written an entire article on how you can boost your jumping power and I suggest you read up on it. Included in the article is also a conditioning program that you can use which relies on both explosive movements, proper squats and resistance training with weights.
If you don’t have access to weights, here’s a basic leg conditioning routine you can perform with just bodyweight:
[Sets] x [Reps]
- Bodyweight Squat: 2 x 20
- Jump Squats: 3 x 15
- Eagle To Straight Jump (Drill #1): 2 x 20
- Straight Jump Rebounds: 2 x 100
- Calf Raises (one leg at a time): 2 x 30
Do this program 3x a week, either after your SBT training session or on days you’re not tumbling. Remember, conditioning doesn’t make you stronger right away – in fact it makes you weaker since your muscle fibers are put under stress, and experience micro-tears.
You become stronger once you’ve recovered. And how does your body recover? Well it needs two key ingredients: Sleep & Nutrition.
Don’t expect your muscles to be rebuilt bigger and stronger if you’re missing those two crucial ingredients. Generally speaking, a high protein diet is recommended but you should also know that carbohydrates help spare muscle tissue from breakdown during training. They key with carbs is knowing when to eat, what type and how much. For more details on that be sure to check out The Cheer Diet. It’s been specially designed to help improve the performance of hardworking cheerleaders and tumblers.
Drill #7: SBT From A Raised Surface, No Spot (30 reps)
- There are multiple ways to set this up – I chose to utilize both a block and a softer mat on top of a resi pit for this particular athlete. You might have to make do with less equipment but the point is, you need to go off a higher surface that gives you zero bounce.
- As your SBT starts to get better, slowly increase the landing surface so that it starts to feel more like floor. Once you can land your SBT on a surface that is almost at the floor level, you’re ready for Drill #8.
Drill #8: SBT Into Levelled Pit, No Spot (50 Reps)
- There’s a good reason why I’ve suggested doing so many reps – technique is everything, and before you try it on floor, you need to be extremely consistent in your pull.
Drill #9: SBT On Floor With Spot (15 Reps)
Make sure you have a spotter you know you can trust, this goes without saying.
- Do not, under any circumstances, under-power or get lazy while attempting this final drill. If you’re too tried, take a break and do it when you have energy. If anything, you want to be extra-aggressive. Tumbling that’s fast and tight is will keep you safe. Tumbling that’s slow and loose will break you.
Last Few Pieces Of Advice
To this day, the standing back tuck happens to be one of my favorite skills to perform. And because I took the time to learn it right, it’s a skill that my old beat-up joints can still manage to do. I also give full credit to the great coaches I was fortunate enough to have in my corner.
At this point, the best advice I can give you is to not rush it, and follow the progressions while doing the recommended reps (or more).
Oddly enough, anytime you mentally prepare to learn a skill by taking as long as it’ll take, you end up learning it rather quickly. Tumbling works in mysterious ways. Good luck, train hard and let me know how you liked this guide in the comment section below. Also, please don’t forget to share this guide with your friends!
If You Enjoyed This Guide, Why Not Download The Premium Edition?
✓ Compatible With All Tablets & Smartphones
✓ Download Access To All Video Files For Personal Use
✓ Bonus Videos With Advanced Progressions To Try
✓ Extra Conditioning To Boost Jumping Power By 20%
✓ Warm Fuzzy Feeling Of Supporting The Site (so I can keep it ad-free!)
Reg: $15 Now Only: $7.99!
Experience The Best Tumbling Clinics At Your Gym!
If you're a Coach, Director or Owner of a program and are interested in hosting Coach Sahil's clinics at your gym, click the button below to fill out the interest form. He is available for staff training, program design, and athlete development. Imagine what it would be like to gain 20 years of tumbling knowledge in just a few days!
About Coach Sahil
For over 15 years, Coach Sahil has been on a mission to help athletes master their tumbling and acrobatic skills in the shortest amount of time possible without sacrificing safety or the quality of their technique. As a former Power Tumbler and Power Lifter himself, he fully understands the inner struggles of an athlete and how to help them get to the next level. To date, he has worked with thousands of athletes around the World and provided training to hundreds of coaches in almost every country you can imagine. He is also a Certified Gymnastics Coach, founder of Addicted To Tumbling, and former co-owner of a gym. He is also the author of the best-selling book The Cheer Diet.
Wow, so I guess I’ve been tucking wrong for the past 3 years…? Going to try the hands on shin technique. Now that I think about it, it does make sense 😛
Btw thanks for offering all the videos! 99c is a steal and my phone is already loaded with them. Can’t wait to try it all out.
Thanks for the support Patricia! And don’t worry hands on shin won’t take you long to master. Just get those reps under your belt!
Hi im scared to throw my handspring on floor cause i think i wont make it over and land on my hands. the same problem i had when i first started learning it in the pit . and im scared i wont do the tuck right ,that ill go straight up and come down on my neck instead of goingover.
Hey just have a coach help you if you are in cheer of gymnastics team they will be sure to see if you are ready for it. ??
I have a problem with my setting and my backhand springs. I’m in level 3 cheerleading and I have a very highly round off tuck but I don’t set I just punch my feet into the ground and tuck really fast. Also in my back handsprings my hands are far apart and I front of me and my right hand turns outwards (weird right). How can I get better sets and set longer and fix my hand in my handspring???
Jump off of your toes it sounds weird but you will set amazingly high and not saying you do but look at your knees till your ready to open
i have been trying to get my standing back tuck for four years now i am thriteen and they said i am throwing my head back. i have troed looking at walls and standing up more. any other suggestions?
Hey when I try I could never get the dead bug drop so.could you help me I will give you my address
So, I have done my backtuck in the past but whenever I do it my instructor always tells me I am throwing back, I was wondering if you had any suggestions to help me. If wood help me a lot. I’ve been trying to get my Rick for short a year now and I always have the same problem. Thank you for any help you have ❤️❤️
OMG coach your tucks are perfection! Wish mine looked like that 🙁
I’m with you girl! His height is crazy… I’m pretty sure my 5 foot frame could like, walk right under him. Nice to see someone who actually practices what they preach.
haha thank you ladies but I’m nothing special… just hard work, conditioning and technique.
Nothing ya’ll can’t replicate 😉
do i have to know how to do a back handspring to do the standing back tuck
You dont need a backhandspring to have a tuck. The resoning behind this is, a tuck is a vertical skill while a back handspring is a horizontal skill. If your set isnt good i would recomend getting a backhandspring first for the fact of getting used to going backwards.
Yes
So how come I tend to move back pretty far when completing backflips on a trampoline? I move back 4-5feet from where I started with each flip
I can already do a standing back tuck but I still learnt something from this guide. I remember watching every youtube video I could but the progressions you’ve laid out are by far the best. To show my support, you definitely get my 99c good sir!
Thanks Tyler, appreciate the support. Glad you found the videos useful
Is that the same Holly as on cheer diet? Does she have her standing tuck on floor by herself…? Cuz she looks dang close.
Yes Amanda, that’s the same Holly. And yes she definitely has the tuck by herself. She is in fact working on her double twist at the moment 🙂
We just shot the videos to show you guys.
I had a perfect standing tuck and I used to always land it but I recently had an injury and I had to take 6 weeks off, I have all my other skills (my whip and layout) but I tried my standing tuck and I’ve busted every single one, I can only land one of my coach is standing there, I have no idea what I’m doing wrong and hopefully u can help haha, but I always land it (sorta) but I put my hands down or fall on my knees.
My standing back tuck is neat but i grabbed nothing when doing it i only keep my hands by the sides of my butt
I can do one but only one in like 100 it’s quite hard because when I look Ove my video its high but the rotation is hard for me I know you said who to do it but it’s actually really hard. My round off bracket tuck is around my head hight so it’s fine so what do I do
OK, so I’ve had my SBT for about three months now, and my RO BHS BT for a bit longer. However, lately I’ve been landing on my toes for both of those tricks and because of that I’ve been getting really bad shin splints. Even if I have a spot and focus only on landing on my heels, I can’t seem to do it. Do you have any suggestions for me?
I just wanted to comment on the grabbing on back of legs during tuck thing. The reason people are taught this is if you land on your knees during a tuck you won’t break your fingers. If you land on your knees during a tuck and your fingers are there, they will break ( I’ve seen it happen a few times). But thanks for the tutorial. It helped a lot!
ya i can see how that can happen
I’ve been doing a back tuck for while now but I throw my hips forward, I’m pretty strong and I can jump high, but I tense up and end up going forward like a ganer. My coach, spotter wanted me to fix it and I ended up landing on my face and now my ear hurts and my jaw, whenever I chew. These are just matts nothing special so it hurt. I’m going to try some of you techniques to see if I can improve by trying them.
Coach Sahil, thanks for provide such detailed progressions on learning the SBT. By the way, are there any plans on creating a guide for the BHS, BHS + RO and BT+RO.
Thank you so much for this article!!!!! I was under rotating in my SBT by going hips first and I think that bending my body to a 40 degree angle will really help!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!
I practiced on a gymnastics mat I’m to scared to put my hands
On my shin I’m so used to putting my hands under
When I put my hands on my shin I fall on my knees than face any tips (i don’t have my back tuck yet any tips for that too)
well i do not have my roundoff back tuck or my standing. but in both i land on my knees. i feel like i need to realse faster and sooner or that i need to tuck more. Any advice?
this helps so much. my STB goes out like a BHS and it doesn’t look the best. but then people tell me “just focus on going up.” and I fail, but I have my RO BHS BT. any advice?
Go off your toes
heya! really enjoyed the drills for the vert jump. question though, do you have any vert. jump benchmarks before you let an athlete to perform/learn a standing backtuck? how good/high the vert jumps should be?
also same about the core strength, any drills/benchmarks for that?
I’ve been working on a standing back tuck for over a year. I have a round off handspring tuck and even a layout. One of coaches is constantly telling me I have good core strength. But everytime I do a SBT I either land on my knees or my toes and end up falling forward. How do I get past that part and go to just landing it.
Hey coach,
Just wondering… when I do all the reps for one drill, do I do all of them in a row or divide them up and take breaks in between. Also do I do all of the drills at once or on different days.
Thank you.
I’ve been teaching this way for a long time, but it now seems there is a controversy on dropping your shoulders that it causes you to over rotate, do you have any backing for this type of set (Eagle)?
Thank you so much. That really helps.
Hi I was wondering if you could do a standing back twist tutorial
Hey! I have been practicing for a SBT for years!!!!! Every coach ive had that has ever spotted me has said I get high enough, I swing enough, and I tuck enough! So how do I get over the fear if tucking by myself?
I have been working on my tuck for a couple of years now. There were good days where I would do it in a squishy mat and land it, but most of the other days I would be too scared to even throw it into the foam pit. Because of that one fear, it gave me a horrible mental block where I would not do anything by myself even if my coaches said that it was good enough to do. I did switch places and am currently at an ACE gym. Although, for high school cheer tryouts (April 14 2017) I have been going to another gym for stunting practice. At that gym I started doing standing tucks by myself on the tumble track, then I moved to the air track, then I moved to doing it off the spring floor onto a squishy mat. After all that, today I finally got the courage to do it by myself on the spring floor, however every time I landed on my knees. I do think I have enough core strength considering the fact that in my round off bhs tucks I rebound very high and land it perfectly (I am still scared to do this by myself so I get spotted. HE ONLY SPOTS ME WITH HIS PINKY) other than that do you have any tips on how to pull my legs down underneath me easer so that I don’t land on my knees anymore? I wish I would have gotten over my fear way earlier so that maybe I would have it for tryouts lol. Sorry for the long question, look forward to your answer!
Landing on your knees could mean you’re either lacking vertical height, or you have a slow rotation. Hard to tell without a video. I’d simply work on both. More power is never a bad thing.
My back tuck is an on and off thing. Sometimes I go into the gym and I can do them consistently, other times I struggle to land a single one. My coach says that my problem now is that I’m going forward so I need to get my hips up higher and faster but I can’t seem to do it. Any tips or drills I can use?
Any tips on drills? I mean there are 9 drills you can choose from above lol… not sure how many more you’d need. Go through them for the recommended reps one by one and your hip issue should be fixed.
How do you break a double bounce going into a standing tuck? I have a girl who is working on a standing tuck and has a horrible double bounce that i can not break. I have done multiple drills but still can not break the double bounce. What are some other ideas and drills i can do for her?
Get her to pause for 2 seconds in the Eagle position. This would be like compressing a spring… from there you just “release” and there shouldn’t be a double bounce. The only way she can double bounce is if she comes up first, but at that point you should stop the skill and try again.
Hey I got my backtuck on mattress I recorded in I notice I do everything right but I’m jumping on the mattress so how do I get more height
Hi! I was wondering your thoughts about hands on shins vs. hands on hamstrings. I’ve been coaching tumbling and cheer for 11 years and own a gym. I usually let the girls and guys try both methods to see what they are comfortable with. However, when it comes to double backtucks, I’ve tested both over and over again, and I always get more rotation from pulling from hamstrings, especially when I’m hot and sweaty and my hands slip from my shins in rotation. I agree, you should have the core to pull your knees over in a tuck, but in doubles, it’s a different beast for me. On dead floor, it’s just impossible for me to do a double back without pulling behind my hamstrings. I don’t pretend to know it all, so I’d like to hear your opinion on the matter. Thank You.
Hands on shins, all day. Grabbing the hamstring is a tell-tale sign of an athlete that needs to “pull” their tuck which means they have a weak core. Now if you’re on dead floor and it’s a difference between life and death, sure go ahead. But a good standing tuck shouldn’t require a “pull” at all, but since that’s an advanced progression I allow a shin grab. The benefits of safety are already mentioned in the guide. You don’t see anyone doing a triple tuck with hands on hamstring for a reason. Shin grab allows for a tighter tuck shape as well.
I use to have a ST but I recently lost it last December due to an injury. I have all my skills to my layout but for some reason with my ST I keep landing in my knees and I’m to afraid to do it by myself. Coach’s say I’m rotating to slow yet when I ask for help no one does. Any advice?
Sounds like you have a low vertical jump. And you have a complete guide right here with all the drills… what more help do you need? Follow the drills, follow the reps and be patient. If you do, I’m sure you’ll get it. Don’t shy away from doing the work.
Hey Coach,
For those of us trying to do BTs at home without a foam pit or tramp, what setup should I use? I currently use a thin mattress over some pillows with beanbags on top of that, with a couch foot rest to jump off(about 4 inches). I do already know how to backflip on tramp, and I can land it to my hands like a backhandspring on my homemade setup. I am still scared so I can only back tuck to my knees over one shoulder. How can work on straightening myself, and do you have any suggestions on a better homemade setup to use?
Thanks,
Omer
I don’t condone home made set ups, so unfortunately I can’t help answer that. My suggestion is to not be short sighted and find a gym with a reputable coach and learn it right the 1st time. Once you master it, you can do it on your home set up all day long in order to perfect the details. But the meat of the skill should be done in a proper gym if you want perfect technique and avoid injury.
My daughter had been working on her SBT for a year with one day of completeing 10 tucks consistently one day and hasn’t been able to since then however she was barefoot . Recently I brought her to
A strength coach and while doing a back squAt she looked like she was shaking her behind and was told her glutes don’t fire could that be what is hindering her success of the SBT?
It could, yes. Having your glutes fire can mean the difference between a high jump and a low jump. It’s a big muscle group which has a lot to do with vertical height.
I am trying to get a back tuck, but I don’t know how to do a roundoff back tuck. Do you know what can help?
You might want to 1st think about mastering the RO BHS. After that, do a RO BHS and set up on to a high crash mat and roll off. That’s how I introduce it to my athletes.
Every time I do my standing tuck I fall on my toes and hands or my knees. I had my tuck before I got hurt last year but know I just can’t seem to land it. I can do it off of the last panel of a mat or even the end of the rod floor into a mat. However when I move to the spring floor and try it I fall again. I also have a problem of landing with my hips up and falling forward. Is there anything I could work on to improve and land it?
Hi! I came across this and wondered if you have any more tutorials available? Possibly learning a Barani, full and half? I have a 12-year-old daughter moving in to this level for Competition powertumbling and have been trying to help her! Thanks!
I have struggled for years on getting my standing tuck. My problem is that I do not pull my legs. I don’t touch them at all. It’s like I’m doing a bhs and not a standing tuck. Idk what to do. Please help!
Looking at your examples and videos, it looks like having a spotter is mandatory to getting the BT down good. If you were to have the right equipment, trampoline, airmat. Would that still be harder than not having a spotter?
Ok so I have been doing my STB for a few years now but I took a break for a year and now I have to have my truck in like 3 days for tryouts. (Probably should have been practicing for a little while longer but covid-19 got in the way and the couch gave us a weeks notice). Have any advice? I have a panel mat and another one that just rolls out and I have been trying to do it with the panel mat folded up and landing on the other mat but I’m really nervous so I just keep phsyching my self out. ?
I was no where near my standing back tuck before reading this! I got it on my second try. Thanks so much!! :))
How????? i’m trying and i can’t get it what did you do to help
Hello i need help on my SBT i’m still having a habit of going backwards instead of up in my set I can’t go high enough or drive my hips high so i’m just completely bashing on my knees and also putting my hands down as well. I need a lot of help