A backflip that finishes as a kick: the body flips backwards with a hard arch while one leg kicks over the top, so the kicking leg touches down first and the other steps down just behind it — gymnasts know the same shape as a backflip step-out. The trick lives or dies on the arch. The arms drive up with the chest tall and extended, the stomach stretches out, and the kick waits until the ground comes into view; rushing the kick is the classic mistake and lands the trick short and heavy on the knee or ankle. From upside down the leg drives straight and hard at the floor while the head pulls up, which is what creates the hovering look as momentum trades from upper body to legs and back. Common routes in are a solid backflip, a macaco grown into a back handspring step-out, or an aerial. The landing leg stays slightly bent, and the second foot rolling down right after is correct — forcing a one-leg-only landing is how ankles get hurt.
Key cues
- Throw the arms up with the chest tall
- Arch hard and stretch the stomach out
- Wait to see the ground then kick
- Kick straight and hard at the ground
- Pull the head up as the kick fires
- Land the kicking leg first then roll to the other