Back Tuck/Back Flip, have a hard time getting a strong tuck

Working out with a friend today we both felt we have a hard time getting a struck solid tuck in during our backflips. I'm talking knees into the body, hands grabbing the shins during rotation.

Is this a symptom of weak lower abdominal muscles? What are some good ways to condition them?

Tuck jumps and rolls for getting them in and around. Leg lifts for the strength. It really doesn't take too much strength though. Probably has more to do with your technique.

IcedDante said:

Working out with a friend today we both felt we have a hard time getting a struck solid tuck in during our backflips. I'm talking knees into the body, hands grabbing the shins during rotation.

 

Is this a symptom of weak lower abdominal muscles? What are some good ways to condition them?

See how your abs feel tomorrow. I remember the first time I did a bunch of backtuck attempts... I've never had DOMS like that before, and never since. I could barely breathe for a week.

So, yes, a lot of it is having the "strength" to actually tuck properly. Technique is everything in the end, in one sense, but you need enough strength (and other physical qualities) in order to enact proper technique.

One tip that helped me a lot was to think of PULLING myself around, really pull the tuck in with your hands as hard and as far as you can. Film yourself and you'll see that it's probably still not really very tucked, but it feels like it at the time. When I first did this I over-rotated and fell on my back, it really makes a difference. It can be hard to maintain enough awareness in the air to put it into practice, though, so don't worry too much about getting everything right at once. As you become more and more comfortable you can probably start changing things and having more control over your body.

If you want an exercise to help then I think it helped me to hang from a bar and do hard tucks from an extended position. This allows your to pull the tuck up and over really well.

Actual abdominal strength has little to do with the rotation of a flip. How hard you tighten your abdominals, on the other hand, does make a difference.

Tightening your abdominals while rotating will make your body form into a tighter ball and in turn make your body more aerodynamic.

It really was a matter of technique, although there is probably some strength issues I could work on. After filming myself I saw that my head was dropping back and I was arching too much as a result. It was not a lot, but a little bit can make a huge difference.

IcedDante said:

It really was a matter of technique, although there is probably some strength issues I could work on. After filming myself I saw that my head was dropping back and I was arching too much as a result. It was not a lot, but a little bit can make a huge difference.

Very common mistake.  Key points are the set up with chest open.  Then knees over head.  Pretty much it.  Working the set onto a high mat and landing on your back from rotation is a good way to nail this down.