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April, 2025

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Cliff Diving Backflip Help

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coolflash8
Posts: 3171 - Karma: 2,049
I need help with backflips off a 25 foot dam we have in my town. it looks roughly like this:
Click for larger image
with the black being the cliff and the red being the height. So my question is can i just get on the top of it, put my back facing the water, fall back and then tuck a little?
12 years ago
31 6
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J-C
Posts: 1138 - Karma: 3,683
I think running and doing a backflip in the opposite direction would be easier because over rotating would be harder than just throwing yourself backwards. But this is my personal opinion
12 years ago
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chicken
Posts: 6844 - Karma: 2,122
start falling back with your knees slightly bent, then when you are around 30-45 degrees you can jump and it will push you out and away from the wall.

if there is an inrun then gainers are way less scary IMO.
12 years ago
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Balbertt
Posts: 1585 - Karma: 4,723
Do a gainer, its when you run forward and jump(still going forward) then backflip. Almost like a backflip of a ski jump.
12 years ago
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coolflash8
Posts: 3171 - Karma: 2,049
To address the gainer question, it is the top of a ram from the 1920s so it is about 3 feet across on the top so gainers are out of the question :\
12 years ago
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Balbertt
Posts: 1585 - Karma: 4,723
hm, well you could run parallel with the dam then turn?
12 years ago
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*SID*
Posts: 3133 - Karma: 975
All you need is one step i have about 2 - 3 feet of running space to gainer off a 30fter
12 years ago
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ShreddAZ
Posts: 2548 - Karma: 41
side flip it first...
12 years ago
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Miomo
Posts: 4302 - Karma: 14,137
So you know how fast you need to flip
12 years ago
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elinde
Posts: 1486 - Karma: 3,228
i think backflips are way less scary than gainers. i just start falling back, then push back and lay it out. Don't rush it, and see your landing. pull your feet around when ur about to land
12 years ago
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Balbertt
Posts: 1585 - Karma: 4,723
Kinda like a gainer...
12 years ago
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elinde
Posts: 1486 - Karma: 3,228
what? I only do gainers if there is a lot of running room, i hate the thought of hitting my feet back on the cliff. if you are pushing backwards, it's super easy to spot the landing quick and not worry about anything else
12 years ago
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Balbertt
Posts: 1585 - Karma: 4,723
ahh nevermind. failed joke.
12 years ago
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elinde
Posts: 1486 - Karma: 3,228
haha
12 years ago
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monkatizer
Posts: 4704 - Karma: 1,518
pretty much what everyone else said, you dont need to tuck at all really, just lean back, pop off and look, they come around nicely
12 years ago
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DGski
Posts: 3491 - Karma: 2,328
youre good, run off as hard as you can and you will see
12 years ago
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Ribss.
Posts: 3442 - Karma: 3,344
You dont need any running room to gainer. This thread is fucking stupid its a 25 foot cliff, just fucking flip off it.
12 years ago
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spliff.Life
Posts: 7847 - Karma: 1,542
this, also i standing gainer off bridges all the time....so its not like its impossible!
12 years ago
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Phil-X-
Posts: 7205 - Karma: 14,402
Some real dumb stuff being said in this thread.


Gainers are much more difficult to learn over a regular backflip. And running start to gainer? What the fuck? Telling someone to take a running start to gainer off a cliff is gonna break someones skull. There is no reason to take a running start to gaine.



OP, stand back facing the water, slowly move out over the water and stand on the dam with only the balls of your feet, so the rest of your foot is hanging over the edge.

like so- Click for larger image

you can jump down a few times backwards to get comfortable with the feeling but if you want to go straight into a backflip heres what you need to do.

(theres 2 kinds of backflips- Push backflips and falling backflips, falling is easier to get first so ill explain that.)

Fall backwards while looking up at the sky, act like you have a weight at the top of your head, bend back and make sure the last thing to leave the cliff is your feet, like they will whip up following your fall. Once your head is back and youve leaned back you will be able to spot the water/your landing. Using your abdomen bring the rest of your body around and land feet first in to the water. No tuck needed and youll do a full layed out backflip

12 years ago
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Sophistication.
Posts: 665 - Karma: 352
I feel as if you'll over rotate, gainer it and don't put too much on it.
12 years ago
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RubberSoul
Posts: 11249 - Karma: 14,642
did everyone eat stupid pills today or what? he's asking if you think he can do a regular backflip off a 25 foot cliff and youre telling him to gainer cause it's easier?

OP, yes you can def backflip it. just stand backward, let yourself fall backward a few degrees then push up and out with your feet and bring your knees to your chest and spot your landing almost immediately. right then youll know if your rotating speed is too fast or too slow and you can open up or stay tucked to adjust for that. do em off a little drop first to make sure you got it, but theyre really easy

gainers arent super hard but theyre about 1000x harder than regular backflips...
12 years ago
2 1
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Heart
Posts: 6156 - Karma: 3,464
THIS. I can do backflips off anything into water, but I've had manyyy bad experiences with gainers. They're also a lot scarier than normal backies.
12 years ago
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idskithat
Posts: 1314 - Karma: 154
you should definitely film your first try
12 years ago
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Dingo69
Posts: 1330 - Karma: -171
Get the timing down
12 years ago
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louie.mirags
Posts: 6015 - Karma: 5,027
Watch jumping off dams.. especially functional dams since logs and debrislike to get stuck to the banks
12 years ago
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DIX~
Posts: 4695 - Karma: 6,502
90% of the poeple in this thread have probably never even done a gainer.


Backflips are way way easier until you get to big stuff over 40 feet and are completely comfortable with both.


Anyways OP I'd try learning backflips off something 8-12 feet high first to get the motion down. 25 feet would be fine to just fall back, don't bother tucking. I prefer to slowly fall backwards and then push myself out because it gets you a more comfortable distance away from the cliff/dam/whatever. Just remember to look for the water and it'll come around super naturally, especially if you can already do them on skis or trampoline
12 years ago
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DBL
Posts: 1405 - Karma: 2,218
Here's a quick edit I made off a 22ft cliff. I do both backflip and gainer.
On the gainer, you really need 2 or 3 steps maximum, and its so easy to spot the landing without over rotating compared to a regular backflip!

12 years ago
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DBL
Posts: 1405 - Karma: 2,218
sorry for dub post bud prime example of how easy it is to over-rotate at 0:8 in the vid I posted
12 years ago
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spliff.Life
Posts: 7847 - Karma: 1,542
ive never backflipped off anything bigger than a 50ft probably but have gainerred 60+ft
its all just personal preference too, im personally less scared of gainers because i feel like i have more control, they feel more like skiing or something
12 years ago
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elinde
Posts: 1486 - Karma: 3,228
yes fuckin this thank you. what is wrong with everyone in this thread. gainers aren't very hard, but much scarier
12 years ago
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DIX~
Posts: 4695 - Karma: 6,502
Definitely easier off bigger things but on like 20-30 foot shit it's so easy to lay out a casual backflip. I have trouble slowing them down enough off bigger things
12 years ago
1 0
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chicken
Posts: 6844 - Karma: 2,122
I think the exact opposite. but as I said that is my opinion. I just find gainers easier to lay out on big stuff and most cliffs you want to be pretty clear of the wall which is easier to do with a gainer.

I pretty much only do backflips from bridge railings.
12 years ago
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sNaubi
Posts: 1633 - Karma: 2,357
just do something pussy, in your seat the only things you need to worry about is how far out from the wall you need to go and how deep it is.


Yes i have experience.
12 years ago
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gotti
Posts: 4269 - Karma: 4,552
I would say when you are learning new tricks to pop slower than you think. Everyone overrotates on their first try of almost everything and I see it all the time. FLIP SLOWER and you can always tuck. In fact I don't think ive ever seen anyone ever underrotate a backflip or front flip off a 20 footer.
12 years ago
2 0
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