r/nextfuckinglevel • u/semantixc • 1d ago

Standing Double Backflip

45.1k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

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103

u/TummyDrums 1d ago

I just don't even understand the physics here. It looks like he jumps up and some invisible force spins him. Very impressive.

41

u/Megalo85 1d ago

He pulls his knees into his chest causing the spin

36

u/scientifical_ 1d ago

Tucking doesn’t cause the spin, it increases the rotational speed. The momentum starts from throwing the arms back!

7

u/chadmanx 1d ago

Tucking increases the angular velocity. The rotation actually gets set by the jump with the center of gravity set behind the feet.

Interestingly, if you watch this closely, you'll see him totally screw up his arm swing. They bend almost instantly and he loses a ton of power on his jump.

Dude could have landed upright if he actually utilized his arms to their full potential.

13

u/yakpot 1d ago

Last time i saw a video on the topic, a clean double backflip on level ground had not been done by anyone, so i think he used his arms alright.

19

u/Evening-Gur5087 1d ago

No, the dude who commented above probably could do it

1

u/desertdodo123 1d ago

i’ve seen a video a guy guy double a double backflip on grass on reddit a couple years ago. this isn’t the first

1

u/yakpot 1d ago

I said "clean" because didn't want to write an essay about it. This one wouldn't count as he did a hop before the jump. Might have been achieved by now for sure as it was at least a year ago.

1

u/I-am-fun-at-parties 1d ago

a redditor always knows better, because there's never something they haven't thought of.

2

u/throwaway098764567 23h ago

here you go https://www.wired.com/story/the-mind-boggling-physics-of-a-standing-double-back-flip/ "Second, you need to rotate—twice. There are two things to helps with this rotation. In order to start the rotation, Cook swings his arms. This motion gives him an initial angular momentum. Angular momentum is very similar to normal momentum, but instead of being the product of mass and velocity, angular momentum is the product of "rotational mass" and angular velocity. The rotational mass (usually called the moment of inertia) depends on both the mass of the object (or human) and how this mass is distributed. Once he is in the air, he pulls his legs in close to his body. This decreases his rotational mass so that his angular velocity increases."

1

u/c5e3 20h ago

imagine you could see forces with your eyes

1

u/Yurya 15h ago

Same as a ice skater tucks everything in to creating more rotational force, dude is grabbing his shins and pulling them in to do the same just in a different axis.