How to Do an Upside Down

The upside down jump, also known as acrobatics or santo, is a high skill where you can show off your flexibility and agility. In the upside-down jump, your body will rotate a full 360 degrees in the air. This is a difficult technique, so it will take some practice to master.

Table of Contents

Prepare to pose

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Stretch before jumping to prevent injury. After a quick 2-5 minute warm-up with cardio, stretch your arms, legs, chest, and back. You can do any stretch, as long as you target the right muscle groups. Here are moves you can try:

Bend forward to stretch all your muscles. Stand up straight, feet together. Slowly bend over so that your fingers touch the floor.
Stretch your arm muscles by raising one hand overhead. Bend the arms so that the forearms are parallel to the neck behind the head, then use the other hand to gently pull the elbows towards the head. Repeat on the other side.

Tip: Always warm up your muscles for 2-5 minutes before stretching. Otherwise, you may accidentally injure yourself.

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Find a soft surface, such as an exercise mat or a foam pit. Jumping upside down is a difficult move and takes time to master. You need a smooth surface to reduce the risk of injury. Gym mats or foam pits are best, but sandy or grassy surfaces are also effective.

Another option is to stand on flat ground as it is also quite smooth, plus you can gain momentum. However, do not attempt to jump upside down on flat ground if you have difficulty controlling the wide range of the jump.
If you’ve never jumped upside down, don’t try to jump on hard surfaces, especially concrete.
If you haven’t reached the required height, start with a high surface, such as a pad, and jump upside down into the foam pit.

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Get a support person to ensure safety. Jumping upside down is a difficult move so it can be dangerous to perform, especially in the beginning. It is important that you have a support person to watch over and help you when needed.

At the very least, have someone nearby to help you if you get hurt. If you lose your balance and fall, you may not be able to manage on your own.
Training on a trampoline before attempting it on the floor can also help. It will help you get to the height you need to practice correct posture when jumping upside down.

Hold the jump

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Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms raised overhead. Keep your back and neck straight, eyes looking ahead. Make sure you feel steady and balanced before jumping into the jump.

Without balance, you won’t be able to do an inversion with correct posture, and this leads to an increased risk of falls and injury.

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Focus on an object in the distance. This will help you keep your head straight forward in a neutral position. It doesn’t matter what you look at or if you see details. You just need to avoid looking at the ground, as this can distract or thrill you.

It’s important not to look around when trying to do an inversion as you can easily lose your balance and risk injury.
You should try to keep your head steady and not turn around to avoid injury.

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Bend your knees into a high squat. Bend your knees into a sitting position, keeping your back straight. Chest kept in line with knees but facing up, arms raised overhead. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Do not lower yourself too deep. If you’re lowering your body like a regular squat, you’re going too deep. Similarly, don’t lean forward too much, as this pose will throw you off balance. Instead of jumping upside down, you may only be able to do the backflip or not complete the jump.

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Swing your arms back, stopping when your hands are behind your back. Extend your arms into a straight line but don’t bend your elbows. The palm of the hand is slightly raised to the sky and inward. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Don’t swing your arms too high, as this pose can cause your jump to fall back instead of jumping high.

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Swing your arms forward and overhead as you jump up. Swing your arms in a backward arc to push your body back as you jump up. As your arms swing up, you’ll press your legs and use your thighs to jump back.

Swinging arms will help the body gain momentum to complete the jump.
Always keep your arms straight – don’t swing around.
You should jump high because you jump backwards. The arm movement will help you jump backwards, but you won’t have enough momentum if you don’t jump straight up.

Tip: Even if you’re doing a backflip, you still need to jump high to gain momentum for the upside down jump.

Perfecting the kneeling pose

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Bring your knees to your chest when you reach the top of the jump. Your chest should be parallel and facing the sky (or ceiling) as you bring your knees together. This is a ready-to-knee position.

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Use your hands to hug your knees to keep your knees bent. Bring your arms to your legs as you pull your knees. You can hug your thighs or knees as you like when entering this pose.

If you feel your body turn to the side when retracting the pillow, it is due to the fear reflex. Perhaps you need to do more preparatory exercises, such as jumping and stretching.

Tip: Knee retraction is an important step in the upside-down jump because it helps you gain momentum to complete the jump. If you don’t bend your knees, your legs will slow you down.

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Open your eyes during the jump to observe the landing position. While jumping, try to find the position of the distant object that you looked at before jumping. It can help you calculate the landing time. When you see the object in sight, you’ll know you’ve completed the turn. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

If you can’t see what you were looking at before jumping, that’s okay too. You can still make a landing when you complete the jump.

Proper grounding

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Extend your legs when you’ve done 3/4 of the turn. Release your knees and stretch your legs. Use your feet on the ground as you land on the floor.

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Keep your knees bent as you prepare to land. A slightly slack position when preparing to land will help you land properly. It helps you to reduce the shock when you land to protect your body.

Do not bend your legs too low, as you may lose your balance.

Tip: Don’t lock your knees when you land, as this can cause injury or discomfort.

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Land with your hips below your chest and your knees in line with your ankles. Your body should be almost in a straight line when your feet touch the floor, aside from your knees slightly sagging. This is the correct landing position to avoid injury. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

If you don’t do it correctly, joints like your ankles or hips can take a lot of pressure.

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Lift your chest up when you land for balance. You will be almost standing when you land, but your chest will lean forward slightly. Complete the jump by straightening your back as you land.

If you feel like you’re falling forward, you can step up or use your hands to balance. However, be careful not to lean forward, as this can cause injury.
Your goal is to land exactly where you started, but landing just 30-60 cm from the starting point is also considered good.

Advice

DO NOT tilt your head back. Try to keep your head in a neutral position (the position when you look forward). Your jump can be cut off or dropped significantly if you tilt your head back.
Practice acrobatics on soft surfaces like trampolines to master before performing on hard surfaces.
Don’t forget to collect your knees when doing the upside down jump!
Try jumping upside down on the pool jumper first to get used to the upside down feeling and the acrobatic movement.

Warning

It’s best to work on basic gymnastics skills, such as acrobatics and rolling back. The risk of injury is higher if you try to do the reverse jump before you master other skills.
When doing a jump on the jump bridge in the pool, you need to have enough space to avoid hitting your head on the board. In addition, you also need to make sure the pool water level is deep enough to not hit your head on the bottom of the tank. Absolutely do not do somersaults in shallow water tanks.
Never do an upside down jump when you’re alone. If you have a neck or back injury, no one will be there to help.
Before doing the inversion, make sure the jumping area is dry and free of obstructions.

Steps