How to Do Walkovers

Co-authored by Dean Theriot and Amy Bobinger

Last Updated: July 29, 2022 References

Front and back walkovers are both impressive gymnastic skills that beginners can learn. Before you learn how to do a walkover, make sure you're already comfortable doing handstands and bridges. Then, keep reading to learn how to do both front and back walkovers, plus some exercises and stretches you can do to get even better at doing walkovers.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Trying a Back Walkover

1
Stand straight with your dominant foot forward and your arms up. Engage your core, then lift your chest, extend your legs, and slide your shoulders down. Your shoulders, hips, and ankles all should form one straight line.^{[1]
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- Most people have one side that’s easier to control. If you feel more confident on one side, practice leading with that leg first. Once you master that, you can practice leading with the other leg.
- In case you fall, practice on a mat or on soft grass.
Tip: If you're using a spotter, they should have one hand on the small of your back and one under the thigh of your kicking leg.
2
Lift your dominant leg straight out in front of you and lean backward. Bring your leg up as high as you can. At the same time, lean backward into a backbend, leading with your fingertips. Do not bend your knees or your elbows, and balance your weight on the leg that’s still on the ground.^{[2]
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- As you bend, push your hips up rather than letting them collapse downward.
- Keep your eyes focused on your hands to keep your head in a neutral position.
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3
Push off with your other leg when your hands touch the ground. One your palms are securely planted under your shoulders, push down into the ground with your back leg. Lift your back leg off the ground, keeping your toes pointed as you do so.^{[3]
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- This should lift you into the air, with your legs forming a wide “V” shape.
4
Shift your weight onto your hands and push your chest over your shoulders. As you lift your legs into the air, use the momentum and your abs to bring your torso directly over your shoulders. At the top of the walkover, your body should form a straight line from your waist down to your hands, with your legs forming a horizontal split.^{[4]
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- Press down into the ground or mat with your fingertips to help stabilize you during this movement.
5
Land with your lead foot in front, followed by your other foot. Bring your front foot down so it hits the ground right under your hip. Shift your weight onto that leg, then finish swinging your other leg over your body in one fluid motion.^{[5]
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- Bend your knee slightly as you land to cushion the landing.
6
Stand up straight and raise your arms to finish. Once both of your feet are on the ground, push up with your hands to finish standing up. Raise your arms in the air with your fingers pointed up to end with a gymnastics flourish. ^{[6]
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- The reason back walkovers can be easier than front walkovers is because you can just stand up normally from a back walkover. In a front walkover, you have to spring up out of a bridge.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Doing a Front Walkover

1
Stand in a lunge position with your arms straight up. While you’re standing straight, take a big step forward with your dominant leg, bending your knee as you do so. Keep your back leg straight and your toes pointed, and raise your arms up by your ears. Your body should form a straight line from the tips of your fingers all the way down your back leg.
- Typically, it’s easier to do exercises with one leg than the other. Choose whichever side you feel more confident in pushing with.
- Look down at the ground throughout this exercise to help you maintain your equilibrium.
- Practice on a mat or on soft grass so you don't hurt yourself if you fall.
2
Bend forward and place your hands on the ground. Make sure your fingers are pointing forward, although it's fine if they're spread slightly. This is a handstand position, and you’ll use it to launch the rest of the move. When your hands touch the ground, lock your elbows, then breathe out and tighten your abdominal muscles.
- Start with your weight resting on the heels of your hands. As you lift yourself up, support yourself with your fingers.
3
Kick your back leg up into the air. Kick hard, since this is what will give you the power to continue through the walkover. Keep your legs straight, and keep your core engaged to give you more control over your movements.
- It can be a little scary to push yourself into the air if you’re not familiar with it. Move deliberately and with confidence. If you’re feeling unsure of yourself, you probably won’t push hard enough to get your legs all the way over.
Tip: Keep your movements fluid. Even though these steps are broken down individually, a walkover should be one continuous motion.
4
Push your front leg up once your back leg is nearly vertical. Allow the momentum to carry your legs over your body, one after the other. Your hips and legs should be loose and move freely, but keep your abs, shoulders, and arms all braced to give you control. As you’re moving, keep your legs extended, and point your toes.
- As you lift your second leg, press down into the ground with your fingers. This will help stabilize you, and it will also help you control your speed.
- If you had enough strength in your first kick, you won’t have to push very hard when you lift your second leg off the ground. The movement should occur naturally.
- Do not bring your legs together. Leave them in a split position.
5
Arch your back and touch down with one leg at a time. Stretch through your shoulders as you bring your legs over your body, and lean your weight forward until you feel your toes touch the floor. Once your first foot touches, bring your other leg down to the ground so your feet are next to each other.
- Resist the temptation to lift your head at this point. Instead, keep your eyes on your hands. This will help you maintain your balance.
- Shift your weight back to your leading leg as it touches down, but keep your knee slightly bent to cushion your landing.
- Try to keep your feet close to your body. If you stretch your legs too far out, it will be harder to stand up from the bridge.
6
Push off the ground with your hands to stand up. Use the momentum of your legs to help you push up out of the bridge. As you push with your hands, tighten your abdominal muscles and bring yourself up off the ground. You can also push down into the ground with your lead leg to help you stand up. Your head and arms should be the last things to come up.^{[7]
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- You may prefer to wait to lower your second foot to the floor until after you are standing.
- End with your arms high in the air.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Exercising to Improve Your Walkover

1
Strengthen your back with bridge stretches. Get into the bridge position, with your feet and hands planted firmly on the floor and your back arched upward. Start with your weight balanced equally on your hands and feet, then rock forward slightly so that most of your weight is on your feet. Hold that for a few seconds, then shift so your weight rests more on your hands.^{[8]
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- This helps strengthen your lower back, and it will also improve your shoulder flexibility, which is important for a walkover.
- If you feel pain in your lower back, you need to stretch more and improve your bridge.
2
Practice handstands to strengthen your arms. You’ll need to be able to support your weight completely on your hands in order to a complete a walkover. If you’re not sure if you’re strong enough, try doing a few handstands until you feel confident.^{[9]
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Research source} If you need to, you can lean against a wall to help you balance until you get the hang of it.^{[10]
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Expert Source

Dean Theriot
Personal Trainer
Expert Interview. 22 January 2021.}
- While you’re in a handstand, squeeze your core, butt, and legs to help you stabilize yourself.
- Once you get comfortable with a basic handstand, practice doing handstands in a split position.
- Try not to lift your head up when you do a handstand.^{[11]
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  Expert Source
  
  Tanya Berenson
  Gymnastics Instructor
  Expert Interview. 22 May 2020.}
3
Do planks to develop your core. To practice the plank pose, which comes from yoga, kneel on a mat on your hands and knees. Exhale and move into child’s pose by pushing as far back as you can while lowering your forehead to the floor. When you’re ready, push your body back onto your hands and knees and straighten your legs behind you. Hold this position as long as possible, but don’t let your back sag down or your bottom rise into the air.^{[12]
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- Plank pose looks as if you’re preparing to do a push-up.
- If this is too hard, practice resting your weight on your fore-arms until you get stronger.
4
Turn cartwheels to practice the walkover action. A walkover is similar to a cartwheel, except in a cartwheel you move sideways, but in a walkover you either move forward or backward. If you already know how to do a cartwheel, you can practice this to get your body used to the action of turning over in the air.^{[13]
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5
Stretch your wrists, shoulders, and back before you do a walkover. Before you practice your walkovers, make sure you limber up. Spend about 5-10 minutes flexing your wrists and rolling your shoulders to loosen them up. You can also lay on the ground and push yourself up with your arms to help loosen your lower back.^{[14]
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Expert Q&A

Question

How do I work my way up to a back walkover?

Tanya Berenson
Gymnastics Instructor
Tanya Berenson is a Gymnastics Instructor and the General Manager of the Los Angeles School of Gymnastics. With over 25 years of professional gymnastics experience, Tanya has also served as a consultant to USA Gymnastics, has served as the USA World Maccabi Games Head Coach, USA Gymnastics Meet Director, and RAS counselor. She holds a B.Ed. in Early Childhood Development from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Tanya Berenson

Gymnastics Instructor

Expert Answer

Begin by getting confident and comfortable with your back bridge, starting with the wall and then trying it on the floor. Without the wall, lift 1 leg up about 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) off the floor and do 10 small kicks, so you can get comfortable with the movement. Then, switch to the left leg and kick a little bit higher and further. Continue practicing these leg kicks every day until you're comfortable with the full kick over on a walkover.
Question

I can do a front walkover, but I can never land it. What am I doing wrong?

Community Answer

Make sure your arms remain tight by your ears the entire time and push into the ground a little as you go over to give some extra momentum, like a mini-block. Make sure the leg that's landing first remains super straight the whole time so it doesn't buckle when it hits the ground. Use your kick to give you extra momentum going forward.
Question

I'm having troubles standing up after the walkover. How can I improve this without a spotter?

Buggylu25

Top Answerer

Work on engaging your core and "zipping up" your abdominal muscles to pull yourself up. Pushing off with your arms as you do this will give you a little more force to stand up.

Warnings

Practice on a mat or on soft grass, and ask a friend or a coach to spot you until you get the hang of it. This will help reduce your risk of injury if you fall.

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Don't forget to stretch before you try an exercise like this! Do about 5 minutes of lunges and split stretches to loosen up.

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Practice some intense dumbbell overhead presses to get stronger and be able to hold a handstand longer.^{[15]
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Expert Source

Dean Theriot
Personal Trainer
Expert Interview. 22 January 2021.}

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