Physics is the science that studies matter, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. Or, how a ball rolls.
What Physics Make A Good Trick?
Most trickers probably don't think about physics but they learn what it takes to pull off a good trick, and would say it includes the power or momentum you build before taking off the ground, the angle you take into the air, what your body does as it flips or spins in the air, and how you land.
There are physics involved in every sport, from how a football is thrown, how a soccer ball is kicked, and how a golf ball is hit, to how a pool player hits a ball into the hole, and how a martial artist breaks a board.
In scientific terms, the physics of tricking comes down to the interaction between two things: "moment of inertia" and "angular velocity". Combined, these properties are called "angular momentum" and they control how high trickers go, how long they’re in the air, and how fast they spin.
Something called "torque" affects these. Torque, also called a "moment of a force," is the tendency of a force to rotate the body to which it is applied.
“What leads up to the jump is critical...It’s just as important, or more important than the jump itself -- it’s giving them their angular momentum.”
John Di Bartolo
Applied Physicist
New York University, Tandon School of Engineering
Learning The "B-Twist"
Here's a video of me doing a trick called a "B-Twist." This took me a long time and a lot of practice to learn. One of the things I had to work hard on was clenching my arms to my chest at the right moment while spinning in the air, so that I got all the way around and could land on my feet.
Pulling your arms in increases angular momentum and makes you spin more quickly. Here's how a physics expert demonstrates it. I don't quite understand the equation but I think it's interesting that there's a math equation to explain this!
Key Terms
Hover over each term for an explanation:
Angular Momentum
Angular Momentum
Angular momentum is the interaction between two things: moment of inertia and angular velocity. There's a scientific equation for it that looks like this:
Moment of Inertia
Moment of Inertia
Moment of inertia is a measure of how difficult it is to spin an object, which is influenced by its shape.
Trickers can alter their moment of inertia by changing the shape of their bodies, throwing out legs and arms to slow down a spin at the best moment.
Angular Velocity
Angular Velocity
The angular velocity is the speed and direction of motion, which determines the actual movement of a trick.
Unlike figure skating and gymnastics, which use rotation head over foot or spin around the spine, tricking allows for rotation around any axis. In fact, the axis can change mid-trick. Shifting the axis of rotation through non-symmetric movement, like throwing up a single arm instead of both arms, gives tricking its unique style.
You can find lots of fun and interesting videos and demonstrations on the Flipping Physics web site and YouTube channel.
Here's a cool explanation of Angular Momentum using a spinning wheel to make a chair spin.
