Blog: Please Stop the Double Back Flips
Alright, I think it’s time somebody votes this trick out of BMX…
When you think of a double backflip, what do you think of? Do you think of two flips in a row that ends up being crazy? Do you think of the circus? Or do you think of Stephen Murray? Well, I’ll tell you the 3rd option is my personal pick.
It’s crazy to think about somebody doing a backflip, or why they would even want to with so many risks involved. Stephen has to deal with a lot of pain and suffering for the rest of his life because of that trick.
Maybe it’s just me, but lately whenever I see a video with a double backflip in it, I cringe. I don’t even want to see it. I mean, statistically there is a much higher chance of you getting rocked than you are rolling away clean.
Sure, there’s somebody out there reading this going “what a pussy!” but seriously… look at this photo and tell me that it’s worth it?
Spotted on Vital BMX
This photo is what really put me over the top and made me want to write this informal petition on the double backflip.
Mike tried a double backflip at the Ricardo Laguna contest last weekend and went down so hard. Sure, he’s not in as bad of condition as Stephen, but he did break his nose and need 20 stitches to keep his lip on his face. Not only that, he is also faced with some huge medical bills due to having to stay in the hospital. All for a contest that most of the pros thought sucked from what I heard anyways? I don’t think the pain is worth that.
Maybe it’s just me over reacting to the way I see this trick, or maybe I’m right. I don’t know. I guess I just think BMX isn’t supposed to be so serious, and that it shouldn’t be something that you are risking so much for when you already know what the potential consequences are.
I know that something this bad could happen on anything. Hell, a bad 180 down a 4 stair could do the trick. I just know that I’ve seen a lot of crashes in the last 10 years and for some reason seeing people go down on this trick or even do the damn trick hits me in a spot that just doesn’t feel right.
BMX is a sport that you can get real hurt doing, and that’s fine and understandable. I’m just voicing my opinion on this trick because I know that if I was judging a contest and saw somebody throwing a double flip, I wouldn’t be tossing them bonus points.
Anyone else feel the same way?
I thought it was some strange form of disrespectful the first time I saw it after the Murray thing happened… but at the same time we shouldn’t put restrictions on FREEstyle….
kurt, you bring up very, very valid points in your argument. and, truth be told, i 100% agree with you that the ends do not justify the means with this particular trick. i also think of the 3rd option when i see a double flip and have cringed a time or two.
but this does bring up an interesting thought process. if the first person to ever grind a hand rail got broke off and hurt so bad that no one ever wanted to grind a hand rail again, where would bmx be at today? or if the first person to jump a 30′ double got broke off the same, would people think twice about jumping big jumps to this day? people like stephen murray and the guy pictured above are true heroes in my opinion. if we didnt have these fearless guys in bmx putting it all on the line, time after time, we would be as you put it “pussies.”
i think the most valid point you bring up is the fact that an accident as bad as mike’s, or heaven forbid even stephen’s, could happen on the most trivial of tricks. a 180 on flat ground gone wrong could be a day ruiner that ends you up in the hospital. so does this mean we should all be cautious and hold back each time we put the bottoms of our feet on the pedals? i sure hope not. the thrill of bmx often times comes with just as much bad as good. and i think all of us as riders understand this risk, and even more so keep it in the back of our heads every time we ride. but all through the good and the bad, we as bike riders seem to keep bouncing back after bad falls and for some reason get right back on the horse to try it again.
at any rate, sorry for the long winded comment. not trying to debate you or anything. this post just got the gears turnin extra hard thinking about what you had to say. good job on a very thought provoking post.
Ha, no I complete agree with you two. I would never expect people to stop doing a trick or anything for that matter. That would defeat any purpose of BMX in the first place haha. I think just seeing that photo made me really think twice about the value of seeing something crazy versus seeing somebody in an ambulance.
When I say “Please Stop” it’s more or less me just saying think twice before you go hucking yourself when you aren’t 100% confident in what you’re about to do. That and I feel like there’s too much value put on a double backflip when guys like Aitken don’t even have to go upside down to win a Dew Tour stop.
That and think of it like the “Please Stop the Tailwhips” thing Catfish had going on. It’s over played haha
YEAH FUCK THE DOUBLE BACKFLIP keep it with the spins and shit its supposed to be fun!
Agreed,
Nothing fun about ripping your face off.
I’m for the destruction of the foam pit as well. These types of “progressions” are just lame. I mean, who gives a fuck about doing the hardest trick?
Nobody that I admire as a rider, that is for sure. Some people are just progressing in a normal sense, and these dudes are still getting hurt just trying to enjoy Bmx. Look at Mike Aitken for example. Ok, so he was filming, pushing it to make money, but there is still a clear difference here. Aitken gets respect for his grace. Nothing graceful about a foam pit, or a double flip. Nothing.
My feeling is, if you can’t learn something on to a traditional landing of some sort, then you should not be doing it at all.
I can’t say that this will ever work, but kids need to start realizing that bmx is a lifestyle, not a sport.
Double flips rate up there with Wakeboarding on a rail. Pointless shit to sell crap to morons… Sorry Mike. You got major balls, and now major bills to match. I have respect for your passion. Get well man.
I agree Kurt. I cringe whenever I see the double back. It is really only a contest trick – do guys that can do them ever pull them when they are out riding trails or sessioning a park? No, they only go for the double back when they think they have a shot at the top of the podium. As a fan of contests, I want the riders to know that I’d rather see them at the contest next week or next month than pull a double back today. I value ALL that you can do on a bike, you don’t have to pull a double backflip to prove that you got skills.