Tantrum with Adam Errington
Lucky for you, this flip is pretty simple — the edge, however, can be a little more complex. Once you figure out the trip-style edge at the wake, the rest is easy if you have a strong back flip. “A tantrum is one of the most basic inverts to learn, and in my opinion, it’s the one with the least amount of effort,” Adam Errington says.
In order to learn this trip at the wake, there are a few drills that will help you learn quickly with low impact and less risk of injury. The first are backside re-entry ollies — where you ride three-fourths of the way up the wake on your heels, ollie off of your toes and land back on the face of the wake or near the trough. This resembles the edge change required at the wake to “trip” you into the flip.
Once you have your backside re-entries dialed in, practice one-handed, one-wake tantrum attempts to get a feel for the tripping pop at the wake. On your first few attempts, let go of the rope completely just before you hit the wake. This will build your confidence and decrease your reliance on the rope. This invert does not require any line tension to function, so resist the urge to pull on the rope to gain stability.
When it’s time to take your attempts wake to wake, Adam says to “come into the wake with a crouched position and a more aggressive approach than you would on a normal wake-to-wake jump — this is because you will lose momentum at takeoff. As you near the bottom of the wake, take your back hand off the handle and square up your chest and shoulders as you simultaneously begin to stand up out of your crouched position.”
This is where the re-entry ollie practice really comes into play. Be sure to stand completely tall and push with your legs to take full advantage of the wake’s energy.
“Getting this timing down is hard, but that what all the drills are for,” Adam says.
Once you’ve got the takeoff correct, it’s pretty simple from there. Push your chest up, keep your eyes open and spot your landing. This is where your trampoline training will really pay off.
