Tucking

Tucking is a technique, used mainly during flips, in which an athlete bends at the knees and hips, pulling their legs as close into their chest as they can. By making the smallest possible shape with their body, they can increase its aerodynamic efficiency, which has two main uses in a free running context:

• Speeding up the rotation of a flip after the initial jump
• Reducing air resistance during a running jump to increase the distance travelled

Tucks are normally seen with the legs together, however a common variation is the cowboy tuck, where the legs are split out to each side. This is commonly seen in gymnastics, especially in moves such as the triple backflip, as it can greatly increase rotation speed if performed correctly, but requires good flexibility.