{"id":5313,"date":"2026-05-27T17:49:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/learning-how-to-backflip-and-break-the-rules-with-fred-richard\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T17:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:49:10","slug":"learning-how-to-backflip-and-break-the-rules-with-fred-richard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/learning-how-to-backflip-and-break-the-rules-with-fred-richard\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning how to backflip and break the rules with Fred Richard"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the foam pit swallowed me up, I could only think about how it hadn\u2019t looked so deep from my phone screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It wasn\u2019t the first time I had seen the interior of the Newt Loken Gymnastics Training Center. The foam pit I fell into appears as the backdrop to many of senior Fred Richard\u2019s videos. The adjacent Park Family Wall of Fame, however, only became discernible to me when I stepped onto the mats, showcasing a long list of names from Michigan men\u2019s gymnastics history. Richard himself appears on those banners more than once, as part of the 2024 Olympic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/gymnastics\/juda-richard-help-usa-mens-gymnastics-take-home-bronze\/\">bronze<\/a>-winning team, a member of the 2025 NCAA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/gymnastics\/michigan-takes-home-first-national-championship-in-11-years\/\">Championship<\/a>-winning Wolverines team and with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/gymnastics\/fred-richard-becomes-third-gymnast-ever-to-win-ncaa-all-around-title-outright-three-times\/\">three<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/gymnastics\/fred-richard-flipped-the-script-to-win-all-around-and-anchor-michigan-at-ncaa-championships\/\">NCAA<\/a> All-Around titles to his name.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of the background noise, even his achievements, is typically addressed in Richard\u2019s videos, though. His most popular short-form content, peaking at 52.9 million views on a single post, includes a series where he teaches non-gymnasts how to backflip. There, he stars influencers and other Michigan athletes in the name of showcasing men\u2019s gymnastics to new audiences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was my turn to learn to backflip from FrederickFlips himself \u2014 and I left the training center with many other lessons than that.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">***<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The setup was simpler than a full-fledged lesson. Richard had thirty minutes before the Wolverines began practice, and his backflip workshops typically take at least two hours. My lesson wouldn\u2019t become a video for Richard\u2019s social media; otherwise, he would\u2019ve hired a videographer, usually a student from Michigan\u2019s film program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We started by testing my standing vertical jump height. According to Richard, the most successful of his students get over a foot and a half off the floor. I passed, so Richard moved me to a block of mats about as high as my waist. To prepare for the tucked form of a backflip, I jumped and curled up while falling backward onto the stacked mats.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I received the green light on the general form of a backflip with the jump and tuck exercises, which covered the positions that I\u2019d take midair. The final drill tested my ability to roll backwards on the floor from standing and complete the backflip motion. But somewhere between Richard\u2019s initial explanation and my first attempt, I confused the drills we\u2019d done and jumped to a tuck position, falling backward not onto the pile of mats, but instead on the spring-loaded floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the same floor, redshirt junior Landen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/gymnastics\/landen-blixt-is-done-being-a-cheerleader-back-to-chasing-ncaa-and-olympic-dreams\/\">Blixt<\/a> was stretching, and he could barely contain his amusement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat was not the drill,\u201d Richard said to him, laughing. \u201cI did not tell her to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My fall was impressive enough that it broke through Blixt\u2019s focus \u2014 he hadn\u2019t looked up at us from the moment I walked in. He and the other Wolverines are more than used to Richard\u2019s content creation in the gym, and the team often features in Richard\u2019s videos.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou\u2019re aiming for this big goal of the NCAAs,\u201d Richard told The Michigan Daily. \u201cBut to make fun content outside of it, to stay an extra hour after practice and have fun together making a video brings you closer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The closeness of the team was palpable as we moved to the foam pit, where Richard told me to let myself fall in to acquaint myself with the landing. As I clawed myself out of the soft blocks, my instructor ran off to a TV monitor mounted on an adjacent wall.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of Jonah Botkin. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDid he just do it?\u201d Richard says. \u201cHold on, I gotta see this.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I couldn\u2019t bring myself to be mad at Richard for leaving me in the pit as he replayed a recording of senior Robert <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/gymnastics\/robert-nolls-journey-to-gymnastics-prowess-and-tiktok-stardom\/\">Noll<\/a> hitting a triple backflip just moments before, while Richard spotted me for my single backflip. The two gymnasts troubleshot the landing and rotation, trying to find the right amount of power to put into the jump. I watched their back-and-forth not through the lens of a gymnastics writer \u2014 but with the awe of someone who just flailed through a single backflip. When Richard tells Noll that there\u2019s no time in a triple back, I laugh to myself. There\u2019s hardly any time in a single back, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Single backflips \u2014 or backward tucked saltos, in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gymnastics.sport\/publicdir\/rules\/files\/en_1.1%20-%20MAG%20Code%20of%20Points%202025-2028.pdf\">verbiage<\/a> used by the Code of Points \u2014 don\u2019t typically feature in college gymnastics routines, but star in Richard\u2019s social media. Although they\u2019re not as complex as other elements in Richard\u2019s repertoire, single backflips earned a spot in his content for a reason. They\u2019re nowhere as difficult as the triple-rotated backflip Noll was practicing, so Richard can realistically teach someone to do a backflip in a single session. And they\u2019re a cool party trick: Richard even landed a backflip when walking the stage at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DX7aXfRRxoJ\/\">graduation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a bonus, they\u2019re flashy enough to capture viewers\u2019 and the algorithm\u2019s attention \u2014 one of Richard\u2019s priorities for putting eyes on men\u2019s gymnastics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c(Social media) is a game, and kind of like gymnastics, there\u2019s a code book,\u201d Richard said. \u201cThe algorithm is the code book. You do have to follow the rules, you do have to hook people within the first couple seconds. You do want to use the right songs or trends. And just like gymnastics, you have the freedom to do whatever you want within those rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Richard, freedom within the rules means featuring other athletes and influencers in his challenges. Special guests in Richard\u2019s backflip lessons include the likes of Michigan\u2019s freshman quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DYf33MjRztz\/\">Bryce<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DYiORW_xUfu\/\">Underwood<\/a> and online streamer Darren Watkins Jr., commonly known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lYxSdl1nlkQ\">IShowSpeed<\/a>. But his self-professed favorite student was Southern California track and field athlete Ezra Frech, a two-time Paralympic champion who was born with one leg. In just a few hours in the gym at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Frech successfully <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DU6B0dnABXo\/\">landed<\/a> a backflip under Richard\u2019s guidance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-4    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s these guests who haunt the periphery of my mind as I line up by the foam pit for my first official backflip attempt. Richard reassures me that he\u2019ll spot me, or support my rotation to ensure I land safely. With that, I count down to signal my start and jump.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I see Wolverines coach Yuan Xiao wander closer as I leave the pit. He greets me, then asks if Richard is trying to get me injured. Gymnastics is as demanding physically as it is mentally, Xiao reminds me, as if he\u2019d told me during practice all year. He smiles as he tells me about IShowSpeed \u2014 Xiao calls him Speed \u2014 and his almost unnatural knack for the sport when he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DCXQqW0PQ8U\/\">visited<\/a> Michigan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After just 20 minutes, I\u2019m ready for a break. It\u2019s not the physical battle of flying upside-down, although that was one of the reasons I quit gymnastics at the age of 5. Instead, my perfectionism is getting to me. Richard overhears me saying this will ruin my credibility as a gymnastics sports writer, but he won\u2019t have it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHonestly, I believe if we did this for an hour, you\u2019d get it,\u201d Richard says. \u201cThat\u2019s our sport. It\u2019s not easy. I see you\u2019re a great student.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I thank him for his optimism and kindness.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-5    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">***<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Richard is always transparent about the effort that gymnastics takes. While Xiao lauded Speed for his talent and athleticism, even Richard himself needed time, practice and resources to get his first flips.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before Richard became the Olympic-sized giant that intimidated students like me, he found his own competition. The older kids at his childhood gym \u2014 around 8 to 10 years old, by Richard\u2019s estimates \u2014 could do back handsprings. Naturally, 4-year-old Richard went back home and threw back handsprings in his parents\u2019 beds. He\u2019d fall on his head, but it was almost as soft as the foam pit I fell into.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" data-attachment-id=\"610589\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/img_2092\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2092.jpg?fit=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,640\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_2092\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Courtesy of Fred Richard. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2092.jpg?fit=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2092.jpg?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Childhood photo of Richard performing a handstand.\" class=\"wp-image-610589\" style=\"width:287px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2092.jpg?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2092.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2092.jpg?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2092.jpg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2092.jpg?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2092.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of Fred Richard. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Soon, his parents\u2019 furniture couldn\u2019t support his dreams in the sport. If he wanted to progress as a gymnast, he\u2019d have to find a gym with the right equipment to support him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c(Coach Tom <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/C43UhJYOOt7\/\">Fontecchio<\/a>) used to take me on the weekends to gyms with better equipment and better resources in order for me to get better,\u201d Richard said. \u201cWe\u2019d drive one hour to that training gym and drive an hour back. He never asked for anything, he just wanted me to reach my full potential. He\u2019s made gymnastics so fun for me, and now I just want to give back and get other kids those experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-6    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the social media platform TikTok gained recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic, Richard, then 16 years old, jumped at the opportunity to represent men\u2019s gymnastics on the Internet. Two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@frederickflips\/video\/6818959912777911557\">posts<\/a> in, he logged 5,000 views. Richard\u2019s virality only bloomed from there. Now, he has over 912,400 followers and 41 million likes on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@frederickflips\">TikTok<\/a> \u2014 along with another 835,000 followers on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/frederickFlips\">Instagram<\/a> and 424,000 subscribers on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@FrederickFlips\">YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHis concern (entering college) was, \u2018I\u2019m going to continue TikTok,\u2019 \u201d Xiao told The Daily. \u201cI told him, \u2018Yeah, I\u2019m supporting you.\u2019 That\u2019s the big part. I\u2019m 100% supporting you to make your own story and to share it with people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A desire to write and share his own story drives Richard\u2019s brand. Like many sports, men\u2019s gymnastics is historically white-dominated. Richard, of Haitian and Dominican descent, published a children\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/frederickflips.com\/product\/fred-flips-how-one-gymnast-realized-that-differences-can-become-strengths\/\">book<\/a> in 2025 tackling his struggles with racism and bullying as a Black male gymnast. His philosophy of representation in the sport diffuses into his content, where he stars athletes of all builds and backgrounds. It shows when the Newt Loken Gymnastics Training Center hosts Asian-American sports writers and Ghanaian-American streamers alike \u2014 and all of us learn to backflip with Richard\u2019s help.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"428\" data-attachment-id=\"610590\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/screenshot-61\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2093.jpg?fit=1206%2C661&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1206,661\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Screenshot&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1779619878&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Screenshot&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Screenshot\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Courtesy of Fred Richard. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2093.jpg?fit=780%2C428&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2093.jpg?resize=780%2C428&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Richard meets the youth training with Clon Circus Ugand\" class=\"wp-image-610590\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2093.jpg?w=1206&amp;ssl=1 1206w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2093.jpg?resize=1024%2C561&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2093.jpg?resize=768%2C421&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2093.jpg?resize=1200%2C658&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2093.jpg?resize=780%2C428&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2093.jpg?resize=400%2C219&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2093.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of Fred Richard. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy goal is having an impact that grows the sport and gets more kids into the sport,\u201d Richard said Feb. 22. \u201cI want to dominate, but that\u2019s so this sport can change. \u2026 People are noticing. That\u2019s the most powerful thing. From testing out things with the uniform to raising money and giving kids opportunities in the sport to just doing so much on social media to get the sport seen, I\u2019m going in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Richard\u2019s most direct impact on the next generation of athletes can be found halfway across the world, in a corner of Uganda that likely wouldn\u2019t have connected with men\u2019s artistic gymnastics otherwise. On May 2, 2025, Richard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=l0xJJtL_cHk\">completed<\/a> a world-record 1,111 backflips to put eyes on his campaign to bring newer, safer equipment to orphans and street children performing with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cloncircusuganda.com\/\">Clon<\/a> Circus Uganda. When he visited Kampala, Richard immediately noticed the impact their improvised gym had on his tendons and knees. Nearly 20 years after his drives with Fontecchio, Richard paid it forward. He raised around $60,000 for equipment and, after a year, recently completed <a href=\"https:\/\/gymnastics-now.com\/frederick-richard-is-spearheading-a-gymnastics-revolution-the-next-stop-uganda\/\">work<\/a> on a full-on gym, with the equipment to match.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"572\" data-attachment-id=\"610591\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/screenshot-63\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2106.jpg?fit=1206%2C885&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1206,885\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Screenshot&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1779620040&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Screenshot&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Screenshot\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Courtesy of Fred Richard. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2106.jpg?fit=780%2C572&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2106.jpg?resize=780%2C572&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Clon Circus Uganda and Richard pose behind donated equipment.\" class=\"wp-image-610591\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2106.jpg?w=1206&amp;ssl=1 1206w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2106.jpg?resize=1024%2C751&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2106.jpg?resize=768%2C564&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2106.jpg?resize=1200%2C881&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2106.jpg?resize=780%2C572&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2106.jpg?resize=400%2C294&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2106.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of Fred Richard. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s still a far cry from the Wolverines\u2019 former facilities at the Newt Loken Gymnastics Training Center and likely their newly-approved training <a href=\"https:\/\/mgoblue.com\/news\/2026\/5\/21\/regents-approve-mens-gymnastics-training-center\">center<\/a>. But those humble beginnings are not unlike where Richard began.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, though, Richard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/gymnastics\/among-the-greats-fred-richards-michigan-career-and-what-comes-next\/\">still<\/a> trains with Michigan, the epicenter of his impact on gymnastics. Like he did for Noll, Richard concludes our lesson by reviewing footage of my attempts. It\u2019s not hard to notice my major error \u2014 I piked during the flip instead of pressing my knees to my chest in a tuck. That\u2019s up to a half-point deduction in competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some rules can\u2019t be broken.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, getting creative with the rules defines Richard\u2019s legacy. It\u2019s why he succeeds in men\u2019s artistic gymnastics and why he stays viral. Where he refuses to bend, however, is with his driving mission \u2014 to make someone like him feel not just seen, but supported. It\u2019s a topical theme when he patiently teaches famous athletes, influencers or even me how to backflip. It\u2019s unmistakable when he publishes his story for kids like him. And it\u2019s tangible a world away in Kampala, where kids like him now flip more safely than ever \u2014 where Richard paid Fontecchio\u2019s work forward to let backflips off mattresses reach new heights.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related articles<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the foam pit swallowed me up, I could only think about how it hadn\u2019t looked so deep from my phone screen.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the first time I had seen the interior of the Newt Loken Gymnastics Training Center. The foam pit I fell into appears as the backdrop to many of senior Fred Richard\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[4789,99,4791,3476,4743,4790],"class_list":["post-5313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-backflip","tag-break","tag-fred","tag-learning","tag-richard","tag-rules"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5313"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5315,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5313\/revisions\/5315"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}