How do Acrobats become so flexible?

How to become flexible?

• I'm not looking to become flexible within days. I know it takes a long time. I was just wondering how. Here's what I'm worried of: one day, when doing a roll on the ground when I was 11 (I'm 14) something in my back, something on my spine, cracked hard and loud and I cried. It wasn't enough to go to the hospital, but I was just wondering if that's some sort of sign I could become flexible or some sort of sign that I shouldn't even try. Another thing is, and it's a little embarrassing, that I'm afraid if I do a split or something I'll break my hymen. Yeah, I know, ew, sorry, I just had to put it here because I was wondering if that is possible. I've heard of stories when horseback riders broke theirs when their horse jumped and they were on them, and if it's that easy... Also, I was wondering what type of stretches I should do. I've never danced or was a ballerina or anything when I was younger. I've never done anything flexible related when I was younger, and I'm 14 now, so I'm a total beginner. What types of stretches should I do? My goal is to be able to do a split, a cartwheel, a back bend, and a handstand within the next year. I'm pretty sure that's possible, right? Thank you for answering my questions! :D Really appreciated.

• Answer:

  First of all make sure that you have a fast run, then have a high hurdle. Anytime you do a tumbling skill where you have to run, you will do a hurdle before the skill. Make sure that you hurdle up and not down. By hurdling your making your tumbling higher and easier for you. As you hurdle make sure your arms are close to your ears. This makes it easier to push off. When you go into it reach far out in front of you but still hurdle upwards not downwards. A round off is just like a cartwheel except that you snap your legs together in the middle. When you land make sure that you rebound really high. The rebound is a crucial part of a round off that you need to have because the higher it is the easier it will be to do a round off back handspring or a round off back tuck, A round off is the key to all tumbling where you connect things like round off back handsprings and things like that so that's why you want to have a very tight and powerful round off. If you have no idea what I'm talking about go on YouTube.com and search "round off tutorial" . YouTube has THOUSANDS of tumbling tutorials and it has helped me so much I gymnastics. Trust me it's a life saver. Here is a good round off tutorial : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-knyQ3YM-5w