While some orcas are more talented than others, all of them learn through the same path as all the others. The teacher carefully defines the goal - none of the actions a trained orca takes are ambiguous and none of them has ever been done by a wild whale. Orcas learn the same way humans learn, by being rewarded for taking tiny steps toward a concrete goal. You or an orca can learn to stay off a hot stove, or hide from a tiger very quickly - even in a bad temper. Imitations of such escapes are not easily included in every day life.
Fear destroys the ability to learn anything but ways to escape.
A rested, happy, satisfied pupil learns quickly. They wait, or they dump a basket full of fish into the water just to break up the mood. Not a reward, just a way of shifting gears. The trainer must think through the whole action of flipping backwards and figure out what is the slightest beginning of flipping backwards. We don't give a fish every time, but about one in three, and not on a routine but in a varied way.