The "running backwards" idea is mostly "bovine scatology". The engine might kick back half a turn or so if a cylinder fires before the piston gets to the top of its stroke, but it's so simple to avoid the problem with the right idle speed that there's no reason to put up with it. If it won't idle around 450-500 RPM, there are other problems that need to be addressed.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!