Corkscrew (trick)

Corkscrew (trick)

A Corkscrew (formally also known as a 540 twist) is a martial arts or dance move that is believed to have originated from Wushu and Capoeira. Because of the difficulty and appearance of the move it has been incorporated into various other athletic activities, namely Tricking and Break Dancing. The move consists of a practitioner swinging one leg up while jumping off the ground with the other leg. The leg is swung up high in order to raise the center of gravity and to give more height to the jump. After the initial jump, the practitioner will then straighten out their body horizontally and begin to twist their body as they would for a butterfly twist. Like a butterfly twist, the take off and landing is done with the same leg, however a corkscrew generally requires more rotation. Although most people invert when performing this trick, it is also socially acceptable to be horizontal. A good way to comprehend this trick is to recognize it as a combination of the cheat gainer and the butterfly twist.

Variations

  • Corkscrew to splits
    This is a normal corkscrew that is landed into a front split position.
  • Corkscrew to breakfall
    This variant is more common in wushu. Instead of landing on the feet, the practitioner lands into a forward shoulder roll. This is usually performed if the practitioner has too much momentum.
  • Hyper Corkscrew
    An additional 90-180 degrees of rotation are added. The defining characteristic of this move is the fact that the landing is done with the other leg.
  • Gainer Twist
    While some may not consider a corkscrew and a gainer twist to be connected, the take off of the two are surprisingly similar. Some practitioners incorporate more of a corkscrew motion into their gainer twist and others incorporate more of a gainer motion. Either way, a gainer twist is the combination of a corkscrew and a gainer in that the practitioner is twisting their body while flipping. In addition, the practitioner also moves forward from the initial point of take off.
  • Double Cork
    Similar setup to that of a normal corkscrew although there are two completed spins (900) instead of one.
  • Box Cutter

Hyper cork with a hook

  • Corkscrew Doubleleg

A corkscrew where, following the twist portion of the trick, your legs meet together and your body is piked just like a doubleleg.

See also

References

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