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Trick Tips
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This section includes tips to help land tricks. Note that these are tips that helped me and may not work for everybody. They are things that I found that made my Tricking much easier than earlier methods. Hopefully they will help you too. Remember that this section is NOT a Tutorial, but should go along with a Tutorial. This page was made just in case there are some other specifics that weren't emphasized or forgotten (by either the creator of the Tutorial or the Tricker trying to do the trick). I've added some brief descriptions of the tricks, check out the Trick Index (link at the bottom of this page as well) if there's some trick you don't know. Remember that you do accept and perform anything in this webpage and website at your own risk!! Good Luck Training!!
Table of Contents
General Tips
Jumping
Spinning
Layed Back/Horizontal Tricking
Tucking and Flipping
Kicking
Landing
Floating
360 Crescent and Variations
360 Inside Crescent (One Leg Landing)
360 Crescent (One Leg Landing)
Power 360
Step-Over 360
540 Crescent
720 Crescent
Kip Up and Variations
Kip Up
No Handed Kip Up
Rolling Kip Up
180 Kip Up
Star Kip Up
Au Batido and Variations
Au Batido
Au Batido Hat Trick
1990 Au Batido
Reverse 1990 Au Batido
Elbow Tido
Double Au Batido
Au Batido Switch
Reversed Au Batido
540 and Variations
540
Parafuso
Layed Back 540
Crescent 540
Jack Knife
Reverse 540
Whirlwind
Au Batido and Variations
Crescent Single Leg
Double Leg
Double Leg 540
Butterfly Kick and Variations
Butterfly Kick
Butterfly Twist
Hypertwist
Syko Twist
540 Twist/Corkscrew
Aerial and Variations
Aerial
Axe to Aerial
Spinning Axe to Aerial
Reverse Aerial
Aerial Twist
Handsprings, Flips, and Variations
Front Handspring
Back Handspring
Wall Flip
Front Flip
Backflip
Flashkick
X-Out
Gainer
Reverse Gainer
General Tips
Jumping-
A jump primarily consists of digging and pumping (exluding everything after you are off the ground). Digging is the amount of dip/bending of the knees and body that contributes to the power of a jump. Pumping is the push upwards into a jump. The direction of the pump and body rotations determine various types of results.
Here are some starting positions and follow throughs that can help for specific types of tricks (rememeber that they are not limited to just these and can vary from person to person; these are just the ones that helped me).
The spinning aspect will be explained more in the spinning section. Make sure to remember that these tips are linked together very quickly and almost instantanously, but knowing them could increase jumping power.
* Stationary Jumps: feet about shoulder-width apart with knees bent no more than 90 degrees (any more and the weight stress will shift too much onto one muscle, creating more work than necessary), arms extended slightly behind you...throw the arms upwards and lift the upper body with the chest first before pumping
* Forward Jumps: same as stationary jumps, but throw the arms upwards and forward, lifting the upper body with the chest upwards and forward
* Backwards Jumping: same as stationary jumps, but throw the arms upwards and back, lifting the upper body with the chest upwards and back
* Vertical Spinning Jumps: feet about shoulder-width apart, knees bent no more than 90 degrees, and arms extended in the opposite direction of the spin...throw the arms a little upwards and in the direction of the spin, lift the upper body with the chest first before pumping
* Vertical Spinning Jumps Moving Sideways: one leg bent at 45 degrees (the leg furthest away from the direction of sideways movement), the other leg closest to the direction of sideways movement straight, and the arms extended in the opposite direction of the spin...throw the arms to the side as you pump off the bent leg, bring the arms down a little as the body shifts weight to the other foot, either step across to the other side or bring the feet together in a tiny hop, throw the arms upwards and in the direction of the spin while turning and leaning the upper body in the direction of the sideways movement, lift the upper body (which is in a leaning position) with the chest before pumping again
* Do horizontal jumps much faster than vertical jumps
* Horizontal Spinning Jumps (Starting Face Down): legs a little more than shoulder-width apart, arms extended in the opposite direction of the spin...throw the arms and upper body down into a horizontal position, knees bent no more than 90 degrees, begin turning into the direction of the spin, lift upwards with the waist, upper body, and arms before pumping
* Horizontal Spinning Jumps (Starting Face Up): legs a little more than shoulder width apart with one leg in front of the other, knees bent slightly...throw the back leg in front and upwards, throw the upper body and arms upwards and in the direction of the spin while leaning backwards, lift the upper body with the chest (followed by the waist) in the direction of the spin before pumping
Spinning-
These tips are for spinning in general. Throwing kicks into spinning moves will not be covered until the kicking section (which should be read together with the landing section). Hopefully these tips will maximize your spin.
* Wind the arms back in the opposite direction of the spin for extra momentum (although, this is not mandatory)
* It is better to lead with the upper body since it is the upper body that directs rotation for spinning (at the waist); begin turning the upper body before take off
* After taking off, curl the arms inwards, and keep the legs straight and crossed slightly OR throw two elbow strikes with one elbow pushing behind the shoulder (hand at waist or so) and the other elbow crossing in front (hand at around the opposite armpit)
* Look over the shoulder in the direction of the spin toward your back, although this is not necessary (do NOT tuck the chin in while looking over, but keep the head level if looking into the spin- use peripheral vision)
* Although looking over the shoulder towards your back, do not concentrate on turning the shoulder you are looking over backwards; instead, concentrate on the opposite shoulder turning toward the direction of the spin (therefore, it will feel more like turning forwards, which is easier than turning backwards)
* Maintain control of the spin with the upper body
Layed Back/Horizontal Tricking-
Here are a few tips to keep in mind while doing horizontal or layed back tricks.
* Either drop the upper body parallel (or close to parallel) to the ground before taking off OR jump with the legs and let the legs catch up to the upper body that begins to lean towards being parallel.
* Remember that in some horizontal tricks, lift with the chest first and then the hips; in others, lift with the hips first while leaning the chest back
* Before doing a horizontal trick, mark a spot that's about 5 feet away from where you will be horizontal, then, as you trick, tilt your head back and look for that spot or keep a constant eye on it (at first)
* Learn to spin at a very high speed with control first (see spinning section above), then move on to a more floaty-look
* It is also a good idea to perform a trick and gradully move/lean backwards into it with the increased comfort level
Tucking and Flipping-
Here are a few tips to remember when tucking. Don't forget to check out the flips section for more details.
* Jump as high as until the peak of the jump is felt before tucking
* Throw the arms up first for height, and then in an arc in the direction of the spin slightly, then move back to grab under the knees (although it is not necessary to grab the knees)
* For back tucks, remember to bring the knees up and in toward the chest as if you are trying to go through the chest as you go backwards
* For front tucks, take a small jump (for a punch jump set-up) with the feet in front of the shoulders
* Keep the line-of-sight up while digging, then use the line-of-sight to head towards the direction of the tuck/flip
Kicking-
This section includes tips on kicking in the air for spinning or not.
* It's possible to lead with the knee in the direction of the spin but the knee will continue the spin when releasing a kick
* Crescent, Front, and Back kicks are good for when a kick is done when the body is facing forward and a kick is executed
* Roundhouse and Hook kicks are good for when a kick is done when the body is facing the side and the kick is executed
* Kicks slow down spinning, so if a spin is done after a kick, make sure to recoil the kick back in and bring the legs together again to continue spinning
* The legs will follow the upper body initially, until a kick is executed and reaches a point beyond the way the body is facing, in which the upper body will then follow
* DO NOT lead with the lower half of the leg, it will take away from the spin for spinning tricks and lose some power as well
Landing-
These are mainly tips for safety as to not put too much stress on the knees and joints.
* The legs can either be bent slightly or straight but loose before making contact to the ground
* Upon landing, tense up only slightly, at least enough to keep the legs from collapsing completely (not as hard as it sounds)
* If landing from a high point, collapse the legs and follow-up in a roll of some type
* If spinning quickly, use one leg to land first and pivot upon (to take some of the force), while the other leg stays close to the body; then either use the 2nd leg to stop the spinning, or to initiate a couple other steps in the direction of the spin
* If spinning using the 2nd leg to stop, dig the ball of the foot (on either or both feet) into the ground, turn out the heel slightly, and try to turn the body in the opposite direction slightly to brake
* Be careful to NOT have the leg locked
* Try to land on the ball of the foot first and roll off onto the heel (pull back the toes slightly if needed)
* If spinning, the arms can extend outwards to slow down momentum
Floating-
Floating is a brief stall in the air in one direction. Here are some tips to float at certain times.
* Swing the arms around and throw them into the diretion of the float; the arms should be on both sides of the direction of the float
* If vertical, throw the arms upwards in the direction of the float
* If horizontal, throw the arms upwards for added height and then back and in the direction of the float
* Floating does not necessarily require just the arms, but extending arms help; it is also possible to float with some upper body control
* It is possible to float with just the legs by throwing one leg up and into the direction of the float
Back to Top
360 Crescent and Variations
360 Inside Crescent (One Leg Landing)-
A jump kick performed off the back leg using an inside crescent (spinning towards the front) with a total of 360 degrees of airtime.
* Jump off with both feet and turn the upper body first, leading up with the kicking knee/leg secondly from the outside
* Swing the arms up then down to the sides while jumping and turning with the upper body
* While kicking, extend upwards and inwards to fling the body around
* Try to hold the non-kicking leg up and extended in front while kicking over it (tense it for extra help)
* Try to hold or tense the non-kicking leg as opposed to tucking it in, right after the kick or else it will be harder to finish (this is good practice for the 540 landing)
* Bend the non-kicking leg upwards when possible to help with the landing on one leg
360 Crescent (One Leg Landing)-
A jump kick performed off the back leg using an outside crescent (spinning towards the back) with a total of 360 degrees of airtime.
* Jump off with both feet and turn the upper body first, leading up with the kicking knee/leg secondly from the inside
* Swing the arms up then down to the sides while jumping and turning with the upper body
* While kicking, extend upwards and outwards to fling the body around
* Tuck the non-kicking leg in towards the chest before finishing the kick or else it most likely won't work
Power 360-
This is a jump kick performed from standing on the rear leg, which is also the kicking leg, with an inside crescent to land again on the same leg with 360 degrees of airtime. It is called "Power 360" because the front leg never touches the ground.
* Start with the the less dominant leg bent off the ground and in front (this is the non-kicking leg)
* Lower the non-kicking leg slightly (but don't touch the ground) and lift with the knee upwards as high as you can while pumping with the base kicking leg hard
* Kick fast and as high as possible while holding the non-kicking leg tucked in slightly
* Right after kicking, try to hold the non-kicking leg up and extended (tense it for extra help); bend it upwards as soon as possible to help with the landing
* Be sure to absorb with the kicking leg by bending slightly upon landing
Step-Over 360-
A jump kick executed by throwing the back leg inside to the front, jumping off of and throwing an outside crescent with the (now) rear leg, and landing on the non-kicking leg or both legs with a total of 360 degrees of airtime.
540 Crescent-
An outside crescent kick executed at the end of a 540 veritcal spin taking off with one leg.
720 Crescent-
An outside crescent kick executed at the end of a 720 vertical spin taking off with both feet.
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Kip Up and Variations
Kip Up
-
A move to get to standing from the ground while on the back, where the legs are kicked up and under while the hands push off by the head.
* It is easier to put the fingers facing your body instead of away from the body
* Wind the legs inward by bringing the knees close to the chest
* The lower back should be off the ground in the wound up position
* Kick out in an arc going upwards first then to outwards
* Kick out first, then push up with your hands/extend your arms as the body is being lifted
* Remember to whip the legs out and around quickly
* Either use lower back flexibility or bend the knees underneath to bring the body around
No Handed Kip Up-
A move to get to standing from the ground while on the back, where the legs are kicked up and under without the aide of the hands.
* Wind the legs inward by bringing the knees close to the chest
* The lower back should be off the ground in the wound up position
* It is easier to have the weight concentrated closer to the shoulders than on the middle back
* Kick out in an arc going upwards first then to outwards
* It helps to push outwards (upwards and in then in front) in the air with the arms for extra momentum
* Remember to whip the legs out and around quickly
* Either use lower back flexibility or bend the knees underneath to bring the body around
Rolling Kip Up-
A front roll from standing or squating where halfway through the roll the legs are kicked upwards and under to get to standing while the hands push off by the head.
180 Kip Up-
A move to get to standing from the ground to face behind by kicking the legs up while twisting/crossing them and downward while the hands push off by the head.
Star Kip Up-
A move to get to standing from the ground to face behind by swinging the legs in a windmill fashion up and around and pushing up with the hands when in a push-up position.
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Au Batido and Variations
Au Batido
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A kick executed behind the head while going down and balancing on one hand.
* Go down onto the hand as if going into a one-handed cartwheel
* For balance, try to have the arm on the ground vertical
* Kick behind the head with the first leg (you can lead up with the knee first or keep the leg straight)
* You can use the other arm to pull down the kicking leg for an extra stretch
* Keep the second/trailing leg straight as the first leg kicks; it should trail either upwards or backwards (in a split position; you can also lower it if it is to high)
* To land, either bring the second/trailing leg back down in the same place it started from or bring it in front
Au Batido Hat Trick-
A kick executed behind the head while on one hand; at the same time as the kick, the other hand reaches around the kicking leg, grabs and takes off/puts on a hat.
* Go down onto the hand as if going into a one-handed cartwheel
* For balance, try to have the arm on the ground vertical
* Kick behind the head with the first leg (you can lead up with the knee first or keep the leg straight)
* Reach around the kicking leg and pull it down with your forearm or at the bend of the elbow until you reach your hat
* Keep the second/trailing leg straight as the first leg kicks; it should trail either upwards or backwards (in a split position; you can also lower it if it is to high)
* To land, either bring the second/trailing leg back down in the same place it started from or bring it in front
1990 Au Batido-
Going down on one hand with the non-kicking leg coming up first, the body weight is switched onto the other hand (moving forward) where a kick is executed behind the head while balancing on the 2nd hand.
* Put the first hand down in front while raising the opposite leg up backwards high (try to get it as high as possible initially); also have the upper body moving over and past the first arm (almost like walking on your hands slightly)
* Put the second hand down in front of the other hand to "catch" the upper body moving forward
* Remember to turn the body sideways before kicking while raising the first hand off the ground and pulling the elbow up towards the hip
* Kick behind the head with the second leg (you can lead up with the knee first or keep the leg straight)
* Keep the first/trailing leg straight as the second leg kicks; it should either trail upwards or backwards (in a split position; you can also lower it if it is too high)
* To land, either bring the first/trailing leg back down in the same place it started from or bring it in front
Reverse 1990 Au Batido-
With strides going backwards, go down on one hand with the non-kicking leg coming up first, the body weight is switched onto the other hand which reaches further behind (as opposed to further front) where a kick is executed behind the head while balancing on the 2nd hand.
* Glide with the feet backwards
* Put the first hand down closer to the 2nd leg while raising the opposite leg up backwards high (try to get it as high as possible initially); also have the upper body moving over and past the first arm (almost like walking on your hands backwards slightly)
* Put the second hand down behind the other hand to "catch" the upper body moving backwards
* Remember to turn the body sideways before kicking while raising the first hand off the ground and pulling the elbow up towards the hip
* Kick behind the head with the second leg (you can lead up with the knee first or keep the leg straight)
* Keep the first/trailing leg straight as the second leg kicks; it should either trail upwards or backwards (in a split position; you can also lower it if it is too high)
* To land, either bring the first/trailing leg back down in the direction the body was travelling or bring it in front (depending on balance)
Elbow Tido-
Going down on one hand with the non-kicking leg coming up first, the body weight is switched onto the other arm's forearm where a kick is executed behind the head while balancing on the forearm.
* Put the first hand down in front while raising the opposite leg up backwards high (try to get it as high as possible initially); also have the upper body moving over and past the first arm (almost like walking on your hands slightly)...(NOTE: it is not necessary to use the first hand, but it will help greatly if doing this move for the first time or on hard surfaces)
* Bend the first arm and place the elbow of the second arm slightly in front of the first arm to "catch" the upper body moving forward
* Remember to turn the body sideways before kicking while raising the first hand off the ground and pulling the elbow up towards the hip
* Kick behind the head with the second leg (you can lead up with the knee first or keep the leg straight)
* Keep the first/trailing leg straight as the second leg kicks; it should either trail upwards or backwards (in a split position; you can also lower it if it is too high)
* To land, either bring the first/trailing leg in front straight (more toward the chest/face) or bent and in front onto the knee (more toward the hips) for a crouched landing
Double Au Batido-
Going down on one hand, the body is weight is switched onto the other hand where both legs kick towards the head but behind the head while balancing on the 2nd hand.
Au Batido Switch-
A kick executed behind the head while going down and balancing on one hand, then the body's momentum is followed through onto the other hand where the other leg executes a kick behind the head.
Reversed Au Batido-
A kick executed behind the head with the far leg while going down and balancing on one hand.
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540 and Variations
540 and Variations
540
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A jump kick with an inside crescent or roundhouse kick performed by throwing the back leg up in front (rotating towards the back), kicking over it with the other leg, landing on the kicking leg, and with 540 degrees of airtime.
* Take an initial step-through for added momentum, but do not step across beyond the other foot
* Swing the arms around and up, lift the upper body with the chest upwards and around; and float to the front
* Lead up with the non-kicking leg's knee (either extended initially or extended later) to the front high
* Try to hold the non-kicking leg extended in place up high
* Whip the kick over the non-kicking leg and let the upper body trail behind slightly (begin to turn the shoulders again)
* Bend the non-kicking leg after the kick goes over to aid the spin
* To help keep the non-kicking leg off the ground upon landing, try extending the leg again (in front) as you land
Parafuso-
Two jumping kicks performed by throwing the back leg around to the front with a reverse roundhouse, followed by a roundhouse off the other leg, whereas both legs meet together straight and land straight.
NOTE: A Parafuso is like a 540 Double Leg, but it has 2 kicks instead of 1 (as in the 540 Double Leg).
* Take an initial step-through for added momentum, but do not step across beyond the other foot
* Swing the arms around and up, lift the upper body with the chest upwards and around; and float to the front
* Lead up with the 1st leg's knee and kick with a reverse roundhouse to the front high
* Try to hold the 1st kicking leg extended in place up high (try not to go beyond 45 degrees past the target when holding for a nicer double leg landing)
* Whip the 2nd kick with a roundhouse and let the upper body trail behind slightly (begin to turn the shoulders again)
* Flex the legs to keep them straight and together if having trouble
* Remember that when executing the reverse roundhouse and roundhouse, the hips need to turn a little more into the direction of the spin (as opposed to a crescent kick) for power and proper technique
Layed Back 540-
* Take an initial step-through for added momentum, but do not step across beyond the other foot
* Swing the arms up, around, and start arching them around towards the back (towards the floor underneath), lift the upper body with the chest upwards and come up with the non-kicking leg
While beginning to lift the non-kicking leg up, lean back trying to look at the groud behind
* Lead up with the non-kicking leg's knee (either extended initially or extended later) to the front high (higher than in the 540)
* Try to hold the non-kicking leg extended in place up high while turning the shoulders a little past the target to the side
* Whip the kick over the non-kicking leg and kick it as vertical as possible (meaning high)
* Bend the non-kicking leg after the kick goes over to aid the spin, or keep it locked out through the entire move for a different look
* To help keep the non-kicking leg off the ground upon landing, tense the leg (in front) as you land or bend it backwards
Crescent 540- Take Off
Jack Knife-
A Jack Knife is a 540 with a hoo kick at the end before landing.
* Take an initial step-through for added momentum, but do not step across beyond the other foot
* Swing the arms around, up, and back, lift the upper body with the chest upwards and around
* Lead up with the 2nd kicking leg's knee (either extended initially or extended later) to the front high
* Try to hold the 2nd kicking leg extended in place up high
* It is important to NOT float (at least initially), but spin the shoulders through the 1st kick and around to the opposite side again
* Whip a roundhouse kick (at least initially) over the 2nd kicking leg
** NOTE: By turning the body for a roundhouse kick instead of a crescent kick, the hips become aligned better for a faster rotation almost automatically by forcing the shoulders and hips over to the side more
* Try to keep the 2nd kicking leg extended out horizontally, but bend it slightly after the kick goes over to aid the spin and to prepare for the hook kick
* After the 1st kick, keep the upper body more towards being horizontal for a higher hook kick (and a nicer looking one)
Reverse 540- Take Off
Whirlwind- Take Off
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Crescent Single Leg and Variations
Crescent Single Leg
- Take Off
Double Leg- Take Off
Double Leg 540- Take Off
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Butterfly Kick and Variations
Butterfly Kick
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* An initial step-to-kickback will help let the body get accustomed to the proper take off by building up more momentum
* Remember to dip the head and arms in a U-shape to convert side moving momentum upwards
* Throw the 1st leg up high to keep the body more horizontal
* Pump hard with the 2nd leg upwards
* Don't forget to kick high with the 2nd leg as well
Butterfly Twist- Take Off
Hypertwist- Take Off
Syko Twist- Take Off
540 Twist/Corkscrew- Take Off
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Aerial and Variations
Aerial
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* Lift the back leg (1st leg) up and slightly behind (leading with the heel) as high as possible before dipping down all the way with the upper body
* Try to reach behind the 2nd leg with the arm/hand closest to it (i.e.- right hand for right leg; left hand for left leg)
* Lift with the 2nd leg as the upper body is inverted or close to being inverted
* Try to kick the 2nd leg up high as to not let it lag to the side (as in a Butterfly Kick)
* For better height on the 2nd leg, try kicking up and over so the leg will land behind the 1st leg instead of next to or more in front of the body
* Turn the body slightly to face back in the direction you came from; this will also make the 1st leg come slightly more forward towards the front of the body rather than to the side; the toes will face back in the direction you came from too
* Tense the legs or consciously hold them straight to keep them straight after you get the proper technique down; whipping them over releases some of the tension of consciously flexing them
Axe to Aerial- Take Off
Spinning Axe to Aerial- Take Off
Reverse Aerial- Take Off
Aerial Twist- Take Off
Back to Top
Handsprings, Flips, and Variations
Front Handspring
- Take Off
Back Handspring- Take Off
Wall Flip- Take Off
Front Flip- Take Off
Backflip- Take Off
Flashkick- Take Off
X-Out- Take Off
Gainer- Take Off
Reverse Gainer- Take Off
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