What Is Tricking

Tricking (short for “martial arts tricking”) is the informal name of a relatively new underground alternative sport movement, combining martial arts, gymnastics, and other activities to create an “aesthetic blend of flips, kicks, and twists.” Tricking incorporates a variety of moves from different arts such as flips from gymnastics, 540 kick from Taekwondo, butterfly twist from Wushu and double leg from Capoeira. Tricking is recognizable by its flashy kicks, complex flips and twists, and its highly stylized movements which separate it from other arts. An individual who practises tricking is typically referred to as a “trickster” or “tricker”.

The actual terminology used in tricking is a somewhat complex array of prefixes and suffixes denoting rotational degrees, stylistic flairs, setups, and technical arrangements. Words like swipe, gyro, cheat, pop, missleg, switch, swingthru and hyper are all common and denote variations to basic moves.

Determining when tricking began is impossible, as it is a living sport that experiences massive change at the will of its community. For some people, tricking is still a supplement to their martial arts background. For others, tricking is a physical outlet for self-expression that is governed by very few principles. This fluidity is a defining characteristic of tricking. Despite the lack of recorded history, it is simpler to say where tricking came from rather than when.

Sourced from Wikipedia‘s article on Tricking.