position from the invert axis that typically lands on the performer’s outside kicking leg, with the

performer’s momentum pulling backward. This stance allows the performer to typically swing
through into a backswing motion. This is the marker at which twisting tricks are measured as
single, double, triple, etc. and is almost never named. (Beginner / Advanced)

Cutter: A nod to the Boxcutter, this suffix is generally used on an inverted axis in place of the
term Hyper-Hook, and can be considered slang.

Cyclone: A term used almost exclusively in TKT, it is a variation where the performer executes an
outside kick followed by 360 degrees of rotation (Hyper + Half Gyro), and another outside kick.
In mainstream terminology, a cyclone is a “double” kicking variation with hook kicks.

Darkside: The opposite side, or doing a trick with the opposite direction of spin from normal. It
is somewhat uncommon for trickers to utilize both sides, or directions of spin, so tricks done on
the non-dominant orientation are referred to as being darksided.

Double Leg (Dleg): Both a unique trick and a variation type, or position in the air, it is modeled
after the Armada Dupla from capoeira, and can be described as gymnastics pike position while
twisting.

Double (Kicking): This variation is most often associated with any kick followed by 360 degrees
of rotation (Hyper + Half Gyro) and another of the same kick. Another more rare variation has
two of the same kick on a target with no rotation performed between them. Technically,
anytime two kicks are delivered in-air it can be called a double, but there is usually a more
appropriate suffix to use. In mainstream terminology, the name of the trick begins with the
highest rotation and ends with the ‘double’ suffix. For example: pop-720-double.

Double (Twisting): Any inverted trick with two twists around the vertical axis ending at the
complete landing position.

Dub: A slang term for a double twist. Occasionally this term will be thrown around for vert kicks
as well, but its most common usage refers to inverted tricks.

Eagle: A slang term for the starting position utilized for backswings. It is characterized by the
swing leg lifted behind the body and the arms back.

Envergado: A fully inverted parafuso. Another way to look at this trick is as an inverted raiz into
a double leg. The ‘enver’ prefix can be used to note an envergado followed by a variation suffix,
such as enver-snapu: and envergado followed by a full twist.

Fake (Landing Stances): Terms coined by Ben Atkins to describe an atypical landing position.
(Discussed Here)

Fei Long: An in-air kicking combination in which an outside kick is followed by 180 degrees of
rotation and an inside kick to the same target. Generally this is done with crescent kicks, as they
allow the hips to stay open and more freely execute both kicks. This is both a specific vert kick,
as well as a variation type on both the vertical and inverted axis. (Vert / Invert)

Fei Long Cross: A specific variation of the Fei Long in which a hook and round are used.

Feint: A faked kick. Most often, this means a vert kick is performed and the kick is only
chambered, but never extended. The term ‘Fake’ is often used to mean the same thing.

Feiwrong: A suffix used almost exclusively in TKT to note a true-hyper outside kick landing in a
backside stance.

Flagella: An old slang term for a round kick followed by a missleg transition into a btwist or
aerial. Contemporary wisdom argues this transition is actually a swingthrough that utilizes a
frontswing, and not a missleg as it has been traditionally understood to be.

Flamingo: Similar to the ‘eagle’ position, but in reverse. The flamingo is the starting position for
a frontswing and is characterized by the swinging leg extended in front of the body and the arms
raised up, ready to be swung backward.

Gainer: Unlike traditional gymnastics, the tricking gainer does not require forward motion. It is
simply a backflip performed from one leg, generally from a swing takeoff. This term is often used
casually to refer to both the gainer-flash kick, and the gainer-switch, allowing for context to
imply which is being used. The gainer prefix is usually used to note a swing takeoff into an
inverted trick.

GC: Generic Combo. This is a relatively uncommon term that came about in reply to the
prevalent use of the ‘OC’, or Original Combo, term to describe combos that lack any real
imagination or creativity. Simply put, GC’s have been done so often by so many people that they
are almost compulsory routines.

Grab: Similar to board sports, it is simply the act of grabbing a part of the body, generally the leg
or feet, with the hand.

Grandmaster: A trick performed from a master swing where the hands do not touch the ground.
For example, a masterswipe without landing on the hands becomes a grandmasterswipe.

Gyro: Both a specific and general term for an added 360 degree spin or twist after a kick. Gyro is
generally used for vertical tricks, and implies that the extra rotation occurs with the performer
upright, after a hyper. It is not uncommon for some people to also use the gyro tag to describe a
vertical twist on the way down from inverted tricks as well. Within the vert kicking realm, Gyro
can also be divided into Half-Gyro, for 180 degree rotations after a hyper. Many mainstream
(terminology) users do not use specific rotational degrees, nor the term Half-Gyro, allowing any
substantial rotation near 360 degrees post-kick to bare the Gyro suffix. Among TKT users, a true
hyper-gyro is 540 degrees of rotation after a kick (180 for the hyper + 360 for the gyro).
Gyroknife: A specific trick, and a type of variation on the knife pattern, gyroknifes have an entire
540 degrees of rotation (Hyper + Gyro) between the inside kick and outside kick, rather than the
standard 180 degrees.

Half-Gyro: See Gyro. An additional 180 degrees of rotation after a hyper.

Hawkeye: A variation in which any inside kick is replaced with a hook kick. This is often looked at
as a darkside hook kick because the leg performing it is usually used exclusively for inside
kicking.

Hook Kick: A traditional martial arts hook kick. There are many ways to perform this kick, but
the general guideline is that the foot is turned horizontally upon striking its target. The contact
point, traditionally, is the heel of the foot. This is often done by using the back of the heel, just
below the achilles tendon. Another way is to point the toe, and strike with either the bottom of
the heel, or the entire bottom of the foot. Trickers often adopt the pointed toe to add length
and greater aesthetic value.

Hyper (General): Originally, hyper was used to note the over-rotation of a trick, and landing on
the opposite foot. While this understanding still persists, it is widely becoming understood to be
more specific than this, and further disambiguated.

Hyper (Stance): A landing position on the invert axis where the performer rotates past the
complete position, and lands on their inside kicking leg, with the performer’s momentum pulling
backward or toward their inside flipping shoulder. This position typically allows the performer to
wrapthrough, or swingthrough into masterswings. (Beginner / Advanced)

Hyper (Vert): This generally means to land on the kicking leg. In the TKT system, this term is
specifically a 180 degree rotation after a kick, landing on both feet simultaneously. This term can
also be, and often is, used as a blanket term, allowing the following transitional tag to express
the difference between a Hyper (TKT) landing, and a True-Hyper landing.

Hyper-Hook: A variation used on the invert axis, this suffix means that the trick was taken to the
hyper landing, and an additional hook kick was executed before landing. This term is
occasionally used similarly in vert kicking, but is generally a misnomer, as other suffixes generally
apply better. Hyperhook is also a proper name for a Btwist Hyper-Hook.

Hyper-Style (Vert): A landing in which 180 degrees of rotation is performed after a vertical kick,
but the non-kicking landing leg is still used. This is a term used mostly within TKT, and rarely
heard in mainstream terminology.

Inside Crescent Kick: Similar to the round kick, but generally done with a straight leg. The key
difference is that the foot stays vertical throughout this kick, and strikes with the inside edge,
and arch of the foot.

Inside Flip: A term used almost exclusively in TKT, the inside flip is a side flip toward the
direction the performer twists, and is often performed from an inside stance. A right twister
would inside flip over their right shoulder. The inside flip is considered the base flip for the Tak
axis, as well as the master swing.

Inside Kick: A generic term usually referring to either a round, or inside crescent kick.

Inside Stance: A stance between frontside and backside where the performer’s hips face
squarely toward the target. It is not uncommon for some trickers to adopt the inside stance as
their backside stance, and is commonly accepted as such in combos.

Invert: The act of flipping within a trick. In order to be a true inverted trick, the hips must reach
a point higher than the performer’s head during the trick. In general, tricks reaching
approximately horizontal orientation, or where the hips are level with the performer’s head, are
often considered inverted tricks.

Jackknife: An in-air kicking combination in which an inside kick is followed by 180 degrees of
rotation and an outside kick to the same target. Generally this is done with a round kick
followed by a hook kick. The round is often preferred because it more freely snaps the hips over,
allowing the hook to follow.

J Step: A common setup used for swinging tricks. The performer steps for ward with a variable
number of steps, usually two. As they step with their final step onto the outside leg, the foot is
turned 90 degrees outward, and the trailing leg is swung through. The turn creates a ‘J’ pattern
on the ground, and initiates a torque in the hips as they turn to square themselves, increasing
power on the swing.

Jujimufu (Juji): The owner and operator of Trickstutorials, an early and extremely influential
tricking website. Trickstutorials is arguably the most influential tricking site ever, and can
credited with birthing, or at least fostering, the early careers of many of the greatest trickers of
all time.

Katana (Vert): A True-Hyper inside kick. This term is used almost exclusively in TKT communities
and is almost never used by mainstream users.

Knife: See Jackknife, and Swipe Knife. This suffix is generally added to both inverted tricks and
vertical kicks, and implies either a hypered inside kick or swipe was performed at some point,
and that the trick will land with an additional hook.

Kyro: Any hyper-hook followed by an additional twist or gyro. In terms of the use of this suffix,
the hyper-hook is implied and should not be named. For example: boxcutter-twist = cork kyro,
not boxcutter-kyro.

K Step: A term generally used to describe a variation of the cheat takeoff where a slight stutter,
or double pivot, is created on the base leg. This form of the cheat takeoff is popular among the
Korean trickers and as such was dubbed the ‘K step’, or ‘Korean Step’.
Landing Stance: The position in which a trick terminates. For both vertical and inverted tricks
there are a multitude of possible positions, each carrying their own transitional possibilities.

Late- : A variation usually followed by a number implying a kick type in mainstream terminology,
this is characterized by large over rotation on the invert axis, ending in either mega with an
inside kick, or more rarely by changing axis to twist vertically into an outside kick. The numeric
value assigned to the “late” tag corresponds to vertical backside kick using mainstream
terminology. This means that single-mega skills are assigned the title “Late9”, “Late 900”, or
“Late-round” because their total rotation, not counting the flip, approximately corresponds to
the backside900. “Late” hook tricks will use the corresponding hook vert kick numbers, such as
720 or 1080.

Mainstream (Terminology): The most common language and set of terms used by trickers.
Many of the names date back to the origins of tricking and sport karate circuits of the 1990’s.
Mainstream terminology is more or less an oral tradition. Many definitions and concepts can be
deduced from common usage and older sites, but there is no central location or formal
standardization. It is a loose system with varying perspectives and opinions.

Master: Also referred to as a masterswing, is a swing takeoff where the performer’s leading leg
is elevated and swings inward, closing the legs and initiating an inside flip. Tricks involving a
master swing tend to bare the prefix ‘master’, or ‘grandmaster’. The difference between the
master and grandmaster is simply whether or not the performer’s hands touch during the trick.
In a master- trick, the performer will land on their hands before finishing the trick, where a
grandmaster trick is completed entirely in the air.

Mega (Stance): A landing position on the invert axis where the performer rotates past the hyper
position and lands on the outside kicking leg, with their momentum pulling them forward or
toward their inside flipping shoulder. This stance is 180 degrees past the complete landing
stance, and can be looked at as a half rotation. Mega landings allow the performer to
swingthrough into frontswing, aerial, and btwist axis tricks. (Basic / Advanced)

Mega-Round: See Late-. A suffix used to describe landing a trick in the mega position with a
round kick. This is more commonly referred to as a ‘Late’ round.

Missleg: A singular transition in which the in-air leg rebounds into the next trick. It could be said
that the leg literally misses the ground, and changes its path to create takeoff. (Basic /
Advanced)

Momentum Line: The imaginary line created by a tricker as they travel during a combo. The
momentum line is generally perpendicular to the target both in practice and in theory. Using the
cardinal directions of a compass, if the target is designated as North, the momentum line will
generally be described as East to West for left twisters, or West to East for right twisters.

Murder: A name describing a swingthrough where the swinging leg was grabbed in the previous
trick, and held throughout the transition. For example, when doing a cork-rodeo, landed holding
the rodeo grab, and swung into another cork, the second cork would be described as a murder
cork.

NASKA: The North American Sport Karate Association. NASKA is one of the oldest, most
prestigious sport karate leagues, and is one of the birth places of many of the tricks found in
tricking today, as well as its early practitioners.

OC: Original Combo. The ‘OC’ is a slang term used to note any combo with a particularly high
degree of originality, creativity, and often technicality.

Outside Crescent Kick: Similar to the hook kick, but generally done with a straight leg. The key
difference is that the foot stays vertical, or toes facing up, throughout this kick, and strikes with
the outside edge of the foot, also known as the blade of the foot.

Outside Flip: A term used almost exclusively in TKT, the outside flip is a side flip in the opposite
direction of the performer’s twisting direction, and is performed from an outside stance. A right
twister would flip over their left shoulder. The outside flip is considered the base flip for the raiz
axis.

Outside Kick: A generic term usually referring to either a hook, or outside crescent kick.

Outside Stance: A stance between backside and frontside where the performer’s hips face away
from the target. It is very common to see trickers adopt the outside stance as their frontside
stance, particularly when taking off for vert kicks.

Parafuso (Para-): Another form of the double leg, the parafuso can be described as a cheat
takeoff into a double leg where the legs come together on the target. It is not uncommon to see
‘para’ used as a prefix to describe any double leg variation on both the vertical and inverted axis.
Arguably this can become a misnomer, but it is generally acceptable to do so.

Peter Pan: A variation, or position taken during a trick, in which the performer places both fists
on their hips, with their elbows wide, similar to the stance taken by Peter Pan in the animated
Disney movie.

Pizzaboy: A variation similar to a scissor or helicoptero, Pizzaboys have been described as a

“flashkick swing tornado kick” in the air before landing. The pizzaboy completes the flashkick or
swipe before transitioning to the tornado, and can be added to any move with a swipe or flash
kick motion. Another way to describe it is that it is a swipe or flash followed by a late/mega-
round.

Pop: A method of takeoff where the performer jumps with both feet simultaneously, and can be
performed from either frontside or backside stances. Pop is also the name of a transition where
a sequential landing is followed by a unified landing. Simply put, a pop transition is landing on
one foot, then the next, but taking off into the next trick with both feet at the same time.
( Transition: Basic / Advanced)

Pump: A term used to describe the lifting of the knee, as if chambering, during the rotation of
vert kick. This usually means the non-kicking leg will be pumped prior to extending the kick with
the opposite leg, and can be used as a precursor to a multi-kick variation.

Punch: A unified transition that connects a unified landing to a unified takeoff. For most
trickers, this is synonymous with a powerful stomp into the ground to create rebound. (Basic /
Advanced)

Rapid: The secondary form of the missleg transition. This is most easily understood to be a one
legged punch. (Basic / Advanced)

Rechamber: The act of bending the knee after a kick has been performed. This allows greater
control upon landing as well as the ability to kick again more efficiently and powerfully.

Recycle: A slang term for a master swing, typically from a hook kick, into a vert kick. Essentially,
this allows swings into backside kicks without the need to pivot.

Redirect: The secondary form of a reversal transition. Redirect transitions land sequentially,
followed by an adjustment step, and takeoff in the reverse sequence from their landing. (Basic /
Advanced)

Reversal: A sequential transition where the sequence of landing and takeoff are reversed. (Basic
/ Advanced)

Reverse: An older term used to describe traveling backward into a trick, or a trick that doesn’t
usually have backward travel performed with it. This term is largely forgotten and is often
instead used to describe a reversal transition.

Reverse Pop: A unified transition that follows the reversed sequence of a pop transition.
Reverse pops are a unified landing followed by a sequential takeoff. (Basic / Advanced)

Rocket Boy: A distinct trick as well as position, or variation, where the performer reaches down
in a piked position and grabs the opposite ankle with their hand while the other arm reaches
high above the head during an inverted trick.

Rodeo: A position in which the performer reaches back and grabs their ankle. This is generally
accompanied by pushing forward with the hips and arching the back to further emphasize the
position.

Round Kick: A traditional martial arts roundhouse kick. There are many ways to perform this
kick, but the general guideline is that the foot is turned horizontally upon striking its target. The
contact point, traditionally, is the ball of the foot, or with a pointed toe is anywhere from the top
of the foot to the middle of the shin. It is common for trickers to use a pointed toe for this kick
to add length and greater aesthetic value.
-Round (Variation): A variation where a complete rotation is made on the invert axis, followed
by a round kick to target. For example, a cork ending in a round kick is called a cork-round.

Safari: See Rocket Boy. Similar to the Rocket Boy, but utilizing a shuriken (variation), rather than
a pike, or double leg. The arm opposite from the kicking leg should make the grab to create the
proper twisted position.

Scissor: A slang term for scissorswipe, but arguably less ambiguous. This term is quickly taking
the place of Scissorswipe within the community. Scissors are twist kicks, or “inside round” kicks
performed with the inside kicking leg, and typically land mega.

Scissorswipe: A variation on the martial arts scissor kick in which an outside kick or side kick is
performed simultaneously with an inverted round kick, or twist kick, with the other leg. This
variation is most often applied to invert tricks. Within the tricking community, the only emphasis
is on the twist kick, or inverted round. There is a growing movement to drop the ‘swipe’ from
this name as there is no traditional ‘swipe’ involved.

Seagull: Similar to the Eagle and Flamingo positions, this is the slang term for the starting
position of the master swing.

Semi- (Stance): A landing position on the invert axis where the performer rotates past the mega
position and lands on the inside kicking leg, with their momentum pulling them forward or
toward their outside flipping shoulder. This stance is 180 degrees past the hyper position, and
can be looked at as a half rotation. Semi landings allow the performer to swingthrough into
frontswing, raiz axis tricks. (Basic / Advanced)

Sequential: This term describes a landing or takeoff where the feet land one at a time. When
used to describe transitions, it means that both the landing and takeoff occurs one foot at a
time.

Shuriken (Variation): A variation type on the invert axis where an outside kick is performed while
twisting, followed by landing on the kicking leg in the complete stance. At higher rotations,
further twisting can be performed after the kick and still retain the shuriken tag.

Shuriken (Vert): A True-Hyper outside kick. This term is used almost exclusively in TKT
communities and is almost never used by mainstream users. Shuriken (Variation) is also a type
of variation on the invert axis. As a type of variation, the term is used widely in both mainstream
and TKT.

Shuriku: A modern slang term for shuriken-twist. A double twisting variation where a shuriken
is executed in the first twist.

Single (Twisting): Any inverted trick with one twist around the vertical axis, ending at the
complete landing position.
Singular: This term describes a transition in which only one leg ever lands.

Skip: The secondary form of a vanish transition in which both feet never touch the floor at the
same time. (Basic / Advanced)

Snapu: Taken from the snapuswipe, this is any variation where a swipe is followed by a full twist.
In terms of the use of this suffix, the swipe is implied and does not need to be named. For
example, a full-swipe + twist is a full snapu. Like several other variations, the name of the
original trick, the snapuswipe, is starting to be shortened to snapu by many members of the
community because there is no swipe at the end, as is implied.

Squirrel: See Rodeo. Arguably not a distinctly different variation from the rodeo grab, the
performer reaches for, but never actually grabs, their ankle.

Stepover (Takeoff): See Swing (Takeoff).

Swing (Takeoff): A method of takeoff where the performer lifts their inside kicking leg while
pivoting up to 180 degrees in the direction of their typical rotation. This takeoff can be used
from either frontside (by swinging the leg away from the target) or, more commonly, backside
stance (by swinging toward the target). This takeoff is also often referred to as a Stepover.

Swingthrough: A singular transition in which the in-air leg travels in an unobstructed linear
fashion directly into the next takeoff. (Basic / Advanced)

Swipe: A true-hyper inside kick, generally a round kick, performed while on an inverted axis.
The target is generally high in the air, often directly above the performer.

Swipe Knife: See Jackknife and Swipe. The Swipe Knife suffix is added to inverted tricks, not
vertical kicks. It is similar to a Jackknife, but because it occurs in an inverted trick, it substitutes a
swipe in place of an inside kick. This is both a specific inverted trick, as well as a variation type
on any inverted axis.

TKT (True Kick Terminology): A systemized approach to the study of tricking, founded by Dan
Perez DeTejada. This system is widely known for naming kicks by their true rotational values.
TKT is often synonymous with the Aeriform system which is known for its systemized break down
of all parts of tricking, from takeoffs and landings, to transitional definitions, and beyond.

Tornado (Kick): One of the most basic kicks, and often the first kick trick people learn. A tornado
kick is a cheat takeoff followed by 180 degrees of in-air rotation, and a round kick. In TKT, this is
written as a cheat-360-round.

Transition: The method of connecting 2 tricks in a combo. Transitions are broken into several
types based on the sequence of landing one trick and taking off into the next. Tricks such as
scoots and cartwheels are not transitions, although they are occasionally incorrectly labeled as
such.
Triple (Kicking): This is most often associated with three consecutive, alternating kicks to the
target while spinning. Technically anytime three kicks are delivered in-air it can be considered a
triple, but there is usually a more specific set of suffixes to use.

Triple (Twisting): Any inverted trick with three twists around the vertical axis ending at the
complete landing position.

True-Hyper (Vert): A landing in which 180 degrees of rotation is performed after a vertical kick
that lands on the kicking leg. This specific term is used almost exclusively within the TKT
community, and implied by the term Hyper among most mainstream (terminology) users. See
also Katana (Vert) and Shuriken (Vert).

Tsunami (Kick): More widely known as a stepover-hook, The tsunami name is a slang term used
in the TKT and Cinematic/Hyper Tricking systems. The tsunami is a swing takeoff, followed by
180 degrees of in-air rotation, and a hook kick. In TKT this is also written as a swing-360-hook.

Turbo (Landing): A two footed landing. This term is relatively uncommon, but gaining in
popularity.

Twist: For the purpose of this site, twist will always describe rotation on the vertical axis during
an inverted trick. It is not uncommon for people to refer to any rotation on the vertical axis as
twist, regardless of the performer’s orientation.

Unified: This term describes landings and takeoffs as using both feet simultaneously. When
used to describe a transition, it means that either the landing, takeoff, or both the landing and
takeoff of the transition uses both feet simultaneously.

Vanish: A sequential transition in which the landing and takeoff follow the same sequence.
Vanish can be likened to walking. (Basic / Advanced)

Variation: Performing any trick in a way that deviates from its base skill. This often means the
addition of a kick or grab, or a specific alteration of the movement to enhance the aesthetic.

Vert Kick: A kick delivered with no major degree of inversion. The performer stays upright
throughout the entire trick. (Vert Basics)

WackKnife: A variation on the Jackknife where the rotation between the first and second kicks is
removed. Upon hitting the target with an inside kick, the performer rechambers the kick while
simultaneously chambering and executing the outside kick to the same target. This is almost
always accomplished by using inside and outside crescent kicks which allow the hips to to stay
open and fixed while the legs are in motion. This is both a specific vert kick, as well as a variation
type on both the vertical and inverted axis. In some versions of TKT, the wackknife suffix is used
to note a true-hyper inside kick that lands in a frontside stance.

Whirlwind: A variation on the Fei Long pattern, where the performer spin an entire 540 degrees
of rotation (Hyper + Gyro) between the outside kick and inside kick, rather than the standard 180
degrees. This term is almost exclusive to TKT users.

Windex (Windex Swipe): A slang term for a raiz hyper-hook. Commonly understood as a
swipeknife without a swipe. As such, many trickers choose to shorten the term to simply
Windex, to avoid any confusion.

Wrap: Also known as wrapthrough, the wrap has many meanings. As a transition, wraps are a
often understood as a swingthrough into a sideflip. The wrap term is also used in vert kicking to
describe a cheat takeoff from backside stance, as well as to describe typical cheat takeoffs that
rotate on the ground past what is typically accepted. This term is not without controversy,
though it is widely used and accepted within the community. (Basic / Advanced)

X-Out (X): A variation and position in which both legs are kicked out into a straddle position in-
air. This variation is generally reserved for inverted tricks.

Zoot: Related to getting high, generally from marijuana or ‘dabs’.