Tricking (martial arts)


Tricking is a training discipline that combines kicks with flips and twists from gymnastics as well as many dance moves and styles from breakdancing. It aims to achieve an aesthetic display of different combinations of "tricks". Tricking practitioners are commonly referred to as trickers. Examples of tricking techniques include the 540 kick, the corkscrew, the flashkick, the butterfly twist and the double leg.

History

A tendency to exhibit techniques that are more flashy and complex was observed in martial arts during the period following the 1960s, predating the current tricking movement. Especially in taekwondo, an increasing emphasis on spectacular spinning, jumping or flying kicks developed during the mid-1960s with the introduction of international competitions.
The actual sport of tricking is an internet phenomenon, emerging in the early 2000s. Xtreme Martial Arts is thought to be a close precursor to the sport, being shown at various martial arts tournaments in the 90s and early 2000s. By late 2003, the online tricking community was well-developed, bringing trickers from across the globe together. With the rise of YouTube, trickers were able to share their videos with others, and the discipline experienced a massive rise in popularity and interest. Since the beginning of 2008, tricking has been receiving much wider publicity and popularity among the general public due to efforts of popular tricking teams.

Progression

Unlike many established sports, tricking has no formal rules or regulations, and there are no governing bodies that regulate the sport. Strictly speaking, participants are free to perform any kind of dramatic maneuver and call it a 'trick' - though there are certain moves that are generally accepted as tricking moves. Some practitioners tend to learn the easier moves first and try to progress through a list of recognized tricks in the perceived order of difficulty. However, how difficult a trick is, varies from person to person; certain tricks may be inexplicably easier or harder than normal for a particular tricker to learn.
Trickers can be divided into different categories of style: some prefer performing mainly martial arts tricks, others mostly freestyle gymnastics and flips, but most trickers combine moves from both of the disciplines. Trickers regularly train their bodies hard to be able to perform their tricks at any time consistently.

Training

Tricking's popularity has increased over the years bringing some facilities and gymnastics centers to coach tricking. However, the majority of trickers are self-taught or have partaken in similar sports such as martial arts or gymnastics. In addition to these foundations, trickers usually learn from friends or other individuals who have more experience than themselves. Many trickers, who do not have access to an environment with which to learn, train by simply reproducing movements seen in videos. A rising practice within the tricking community has been to form "teams" among friends. These groups serve not only as a form of self-encouragement for individuals, but also to build identity and credibility as a tricker in the community. Similarly, trainees seek aid from tricking camps and gatherings, which expose trickers to other individuals with higher levels of skill. In recent years, tricking has had enough exposure to the point that some martial arts and gymnastics studios in big cities feature classes for it,.
Practitioners usually perform the majority of their tricks on grass or plyometric flooring. Foam landing mats, trampolines, or jumping jamborees are utilized to become familiar with new movements in a safe environment. In addition to practicing the moves of tricking, many trickers improve physical fitness to complement their training. A mutually ordinary skill among many trickers is body conditioning and strength training, as many of the movements within the activity require a high level of strength. Dynamic and static flexibility training is also commonly practiced by trickers due to the upper range of motion many tricks require.

Tricking techniques

This is an incomplete list of tricks extracted from online compendiums.
Tags

Beginner Tricks (and variations)

Intermediate Tricks (and variations)

Advanced Tricks (and variations)

Expert Tricks (and variations)

Even more expert tricks

Prefixes and suffixes

Since its inception, gatherings have been a regular part of the tricking community. Organized by trickers, usually with the assistance of online forums, gatherings are an opportunity for individual trickers to showcase their styles and seek advice from other trickers. Gatherings usually have one or more Gym Sessions, where a gymnastics studio is rented out specifically for the gathering.
In addition, there are also mini-gatherings that usually take place in grassy fields. Compared to regular gatherings where trickers from all over the world attend, mini-gatherings generally attract local trickers to a one-day session. This in turn allows local trickers to meet, trick together, strengthen tricking in their own communities, and help expose it to more people in their local area.

Team tricking

Trickers sometimes make teams and practice together, but often perform together as well. Many teams choreograph demos which they then perform at events. Not only do the demos promote their teams, they also bring tricking out into the light for the rest of the world. Some trickers choose to pair up with other trickers at competitions and perform. Teams often organize open tricking sessions and gatherings. Some examples of teams are: Loopkicks, Club540 online community

Media exposure

Since its rise in popularity, tricking has been featured in various media.