540 kick

A 540 crescent kick

In martial arts and tricking,[1][2] the 540 kick (Chinese: 旋風腳; pinyin: Xuanfengjiao; lit. 'whirlwind kick') (also known as inside turning kick, jump inside kick, and "hyper" tornado kick) is a jump kick move.[3] It involves a rotation of approximately 540 degrees (although when performed correctly the performer has only done a spin of 360 degrees – not including whatever takeoff used).[4][5][6][7][8]

It is practiced in various disciplines including Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Wushu, Shaolin Quan, Capoeira and some Karate styles but traditionally most associated with the Korean martial arts. However, the most prominent defining feature is that the same leg is used for taking off, kicking, and landing. The other leg is used to propel the performer into the air, and is then retracted before landing. Many martial arts tricksters choose this move as their first move to attempt.[9][10]

This move has a history in ballet as well, where it is performed as an advanced variation of a 'barrel roll'. Principal male ballet dancers include the move in their variation (solo) as a crowd-pleasing feat of excellence. The move and a variation of it, the reverse 540, has been present in ballet for quite some time now, and is used commonly by dancers such as Daniil Simkin, Tetsuya Kumakawa and Joseph Phillips. This move has been recently introduced into the world of professional wrestling, where it is commonly referred to as a "jumping corkscrew roundhouse kick" (and Kofi Kingston's variation is called "Trouble in Paradise").

  1. ^ Coban, Sezai (4 August 2013). Knowledge - The Urban Skillz Dictionary. Sezai Coban. ISBN 9783944309231. Retrieved 16 August 2017 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Jackson, William J. (18 December 2014). American Tricksters: Thoughts on the Shadow Side of a Culture's Psyche. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 9781630877330. Retrieved 16 August 2017 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Interactive graphic: How to perform a tornado kick in Taekwondo". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ Taneja, Anil (2009). World of Sports Indoor. Gyan Publishing House. p. 296. ISBN 9788178357652. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  5. ^ "Black Belt". Active Interest Media, Inc. October 1988. p. 80. Retrieved 11 January 2015 – via Internet Archive. Jump inside kick. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  6. ^ Jackson, William J. (18 December 2014). American Tricksters. ISBN 9781625647900. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Black Belt". Active Interest Media, Inc. May 1993. Retrieved 31 January 2017 – via Google Books. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  8. ^ "Black Belt". Active Interest Media, Inc. July 1998. Retrieved 31 January 2017 – via Google Books. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  9. ^ "Black Belt". Active Interest Media, Inc. October 2001. Retrieved 11 January 2015 – via Google Books. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  10. ^ "Black Belt". Active Interest Media, Inc. February 1991. Retrieved 20 February 2017 – via Google Books. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)