The Art of Tricking: Performing Acrobatic Maneuvers with Precision and Style
Summary
In this article, we explore the world of tricking, a sport that has gained popularity through social video platforms like YouTube and Instagram. Tricking involves performing acrobatic maneuvers that combine one-footed, tilted backflips with at least one 360-degree twist, with the corkscrew being the most challenging trick. The sport has its roots in martial arts, and competitions work like breakdance battles where athletes are judged on their ability to string together tricks and their style. The article discusses the importance of precise timing and momentum in tricking, and how professional trickers like Michael Guthrie and Alexander Anderson are pushing the limits of what is possible.
Table of Contents
- The Origins of Tricking
- The Importance of Timing and Momentum
- The Quest for the Quad Cork
- The Pinnacle of Tricking: The Quad Cork
- The Future of Tricking: The Quint Cork
- Conclusion
The Origins of Tricking
Tricking is a sport that has its roots in martial arts, specifically in forms like taekwondo and capoeira. Trickers use asymmetric movement and unconventional ways of moving the body, creating the illusion that the laws of physics are being bent. Unlike gymnastics, trickers have more flexibility in their movements and can land in various ways. Tricking competitions work like breakdance battles, where athletes are judged on their ability to string together tricks and their style.
The Importance of Timing and Momentum
Tricking requires precise timing and momentum. The foundational move in tricking is called the scoot, a setup move used by Australian tricker Scott Skelton. However, for advanced trickers like Michael Guthrie, the scoot was not powerful enough to perform the quad cork. Guthrie’s search for a more powerful setup move led him to the touchdown raise, which allows him to exert large forces on his body while his feet are in contact with the ground, producing a large torque and increasing his angular momentum. The touchdown raise also allows Guthrie to start twisting before initiating the cork, giving him a head start on spinning.
The Quest for the Quad Cork
The quad cork is currently the pinnacle of tricking, requiring strength, coordination, and precise timing. Professional tricker Michael Guthrie was the first person in the world to land a quad cork, but he explains that the trick is so hard that he hasn’t landed one since. Alexander Anderson is a quad corker who has landed the trick more consistently than anyone else on the planet. Only three people have ever landed a quad cork on film, and Anderson is one of them. Anderson uses a unique technique of two twists on the way up, then two twists on the way down, which allows him to land the trick more consistently.
The Pinnacle of Tricking: The Quad Cork
The quad cork is the most challenging trick in tricking, combining a one-footed, tilted backflip with four 360-degree twists. The trick requires perfect timing, strength, and coordination. Michael Guthrie and Alexander Anderson are two of the only three people who have ever landed a quad cork on film. The trick is so difficult that Guthrie has not landed one since he became the first person to do so. Anderson, on the other hand, has landed the trick over ten times, using a unique technique of two twists on the way up, then two twists on the way down.
The Future of Tricking: The Quint Cork
Trickers like Alexander Anderson believe that landing a quint cork is a possibility, although it might take between five to seven years or even longer. To achieve a quint, trickers will need to increase their height and rate of spin, which can be achieved by providing more torque on the body during the moment when the feet are in contact with the ground and developing an entirely new setup move. However, what Anderson and other trickers are already doing is almost impossible.
Conclusion
Tricking is a sport that has gained popularity over the past decade through social video platforms like YouTube and Instagram. The sport involves a one-footed, tilted backflip combined with at least one 360-degree twist, with the corkscrew being the most challenging trick. Tricking has its roots in martial arts, and competitions work like breakdance battles where athletes are judged on their ability to string together tricks and their style. Professional trickers like Michael Guthrie and Alexander Anderson are pushing the limits of what is possible in the sport, and the quint cork may be the next trick to be conquered.
