A Corkscrew is a martial arts or dance move that is believed to have originated from Wushu

Chinese martial arts

Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...

 and Capoeira

Capoeira

Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century...

. Because of the difficulty and appearance of the move it has been incorporated into various other athletic activities, namely Tricking

Tricking

Tricking is the informal name of a type of physical activity derived from the martial arts that includes techniques found in gymnastics, B-boying, and similar disciplines. Examples of incorporated techniques include the 540 kick from Taekwondo, the butterfly twist from Wushu, and the double leg...

 and Break Dancing. The move consists of a practitioner swinging one leg up while jumping off the ground with the other leg. The leg is swung up high in order to raise the center of gravity and to give more height to the jump. After the initial jump, the practitioner will then straighten out their body horizontally and begin to twist their body as they would for a butterfly twist. Like a butterfly twist, the take off and landing is done with the same leg, however a corkscrew generally requires more rotation. Although most people invert when performing this trick, it is also socially acceptable to be horizontal. A good way to comprehend this trick is to recognize it as a combination of the cheat gainer and the butterfly twist.

Variations

• Corkscrew to splits

  This is a normal corkscrew that is landed into a front split position.

• Corkscrew to breakfall

  This variant is more common in wushu. Instead of landing on the feet, the practitioner lands into a forward shoulder roll. This is usually performed if the practitioner has too much momentum.

• Hyper Corkscrew

  An additional 90-180 degrees of rotation are added. The defining characteristic of this move is the fact that the landing is done with the other leg.

• Gainer Twist

  While some may not consider a corkscrew and a gainer twist to be connected, the take off of the two are surprisingly similar. Some practitioners incorporate more of a corkscrew motion into their gainer twist and others incorporate more of a gainer motion. Either way, a gainer twist is the combination of a corkscrew and a gainer in that the practitioner is twisting their body while flipping. In addition, the practitioner also moves forward from the initial point of take off.

• Double Cork

  Similar setup to that of a normal corkscrew although there are two completed spins (900) instead of one.

• Box Cutter

Hyper cork with a hook

• Corkscrew Doubleleg

A corkscrew where, following the twist portion of the trick, your legs meet together and your body is piked just like a doubleleg.