SUSO

The Martial 'Art'

"... an aesthetic blend of flips, kicks, and twists."

Take the backflip from gymnastics, a 540 kick from Taekwondo, a butterfly twist from Wushu and  a double leg from Capoeira and you get close to the highly artistic world of tricking (or martial arts tricking as it is more formally known).

Tricking has only recently come into its own as a recognized activity although its origins are placed in the early 60s when martial artists working the competitive circuits began incorporating more advanced techniques into their forms. Unsurprisingly it was the emergence of the internet that launched Tricking to a wider audience and by the end of 2003, the online tricking community was well-developed, bringing 'trickers' (or tricksters) from across the globe together. 

Unlike many established sports, tricking has no formal rules or regulations, and there are no governing bodies that regulate the sport. Specialized coached training is practically non-existent leaving it almost entirely down to the imagination and creativity of the individual.  Mats, plyometric flooring, trampoline or jumping jamporees are the tools of a tricksters trade and it goes without saying that a special dedication and determination is required to first learn and then hone the required skills.  Strictly speaking, participants are free to perform any kind of dramatic maneuver and call it a 'trick' - though there are certain moves which are generally accepted as tricking moves. One thing is for certain this gentleman, Sean Ellis, aka Sesshoumaru, has one big bag of tricks...

See more of this artist here. Or check out what a battle looks like from one of the leading team of Tricksters 'Loopkicks' here.

Categories Art Tags Sport culture

By Juan on 4/2/10