matt.m said:
A tornado kick is a jump spinning crescent isn't it?
While jargon and slang will vary from school to school, and in different geographic areas, the "tornado kick" can be either the roundhouse, inward crescent, or even and axe-kick. It gets its name because of the "twisting" of the body, much like a tree being uprooted in a tornado. Typically, your head is turned first, then the shoulders, trunk, hips, and finally the rear foot is "uprooted" from the torque of the body. After turning backwards 180 degrees, you jump and continue to turn in the air, until the original front foot strikes the target.
Although it is often referred to as a "360 degree kick," because you are using your front foot to strike after turning a full circle, you are actually turning 180 degrees with your front foot on the ground, then leaping to continue the turning spin in the air as you switch over and strike with your front foot. The more fancy, aerial version is done by jumping higher (3 or more feet off the ground), and usually used for striking the head. The version which is more often used in tournament sparring is a very fast, low, spinning roundhouse to the midsection. The rear foot is barely 12 inches above the floor before switching over to kick, and the rear foot lands as a supporting foot at the same time the kick strikes the target.
More commonly, a "360 degree jump spin kick" is done when both feet leave the ground at the same time, and both feet are in the air when you strike the target after turning a full circle. However, the term "360 degree" has been extended to include both the "
tornado kicks" (mostly spin roundhouse, and spin inward crescent) while turning backwards, and the "
thunder kicks" (more jargon), where the back leg lifts forward (turning counter-clockwise while lifting the right rear leg), as though you are stepping on an invisible chair in front of your opponent, then you leap while accelerating the turn in the air with a jump spin side kick, or hook kick before the non-kicking leg touches the floor.
There is also a "
540 Degree kick" (360 + 180) where you start like a tornado kick, but once you are airborne, you bypass the roundhouse, and kick with a spinning hook kick while both feet are in the air. Very, very challenging!
Do these sound like the kicks you are describing?
CM D. J. Eisenhart
