Tricking
Tricking is a striking discipline that combines elements of martial arts and gymnastics into a practice centered on acrobatic kicking movements. It draws from a range of influences to develop a fluid, expressive approach to kicks, flips, and twisting movements performed in sequence. Training focuses on building the technical precision and physical conditioning required to execute complex aerial and rotational techniques in a controlled manner.
As a striking-oriented discipline with strong gymnastic roots, training in this style generally emphasizes flexibility, body awareness, coordination, and explosive lower-body power. Practitioners work on refining movement quality and linking individual techniques into longer combinations. Conditioning and mobility work tend to be consistent elements of regular practice, given the physical demands that acrobatic kicking places on the body.
Those new to tricking are encouraged to visit local schools or training groups and observe a session before committing to a program. Watching a class in person gives prospective students a clearer sense of the training environment, the coaching approach, and whether the discipline suits their goals. Additional striking styles that may be of interest are listed and linked in the section below.
Gear to expect. Striking training typically calls for gloves, hand wraps, shin guards, and a mouthguard — your school will tell you exactly what, and when. New students rarely need to buy anything for a trial class.
Find your martial art →Related striking styles
Classification and facts from our open-data taxonomy (Wikidata CC0 base + our editorial classification). Where a fact (like origin) isn't recorded, we leave it out rather than guess. Methodology.