Swipe (breakdance move)

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The Swipe is one of the most recognizable power moves in breakdance. The breaker leans back, whips his arms to one side to touch the ground, and his legs follow closely behind, twisting 360 degrees to land on the ground once again. An example many might remember is the swipe performed by the character Samir in the movie Office Space.

1 Step-by-step
2 Variants
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Step-by-step

Start standing up. Lean as far back as possible. Now lift your right leg and bring your knee to the middle of your ribcage. Your shin should be parallel to the floor. Now you should be able to lean farther. Try to lean so far that your whole body gets parallel. Now put both arms on your left side. Now whip them back to the right and at the same time sink lower to the floor so that your right hand can touch. But your legs should still be in the same position. As your left hand goes down to the ground your legs should start to swing also. You have to jump as high as possible or else you're going to hurt your feet very badly. Now both of your hands are touching the ground and your legs and body are swinging around. Go with the momentum and bring your right hand off at the same speed and time as your legs. Your left foot should hit the ground and then your right arm should swing around in a circular motion and touch the ground.
Tips:

Try to keep the back straight.
When jumping, imagine trying to jump up (weakly) into a handstand.

[edit] Variants

Normal swipes may begin from the crab position, or they may be Air Swipes in which the breaker jumps back directly from a standing position into a swipe, sometimes ending up in standing position once again. (The Air Swipe is described in the opening sentence and the step-by-step section). Regardless of the beginning, there are several swipe variations that basically differ in terms of which parts of the arms hit the ground.

Baby Swipe - Hands are closer together, so the swipe becomes more compact.
Elbow Swipe - Elbows replace the hands.
Forearm Swipe - Forearms replace the hands.
Head Swipe - Head replaces the hands.
Master Swipe - Both hands leave the ground at the same time, and both legs lift simultaneously as well.
Superman Swipe - An exaggerated Swipe that is very open and more powerful-looking. The hands should be placed farther apart.
Flight Swipe - Only one hand, usually the hand on the outside of the rotation (i.e.- if swiping to the left, use the right hand).
One-Footed Swipe - One leg in the air, often pointed straight out, usually the leg on the inside of the rotation.
DOHC (Dual Overhead Cam) Air Swipe - Similar to the baby swipe. It utilizes the momentum and the torque gain from the air flare. Both legs are held tightly together to increase rotational speed. Bboy Tinja uses this technique in an unoffical battle against Bboy Baek.