The corkscrew (or cork) is a typical XMA (extreme martial arts) trick originating from capoeira. Its original name is Folha Seca com Giro (literally: gainer with twist).
Execution:
Swing your legs forward and up, and rotate 360 degrees in the air. It doesn’t matter if you throw your legs perfectly straight up, but your feet should be at least above head level.
When you see trickers do corkscrews and compare them to wushu butterfly twists, one of the main differences is that in wushu butterfly twists the legs are extended, while in corks they are bent. The reason is that when doing a corkscrew, you have to flip your legs all the way around (over your head). If you extended your legs, you could easily create enough momentum for two twists, but it would be much harder to do the somersault. Another difference is that corkscrews land on both legs together.
I posted this in the wushu section because some wushu athletes perform this jump now. However, the corkscrew is more of a capoeira and extreme martial arts move.
Execution details:
Run forward and swing your arms out.
Swing up your right leg, lean back, and swing your arms up. The right leg moves a bit like in a karate roundhouse kick, but higher (to help initiate the rotation).
Follow with your left leg, close your legs together, and turn your head to the left. Look over your left shoulder. Pull your hands to your upper body and bend your knees.
At the beginning, you will land your corkscrews on all fours, but later you’ll be able to land upright with your hands up. Be careful with your wrists and ankles. Be prepared to land on your forearms, toes, and knees together (at the beginning).
Watch the corkscrew videos below for reference.
In wushu ditangquan, corkscrews are done with straight legs and land on the stomach.
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