An L-kick, also called aú batido, is a movement in

breakdancing Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...

capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th century ...

and other

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

and dance forms. It is executed by throwing the body into a cartwheel motion, but rather than completing the wheel, the body flexes while supported by one hand on the ground. One leg is brought downwards and forwards in a kicking motion while the other remains in the air (giving rise to the name).

L-kick

In breakin', The L-kick is usually considered a freeze before returning to standing. Variations include a ''pike freeze'', in which the non-kicking leg is bent dramatically towards the body so that the legs resemble a shotgun shape, an ''elbow L-kick'' where the kick is supported by the elbow and forearm placed on the ground rather than just a hand, and a ''capoeira switch'' where L-kicks are performed with first one leg then the other, in different directions and without landing the cartwheel motion.

Aú batido

The aú batido, also called ''aú quebrado'', ''aú malandro,'' ''beija flor'' or ''aú Amazonas'', is an acrobatic kick in

where one arm is used to support the body high in the air while one of the legs performs a high kick directed at the opponent's head or torso. This movement can be used as both offensively and defensively, the latter being usually when attempting to perform a cartwheel and the opponent attacks. The aú batido was introduced successfully in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

Anthony Pettis Anthony Paul Pettis (born January 27, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League. Pettis formerly fought in the Welterweight, Lightweight, and Featherweight divisions of the ...

, who has a capoeira background and showed the move against

Shane Roller Shane Derrick Roller (born July 14, 1979) is a retired American mixed martial artist who is perhaps best known in his career for competing as a Lightweight for the UFC and WEC. Background Roller was born and raised in Bixby, Oklahoma along with ...

WEC 50 ''WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on August 18, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. Background This event marked WEC's first visit to Las Vegas since WEC 4 ...

References

Capoeira Breakdance moves Kicks Martial art techniques {{dance-stub