A butterfly kick or horse kick (xuànzi 旋子 circle) is a jumping kick in martial arts such as modern wushu and taekwondo and capoeira. In certain changquan styles, this kick is known as Swallow Kick (Yianzi tui). Although the specific nature of the kick varies, it is generally composed of a twist of the body while both legs are lifted from the ground and swung around, while the torso remains as horizontal as possible. In action cinema it is often seen as a kick used to "cut a swathe" through multiple opponents. In traditional Chinese longfist, it is used defensively to evade an opponent's floor sweep and land on the enemy's vulnerable side. There are many variations, and different movements may be captured under the same name or likewise similar movements given under a different name depending on the martial arts school or style. It can be executed either from standing or from a step up run. The name "butterfly kick" is due to the legs reaching the apex of their arc the arms are stretched out, leaving all limbs extended in a position similar to that of a butterfly's wings in-flight. Variants There are many butterfly kick variants, as each student adopts slightly different maneuvers and style depending on his specific martial arts background. For example, a wushu-derived butterfly kick would be somewhat more graceful compared to a tae kwon do-derived kick, which would have a more dynamic, energetic look. Butterfly Twist Also known simply as a twist, this is a move that is very popular within the tricking community due to its floating and twisting motion, as well as its ability to easily link into other moves. It is used in various martial arts, including Wushu and Capoeira. Its wushu name is xuàn zi zhuàn tǐ , and its Capoeira name is "mariposa" which literally means "butterfly". A butterfly twist can be described as a butterfly kick where a 360° spin is added once one is in the air. HK Spin A derivative of the butterfly twist, which is essentially the same move, but the person delivering the move falls onto the ground horizontally. This is not usually performed as a trick, but is commonly used as a type of fall in fight choreography. HK spins are named so because they were popularized in Hong Kong martial arts films. 360° and 720° spins are the two most common,