Helicoptero

A capoeira cartwheel where the legs windmill around the body instead of passing overhead: the movement stalls with all the weight on the second hand while the non-landing leg sweeps hard and low across the ground, following through toward the sky so the body lands on the opposite foot facing where it started. The most useful mental model is a 540 kick thrown upside down at the floor. The entry breaks every cartwheel habit — slow rather than punchy, reaching behind the front foot instead of travelling, hips angled around 45 degrees rather than stacked vertical. The straddle never closes: the sweeping foot should visibly pass in front of the eyes, brushing the ground, and landing on the other foot is simply the byproduct of a good sweep — chasing the landing is what produces the failed leg-switch version. The exit is a raiz-style landing with hips pushed forward and back arched, the landing foot close to the base hand. Everyone teaches it on a raised surface first, working gradually down to the floor.