Overview
| “ | It's a technical resource in which one must use his back, in the air, but with the head almost to the ground; the legs have to stay up and one must be at almost 90 degrees. | ” |
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—Cesar "Chalaca" Gonzalez |
The common English name comes from the two legs that look as if they are pedaling a bicycle, with one leg going forward to the ball and the other backward to create an opposite moment. The move is also called a scissors kick due to the its motion resembling "scissors in the air."
According to Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, most languages in the world name the action by the acrobatic form it resembles. The newspaper's list, which mentions mostly European languages, shows most of these name the move "scissors kick" followed by "bicycle kick." Other names that describe the acrobacy include the German Fallrückzieher (falling backward kick), which emphasises the sacrifice of the player falling on his back, and the Italian name Rovesciata, which literally means "reversed." Some exceptions to this naming standard include those languages in which the move is attributed to a specific national origin. In the Spanish speaking world the bicycle kick is not only called tijera (scissors), but is also commonly known as either chalaca or chilena. In Norway, the move is known as Brassespark (Brazilian kick).
Read more about this topic: Bicycle Kick