Worm, wave-like motion of the entire body, with the body horizontal and facing downward, where the body rolls against the floor from feet to chest, often assisted by the arms.

Worm-like movements were used in breaking in the 1970s.¹ For example, Soundview-based b-boy Ricky Worm "used to slide around the ground like a worm" . An inching variation was done by Mr. Freeze in Wild Style . The version involving repeated full-body rolls, usually referred to as the worm, had emerged by 1983 in both New York and California . The move was commonly included in instructional books in the mid-1980s , and remains strongly associated with that era. Kid Glyde reflected in 2011 that "it's not a move that a lot of b-boys do [...] it's a fun move [...] I think it's one of those moves that make you laugh" .

The chest roll is a common transition. The body roll by itself can be seen in kung fu movies (e.g. Snake in the Eagle's Shadow ), and in gymnastics since at least the 1930s . It resembles a dolphin in reverse, leading some authors to consider one a variation of the other .

The worm has been done with variations in height, direction, orientation, speed, and positions of arms and legs.

Back Worm

Worm on one's back. Involves a back roll rather than a chest roll.

Reverse Worm

Also backward worm, dolphin. Worm that rolls instead from chest to feet. A continuous reverse worm was done by Normski in 1983 . Cf. dolphin

Side Worm

Roll from the arm and leg on one side of the body, over the torso, to the other side.

1. An example outside of breaking is Larry "Bobcat" Jefferies' back crawl, performed on Soul Train. He described it, "the thing that they end up calling the worm, which was a burlesque move that I learned from a friend in DC where I crawl on my back" .