How to Do the Worm

Co-authored by Yolanda Thomas

Last Updated: July 9, 2024 Fact Checked

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The worm is a fun, silly dance move usually done by break dancers or as a party trick. It requires a bit of practice, but you can get the hang of it by following some certain steps of move combinations. Choose an open area with a soft ground surface to practice in before showing your skills off to your friends.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Starting the Worm

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Choose an open area where you'll have plenty of space to move. You will want to practice on a soft surface, such as in a carpeted room, outside on the grass, or in a dance studio with mats.^{[1]
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Keep your toes flexed up toward your body. The tips of your toes should be pressed firmly into the ground when you lie down. Don't point your toes; keep your feet flexed at the ankles so you're toes naturally point into the ground.
- Wear sneakers while doing the worm so your toes have more support while pushing off and landing during the moves.
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Bend your elbows and put your hands under your shoulders into a push-up position. You will be using your hands to push up the top half of your body later, so be sure they're in a good, comfortable position on the ground under your shoulders.^{[2]
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Kick your legs up and back behind you. This is where the momentum of the worm comes from, so you'll want to kick your legs as hard as you can. Using your toes to push off the ground, bend your knees as you kick your legs up and toward the sky. Try to get your feet above the middle of your back.^{[3]
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- Keep your legs together and push off with both feet at once. Keep them completely together from your feet to your thighs throughout the entire dance move.
- The goal is to get all of your legs off the ground, not just the part below your knees. Try to get your upper thighs and hips off the ground as you rock forward.

Part 2

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Completing and Repeating the Roll

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Arch your back and rock forward on your stomach. As you're kicking up, your body will rock forward if you arch your back. Keep your chin and head lifted so your face doesn't hit the ground. Most of your body weight should be on your chest when you're finished the upward kick if you've rocked forward correctly.^{[4]
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- Keep your hands on the ground for the first time. The next time you start the move, your hands will be in the air a bit because you pushed your upper body up off the ground.
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Kick your legs straight. This part requires doing a couple things at once. When your legs are as high as you can get them and most of your weight is around your chest and hands, kick your legs straight as hard as you can.^{[5]
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- Kicking your legs straight will help move body weight back toward your feet while you push your upper body up with your arms.^{[6]
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Push up with your hands as you kick your legs straight. This step requires quite a lot of effort and strength. Push all your upper body weight up and off the ground as your legs start to fall. When you're starting out, this may the part to adjust first if you're unsure that you're doing the move correctly.^{[7]
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- To gain more upper body strength and help you push your weight up with your arms, consider doing push-ups every day to build your strength.
As soon as your legs are straight, bend in at your waist as if you're doing an upside-down sit-up to help lift your butt in the air. Keep your legs straight so your toes can hit the ground first.^{[8]
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At this point most of your body should be up in the air, with your hands and toes closest to the ground. Let your toes fall to the ground first, then prepare to allow the rest of your body to fall starting with your toes and then your knees.
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Start the move again by rocking forward as you kick your legs up. Straighten your body as your toes hit the ground and then arch your back as your body falls toward the ground. Rock forward so that your body hits the ground in this order: toes, knees, hips, stomach, chest, hands.^{[9]
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- Kick your legs up and back behind you like you did the first time and keep your back arched to help you rock forward.
- Repeat the move as many times as you like. The more times you do it in a row, the easier it will become and the more you'll look like an actual worm inching forward.
- Don't think too much once you have the combinations down. Just try to get your body to flow through the steps and keep practicing.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Practicing the Worm

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Practice in an open area on soft ground. You will most likely get some bumps and bruises when learning the worm. Choose a large carpeted room without much furniture, a dance studio with soft mats, or a flat yard with soft grass that's free of rocks as your practice space.^{[10]
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- If you get some bad bruises from the first few practices, take some time off to let them heal before you start trying again.
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Ask someone to take a video of you to help yourself improve. Choose a friend or family member to video you doing the worm, so you can watch it and see how you're doing. Look for parts that appear wrong and focus on fixing those areas in your sequence of moves.^{[11]
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- If you don't want the video shared publicly, be sure to remind them not to post it on the Internet.
Try practicing the worm at a social event once you feel comfortable doing so. Your friends will probably be impressed that you taught yourself such a great trick, and may give you some pointers on improving or teach you other moves that you can do together.^{[12]
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Question

Can I get severely injured if I try this move?

Cecilia Flores

Top Answerer

Maybe not severely, but you can get injured. You could pull a muscle or tear a ligament.

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It's too hard. What do I do?

Community Answer

If you're having trouble following the instructions, try looking for YouTube tutorials. Learning any dance move will require some patience, so stick with it and keep practicing.

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I am just a beginner, how do I do it without bending my legs?

Community Answer

You can't do it without bending your legs. Your legs help your body become more stable when you do the worm. If you are trying to do it without using your legs, you could end up injuring yourself.

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