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Reverse Whip › History › Revision 4

Revision 4

archivist · Jul 13, 2026, 7:43 PM · Add cited teaching points from pro instructional videos (Ramirez, Royston, McKeever, WCS Online)

← Revision 3Revision 5 →

Changes from revision 3

Alternative names: none → Left Side Whip, Cutoff Whip

Tags: 8-count, whip family → whip family, 8-count

−The follow passes the lead on the right and turns a half turn left (instead of the half turn right in a normal whip), and is caught by on the back by the leads right hand. The rest proceeds as a standard whip.
+A whip danced with the redirection happening on the **left/reverse** side: the leader steps into the slot mirrored from a standard whip and the follower is turned counter-clockwise at the post.
 
−Most often led from right to left handhold, though could be led from any handhold.
+Because everything happens on the "wrong" side, the reverse whip is a favorite test of whether both partners are actually dancing connection rather than pattern memory. Timing is standard 8-count whip timing.
+ 
+## Common notes
+ 
+- The good news is asymmetric: the leader keeps basic whip footwork while the follower's footwork changes — turning **away** from the partner, over the left shoulder, instead of toward them.[^1] Brian B has also heard the pattern called the **cutoff whip**; naming varies between scenes.[^2]
+- Filipe de Barros preps the reverse turn by slowing one side of the follower's body — letting the right shoulder stay back on count 2 — and stresses catching the follower's back *early*, around "3-and": taken too late, the connection is already gone.[^3]
+- A practical use: when a follower breaks frame and walks in on you, a reverse whip often absorbs the situation cleanly.[^4]
+ 
+[^1]: Brian B & Megan, West Coast Swing Online, ["The Reverse Whip for West Coast Swing"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLXJylMWZto&t=45s) at 0:45.
+[^2]: Brian B & Megan, West Coast Swing Online, ["The Reverse Whip for West Coast Swing"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLXJylMWZto&t=22s) at 0:22.
+[^3]: Filipe de Barros, ["The Reverse Whip & Variations - West Coast Swing Tutorial"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zvz7e_MXXo&t=124s) at 2:04–3:01.
+[^4]: Filipe de Barros, ["The Reverse Whip & Variations - West Coast Swing Tutorial"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zvz7e_MXXo&t=36s) at 0:36.
Page as of this revision

Reverse Whip

intermediate

also known as: Left Side Whip · Cutoff Whip

A whip danced with the redirection happening on the left/reverse side: the leader steps into the slot mirrored from a standard whip and the follower is turned counter-clockwise at the post.

Because everything happens on the "wrong" side, the reverse whip is a favorite test of whether both partners are actually dancing connection rather than pattern memory. Timing is standard 8-count whip timing.

Common notes

  • The good news is asymmetric: the leader keeps basic whip footwork while the follower's footwork changes — turning away from the partner, over the left shoulder, instead of toward them.1 Brian B has also heard the pattern called the cutoff whip; naming varies between scenes.2
  • Filipe de Barros preps the reverse turn by slowing one side of the follower's body — letting the right shoulder stay back on count 2 — and stresses catching the follower's back early, around "3-and": taken too late, the connection is already gone.3
  • A practical use: when a follower breaks frame and walks in on you, a reverse whip often absorbs the situation cleanly.4

Footnotes

  1. Brian B & Megan, West Coast Swing Online, "The Reverse Whip for West Coast Swing" at 0:45. ↩

  2. Brian B & Megan, West Coast Swing Online, "The Reverse Whip for West Coast Swing" at 0:22. ↩

  3. Filipe de Barros, "The Reverse Whip & Variations - West Coast Swing Tutorial" at 2:04–3:01. ↩

  4. Filipe de Barros, "The Reverse Whip & Variations - West Coast Swing Tutorial" at 0:36. ↩