If you discount Sammy Davis Jr. and Rosemary Clooney, my taste in music recently has been running along metal lines and has spurred some headbanging. I would describe my headbanging style as “the low-profile” with a little bit of “the figure eight” thrown in. Though cases of injury are rare as a result of headbanging, Jason Newsted (formerly of Metallica) being the “…only known case of long-term physical damage as an alleged result of headbanging”, be sure to stretch and clear the area of potential hazards before testing out any of the styles listed below.
What kind of headbanger are you?
The up and down: the most common style, which involves shaking the head up and down. This style is demonstrated at the climax of the “Bohemian Rhapsody” scene in the movie Wayne’s World.
The circular swing (windmill): swinging the head in a circular motion. This style is more commonly known as the Windmill or Helicopter. It was popularized by Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P. and George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher of Cannibal Corpse, and is used by members of Amon Amarth, Slipknot, former Metallica basist Cliff Burton, Corey Beauleau of Trivium, and many other bands.
Drunk style: a form of head banging in random directions, as if the person is drunk. Bands such as Immortal are a good example of this.
The half-circle: swinging the head repeatedly from side to side in a downward arc. This style is often used by Tom Araya of Slayer.
The figure eight: shaking the head in a figure eight.
The side to side: shaking the head from side to side, whipping the hair on each transition. This style is used by Wayne Static of Static-X, Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom, Mick Thompson of Slipknot (during the “build-up” moments of a song) Martin Mendez of Opeth, and Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo.
The whiplash: an especially violent form of the traditional “up and down” style, characterized by the hair of the handbanger moving about so rapidly that it obscures their face. This style may have been pioneered by AC/DC guitarist Angus Young, and has also been used by Mick Thomson of Slipknot and late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton.
The all-out: dropping on the ground, holding oneself up with the arms, and violently swinging the head between the arms. This style sometimes involves grabbing onto tables and other fixed objects, as their head movements have become so violent they seriously affect balance.
The tandem: Judas Priest guitarists K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton pioneered and perfected this form of headbanging, in which they stand side by side and headbang in unison. (See also Wolf Hoffman and Jörg Fischer of Accept.)
The thrust: an antisocial form of headbanging where the person violently swings forwards and backwards from their waist, often headbutting people in front of them, or in more extreme circumstances, behind them.
The low-profile: a variation on the “up and down” where the performer’s headbanging movements are short and more subtle, but still noticeable.
–styles lifted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headbanging
