We present an experimental study of the kinematics of twist extrusion (TE) and show that TE has the following properties: (i) as in equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP), the mode of deformation in twist extrusion is simple shear. Unlike in ECAP, there are two shear planes; one of them is perpendicular and the other is parallel to the specimen axis. (ii) The following processes are present during twist extrusion: vortex-like flow with large strain gradient, stretching and mixing of metal particles. We argue that, due to these properties, TE opens possibilities for investigating and forming new microstructures. It has already been successfully used to obtain ultrafine-grained microstructures with good properties in Al, Cu and Ti alloys.