Step 1: Start in the Lunge Position

1. Lunge position: Begin by stepping your dominant foot forward into a deep lunge. Your front knee should be bent at about a 90-degree angle, while your other leg should be extended straight behind you. This position prepares you to generate the power needed for the cartwheel.

2. Arms raised: At the same time, raise both arms straight above your head, positioning them near your ears. Keep your arms straight and engaged to help with the push-off once you start the movement. You can do this by shrugging your shoulders up.

Step 2: Initiate the Cartwheel

1. Reach down: From the lunge, begin to bend at the waist and reach both hands down toward the floor - turning your hands to be placed on an imaginary line right in front of you. If you're doing a right-handed cartwheel, your right hand will reach the ground first, followed by the left hand.

2. Hand placement: Place your hands on the ground just slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with your fingers spread wide for better stability.

Step 3: Kick the Legs Up

1. Lift your back leg: From the lunge, with your arms firmly placed on the ground, kick your back leg up toward the sky. The kicking leg should be straight and powerful, almost as if you're trying to reach as high as possible with your toes.

2. Kick hard and fast: The strength and speed of this kick are crucial in propelling your body upside down and into the cartwheel. The faster and harder you kick, the smoother and higher your rotation will be.

3. Follow through with the second leg: As the first leg kicks upward, the other leg (your left leg) will naturally follow. As it comes up, keep it straight and spread your legs wide apart. The goal is to have your legs in a ‘V’ shape as you rotate through the motion, which allows for balance and fluidity in the movement.

Step 4: Complete the Rotation

1. Inverted position: As your legs move toward the vertical position, your body will start to flip upside down. In the inverted moment, keep your body tight and straight. Your legs should be fully extended and apart, with your feet pointed. Your head should stay in line with your body.

2. Overhead alignment: Keep your arms strong and straight, aligned above you as you pass through the inverted position. Your legs should remain in a wide ‘V’ shape as you continue through the rotation.

Step 5: Landing and Finish in the Lunge

1. Prepare for landing: As your legs begin to come down from the inverted position, you should aim to bring your feet down to the ground with control, one after the other, so that you land softly and with stability.

2. Landing on the opposite foot: The leg that was initially forward will land first, with your knee slightly bent to absorb the shock. The other leg (your right leg) will follow quickly, landing softly with the knee slightly bent. Start picking up your hands/chest once your first foot hits the ground.

3. Reaching the final lunge: As your first foot hits the ground, begin lifting your hands and chest back up to the lunge shape. Your chest should face forward, and your arms should be back up, creating the same form as when you started.

A common struggle for many tumblers, especially when learning skills like the cartwheel, is the tendency to kick their legs out to the side rather than straight up. This can happen for a number of reasons, including a lack of strength in the core or hip flexors, insufficient body awareness, or simply a lack of focus on the proper technique. When the legs don’t kick straight up, it can throw off the balance and make the cartwheel feel off-balance or disconnected. Kicking out to the side can also cause the body to rotate unevenly, making it harder to land in the correct position. To avoid this, it's important to engage the core and focus on kicking straight up toward the ceiling, as if trying to reach for a high point directly overhead. Proper leg positioning helps maintain a strong, controlled movement that leads to a smoother, more efficient execution of the skill.

Many tumblers struggle with facing the right direction when finishing a cartwheel, often landing sideways or even facing away from their starting position. This usually happens when the body doesn’t rotate fully, often due to a lack of core engagement or control during the handstand phase. Without proper alignment and momentum, it’s difficult to land facing the direction they came from. To fix this, tumblers need to focus on a strong push through the hands and actively guiding their legs through the full rotation, helping to finish in the correct position with their body facing forward.

crucial tips to keep in mind:

1. When in your starting lunge, make sure your front foot has your toes pointing straight forward.

2. Think about keeping your legs far apart during the entire skill.

3. To keep legs straight, simply try to squeeze your thigh muscle and voilà!

4. When finishing the cartwheel KEEP YOUR ARMS UP BY YOUR EARS! Dropping them to your sides prevents your chest from lifting up.

5. GO FAST. The second your hands touch the ground you should be kicking up!

6. Keep your heads tucked inward - chin to chest