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5.9. Cartwheel

A student performing the cartwheel skill
Carmen García and Manuel Mato. Cartwheel (CC BY-NC-SA)

The cartwheel is a step up from somersaults and handstands and it is one of the fundamental skills in gymnastics and tumbling.

Follow these steps to perform the cartwheel:

1. From a standing position, you lean forward into a lunge.
2. Place one hand on the floor as your feet leave the ground.
3. Your other hand goes down to give you a stable base.
4. Your legs will make a windmill motion.
5. Land first with one leg and then with the other.

Notice that the commands “hand, hand, foot, foot” is used to describe the rhythm of a cartwheel.

This video will help you to perform this gymnastics skill.

Ready? Let's go!

Carmen García and Manuel Mato. Cartwheel (CC BY-NC-SA)