The video below and the accompanying steps will show you how to do a cartwheel step by step. The cartwheel is one of the most basic and foundational tumbling or gymnastic moves. It’s a move everyone should be able to do with just a little amount of practice.
How to do a Cartwheel Step by Step
Step 1
Figure out which leg to lead off of for the cartwheel. This is important in the beginning, and with a little more practice you’ll be able to do cartwheels on both sides. Although one side is usually tougher then another, this is one move where you can easily work off both legs.
Step 2
Determine if you can support your weight on your hands. This is done in the video with a move called the bunny hop. You could also use a handstand against the wall.
Step 3
Do a bunny hop to the side. This ends up looking something like a move that people that don’t know how to cartwheel end up doing when the try it.
Step 4
Do a bunny hop to the side, except this time you land on one foot before bringing down the other.
Step 5
This uses a cartwheel mat, although it’s not necessary. This explains where your hands and feet go while doing the cartwheel. You can see an example of this in this other article on how to do the cartwheel.
Step 6
Do a cartwheel.
For some people you might need to teach in this many steps how to do a cartwheel, but for others they’ll be able to pick it up with a minor amount of cues.
If you’d like more advice on a wide variety of tumbling skills check out Tumbling Illustrated.
