A cartwheel without hands: a sideways rotation from one foot to the other, taken off a mat. It's entered from a hurdle or skip step that loads the takeoff leg, and the rotation comes from the back leg kicking up hard and fast while both arms swing back. The chest stays lifted through the kick — dropping the eyes to the mat is what collapses the shoulders and brings the hands down with them. The legs pass through a wide split, and the landing foot arrives first with the second following. Most learners get there through a cartwheel, then a one-handed cartwheel, then no hands at all, and brushing the mat with a hand for the first few weeks is a stage rather than a fault. Under-rotation usually traces back to a lazy back-leg kick, not to a lack of flexibility.
Key cues
- Hurdle or skip step into the takeoff foot
- Kick the back leg up fast and hard
- Swing both arms back
- Chest lifted, eyes forward — not down at the mat
- Legs straight through a wide split
- Landing foot down first, then the second