A roundoff is a cartwheel that lands on both feet at once — hand, hand, feet — with a half turn that leaves the body facing back the way it came. That turn is what makes it the standard way into back tumbling: it converts a run-up into backwards power. The entry hurdles into a deep lunge with the arms reaching long, since distance through the skill matters more than height. The first hand turns out and the second comes over turned further in, roughly in line with it, and that inward placement is what brings the body around. The legs join at the top and snap down together while the chest and arms come up; landing on the balls of the feet with the body tight is what produces the rebound that carries into the next skill. Arms left low absorb the power instead.
Key cues
- Get a straight cartwheel first
- Hurdle long and low into a deep lunge
- Reach — distance matters more than height
- Second hand turns inward, hands nearly in line
- Snap the legs down together
- Arms up and body tight for the rebound