Skill Tips: Beam Cartwheel
During the cartwheel, keep your arms tight by your ears
Place hands one at a time on the beam - not at the same time
Sometimes, gymnasts prefer to turn the second hand in, so the fingers point toward the end of the beam
The farther the gymnast reaches out, the easier it is to straddle kick into the cartwheel
The wider the straddle in star shape, the easier it is to turn over the cartwheel
During the handstand stage, the gymnast should look under her arm to land her foot on the beam
The more vertical (open hips and shoulders) the gymnast is, the easier it is to land the cartwheel as it helps the feet align and land on the beam
If a gymnast pikes during a cartwheel, they will have difficulty landing on the beam because they will be a little short of the beam line
If a gymnast pops her head out of alignment, it will probably cause her to arch her back, and her feet will cross the line of the beam, making it more challenging to land cleanly
Ideally, the 1/2 turn is complete before the gymnast starts to come down from the handstand
Be sure to maintain a straight body line into and out of the cartwheel
All gymnasts should learn how to twist out of the handstand if they fall forward. One option is to twist into a roundoff, so they don’t land on the beam
Gymnast in teal leotard, picture shows gymnast in 5 stages of cartwheel from entry through vertical to step down