It's not easy...Overcoming the Cartwheel

     Let's just say I almost fell. When attempting a handstand the most important tip I have is to tuck your head and just get enough momentum. Cartwheels...not so much. Throwing yourself sideways and hoping you will catch yourself is a feat of personal confidence I seem to lack. I cannot seam to trust my left arm to hold myself up. As soon as the right arm hits the ground I gingerly come down onto my left arm, and my feat do not make it more than a foot off the ground. 

I must look like the 2-year olds in their first class of gymnastics...accept they have no fear

To overcome this:

     When I first tried a cartwheel I was thinking too much. My main concern was getting myself to pivot on my hands sideways. This is definitely what was messing me up. When doing a cartwheel you need to start just like you do with a handstand. Hands up, one toe pointed in front of you. The only difference seams to be, is you just come down into the handstand hard enough that you force yourself over. It's really more about feel than anything I could describe to you. 

     I thought that a cartwheel was more complicated than a handstand, but you just have to trust more in gravity to swing your legs over. My tip for anyone who is attempting this is to stretch first (as you should before any physical activity) and make sure the room is clear of furniture. I ended up needing a lot more room than I anticipated for my cartwheel and nearly ran into the wall! 

Now on to Round-Offs! 

On to Cartwheels

So now that I have figured out how to do a handstand, I'm onto throwing myself sideways!

I don't have a cool trick for doing a cartwheel like I did with Burpees and Handstands. I did however find a cool illustration that has helped me simply break it down. 

(Source Image found Here: http://www.cheerleadingblog.com/beginners-guide-to-tumbling-for-cheerleading/#.UK__geOe8zI)

Will I be able to do the splits int he air like #4 on the illustration?...probably not. I have purposefully stayed away from using tutorial videos on youtube, just as an extra little challenge. I remember being able to do a cartwheel when I was a child, but I also didn't have a fear of falling on my face! 

Wish me luck! 

The Training Begins: The first attempt

Since I play Quidditch I have decided to train for Gymnastics at the same time. Hopefully I can do this to improve my weaker areas (arms and back) for both activities. I have noticed that doing a hand stand or cart wheel is not just about your arms, but your core and state of mind. My first attempts at a hand stand actually came as an accidental mess up from a core strengthing activity. The Burpee:

            (Image source found here: http://www.immuvit.com.ph/index.php )

       I was slightly overzealous in between steps 2 and 3 and kicked my legs higher into the air than I had planned. So messing up a Burpee = Handstand in my case...and a very crude one at that. Before this, I was too afraid to throw myself at the ground in hopes that my arms would catch me and I wouldn't fall over. For those of you who are wimpy like me, mess up a burpee. 

Beginning Thoughts

I have chosen to take up teaching myself Gymnastics, but not just the activity itself, but how to train for it as well. I have decided to start by researching the specific muscle groups used in Handstands, and Cartwheels. Then I will train those groups on myself, and finally implement them into the action. This is a simular approach I have my quidditch team take when practicing.