ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

I did gymnastics for a year as a child, before switching to karate. While by no means I am an acrobat, and even though I only did gymnastics for a short period at a young age, the martial arts are helpful to develop full body strength, which is crucial for gymnasts to perform their stunts.

I conducted a third play-through of Final Fantasy VII Remake a couple of weeks ago and recalled how the main character, Cloud performs a manoeuvre very similar to a one arm cartwheel for his parry. I thought it looked wicked cool so I wanted to see whether I could master one arm cartwheels.

Cartwheeling to Victory

I have always been able to do standard cartwheels, using both hands, and I highly recommend mastering those first, before attempting to do a one arm cartwheel. Important points are to push from your feet to launch yourself into the inverted position and then let momentum carry you through. You should have a leading hand and leg to initiate the movement. As a warm up, you can do side planks and side bends to warm up the muscles which will need to do the most work. Cartwheeling is mostly a core and upper body exercise, but it will work your legs too.

To do a one arm cartwheel, your individual arm strength needs to be strong. Mastering single arm push ups can be a great way to develop good strength and stability in each arm individually. This advanced version of the cartwheel demands great strength throughout the shoulder and arm as although brief, your entire body weight is being supported by the hand making contact with the ground.

Okay so I still need a bit of work before I have truly mastered them, but I think I have made good progress in a short space of time.

Cartwheel Benefits

In addition to being a full body exercise which is great in its own right, cartwheels and many acrobatic movements in general which cause inversion, are useful in promoting blood circulation throughout the body, ensuring that enough blood gets to the brain and upper regions. As a fighter, cartwheels are great to train against disorientation, akin to getting knocked down from a heavy blow. They are also great for training against fear. Cartwheels require an all or nothing, full commitment to perform successfully. If there is doubt, you will either fall back to your starting position or collapse half way through the movement.

Conclusion

It took me two sessions to get to grips with the one arm cartwheel and I now enjoy performing them as part of my warm up routine at times. I definitely recommend reinstating cartwheels of some manner into your life.  Cartwheels improve strength, balance, circulation, breathing, and flexibility. They tick so many boxes and offer mega value, which makes them one of the most efficient exercises around for overall health. To top it all off, they are super fun to do once mastered, so get out there and give it a try!

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.