Technique Tip: Cartwheel Star

It’s technique time! This week we’re focusing on the 💫Cartwheel Star, a Single Star variation with a serious wow factor. I consider it intermediate level and up and it can feel intimidating at first, mostly because of the mid-air direction change and the knee switch.

This one has been highly requested and it makes sense, it’s a skill that can look a bit floppy if the timing and body position aren’t dialed in yet. The good news is it cleans up beautifully when you build it step by step!

Before you go for the full drop, make sure you feel solid with a few key prerequisites, especially your regular Single Star and knee switch mechanics.

In the video breakdown below, you’ll get:

• The key prerequisites to check first

• A drill to dial in the knee switch

• The wrap setup

• Two ending options, a foot grab finish and a sit-up finish

Prerequisites:

Before working this drop, make sure you feel very confident with:

• A strong, clean Single Star drop

• Knee switch mechanics (clearing the pole by piking the leg forward on each switch).

If the knee switch is inconsistent, it’s easy to fall out of the skill

The Knee Switch Drill:

This drill is worth repeating a bunch before attempting the full drop.

• Same side hook

• Wrap your leg for catchers once or twice for more security

• Grab the tail overhead

• Pike the back leg forward to switch the knee

Key idea: the leg has to clear the pole. Think “pike forward to clear, then switch.” If the leg doesn’t clear and you hook closer to your ankle instead of behind your knee, it's easy to fall out and rotate into your star unexpectedly, which is why this prerequisite matters.

Cartwheel Star Wrap Set-Up

• Begin from a regular Single Star Wrap: Same Side Hook, wrap the bottom leg once or twice (twice can make the bottom of the drop a little less painful, it doesn't change the drop at all)

• Wrap the tummy from front to back

• Place the tail in your armpit

• Do the knee switch, this creates the cartwheel motion in the drop above

• Climb above your knee

• Reach high on the pole with your left hand (if you set-up the drop from a right side knee hook initially). Wrap the tail around your opposite arm once and rotate away from the pole into an arabesque position.

Body Position Focus During the Drop

• Take a quick pause before you drop. Find a flat body line with legs tight and your core connected, think “plank feeling” in your center.

• Release your top hand to initiate the drop, and aim to keep the same starting shape as you travel downward. Start the drop without changing your body position first.

• 🔺Common issue: piking. This is when the legs drift too far forward during the drop. When that happens, most of us collide with the pole, the drop slows down, and your leg is more likely to make contact with the pole.
  

Cues that usually help:

“Keep your same shape, hold the tail, squeeze the legs tight.”

“Rotate while staying flat and connected, not folded.”

Ending option 1: Foot grab finish

• At the bottom of the drop reach back to grab the front of the foot with your free hand

• Reach down with your hand holding the tail to finish the shape

• To exit, drive legs down to sit up and unwind the wrap
  

Ending option 2: Sit-up finish

As you rotate:

• Allow your legs to pike forward on either side of the pole at the bottom of the drop

• Drive the heels down to sit up (with a lot of oomph!)
  

⚠️Safety Notes

For drops, always use a crash mat and work under the eye of a trained coach nearby.

More tips to keep in mind

• If the knee switch drill doesn’t feel consistent yet, keep drilling it before moving on.

• Hold the tail throughout the drop, it’s part of your safety wrap.

• Build this in sections: drill Single Star, drill the knee switch, drill the wrap low, then add the drop.

Prioritize clean, controlled movement over rushed attempts. Progress takes time and that’s okay!

If you’re working up to drops, or you want more guidance on your Single Star first, ​click here​ for a tip on that.

And if drops bring up nerves for you, you’re not alone, I feel that sometimes too! Here’s a blog post I wrote a few years ago you may find helpful, ​read it here.​ For more skill breakdowns, plus live class replays, lesson plans, and a whole library of on-demand resources, explore Aerial Physique TV, our training hub for aerialists. Think Netflix-style browsing, but for aerial practice, so you can search by apparatus, level, and skill whenever you need support. ✨Start your free trial here!✨