A cartwheel is a large, open structured wheel used on a cart, carriage or wagon. Originally made from wood, usually a hard, tough wood such as hornbeam, cartwheels are now more commonly made of metal.
A tourist carriage with cartwheels
In gymnastics, a cartwheel is the movement where one moves sideways (in the motion the wheel of a cart would follow) in a straight line keeping the back straight placing the hand of the same side on the ground followed by the other hand as the legs are passed over the body and then come down as the hands and body come up to a standing up position.
The name cartwheel is used because when a human performs this their limbs move like the spokes of a turning wheel.
Person performing a cartwheel
In the sport of Capoeira a cartwheel is known as an 'Au', which differs a bit from the traditional cartwheel. An au, in its base form, is performed, sometimes very slowly, with arms and legs bent in order to keep a low target profile. Also the back can be curved in order to perform a kicking maneuver. Since a capoeira player always risks being kicked while upside down, capoeira players also make sure to watch their opponent rather than look at the ground.
