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Best Cartwheel Mat For Gymnastics – The Expert Advice And TOP 5 Picks
You never forget the first time you do a cartwheel. Here’s what do you forget, though: a cartwheel mat. In this article, we’ll guide you through some of our contenders for the best cartwheel mat out there.
Bruising can become a common occurrence. There’s no reason to take the risk. Plus, bare floors aren’t exactly comfortable to work with.
For the little gymnasts, this is a big help. Safety flooring is important.
Before you start doing 10 cartwheels in a row, you might want to be taking safety precautions into consideration. “But why?” Well, injuries are more likely than you think.
These level-one skills may be simple, but you still need to ensure a secure and comfortable landing.
If you’re looking for a gymnastics cartwheel mat, read on to find out more about them!
Best Cartwheel Mat – Our Choices Compared
Gymnastics Cartwheel Mat Reviews
These are our top five picks. They’re everything we want them to be: thickly-padded, durable, and convenient. Check them out!
Tumbl Trak Cartwheel Beam Mat
For those juniors who are tumbling around, this Tumbl Trak cartwheel beam mat is a good fit. As you’ll see, it has visual markers for beginners.
The hand/foot cartwheel guidance provides direction on one side. It’ll let you learn proper hand placement for doing cartwheels. However, the other side is a different story.
If you flip the mat, you’ll notice the mat to be blue. This blue side isn’t for looks only. It has a 4” white practice beam stripe. With it, anyone can start training their beginner beam skills.
Your mat must be toxic-free since you’ll be working with it a lot. This mat doesn’t include lead. It also completely abides by the Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA).
However, this toxic-free mat includes high-grade materials. It’s covered by 18 oz knife-coated vinyl material. It’s extremely durable, so don’t worry about it wearing down.
Storage is important, especially if you’re working with a small space.
Luckily, this mat folds right down the middle in half. At 6.2 lbs, it’s ultra-light as well. So it’s compact and easy to move around.
It’s also well-padded. It’s 1” thick, so you might think it’s a bit on the thinner side. It provides excellent cushioning, though, so you (or your budding gymnast!) might be in for a surprise.
All in all, this mat offers excellent value for money. When added to the padding, the visual markers transform this into the ideal entry-level gymnastics mat.
Check the current price at Amazon >>
Pros
- Lightweight and compact
- Durable and toxic-free
- Comfortable and well-padded
Cons
- May be too firm to some users
Z Athletic Cartwheel and Balance Beam Practice Mat
One thing is for sure, this 2ft x 6ft cartwheel beam mat is sturdy, as it’s made of high-quality open-air foam.
Surrounding this foam is a durable coating of 18 oz vinyl. This vinyl is nonporous and mildew-resistant, so you should lay any worries aside.
On one side, there’s a balance beam that’s useful for practice. On the other, there’s a footprint guide for doing cartwheels.
Whichever side you use, you’ll be pleased to find that this mat is nicely-padded. It has 1.5” of thick cushion to keep you happy and supported. And yet, it manages to provide just enough padding without being too firm.
One thing you’ll immediately note about this mat is the smell. It’s that brand new rubbery smell.
Luckily for you, this is a thing that’s only expected in the beginning. All you need to do is to air the mat outside and give it some time.
You could also try wiping it down with lemon tree oil or a lemon/water mixture. It’ll help get rid of that “chemical” smell faster.
As for cleaning, it’s simple. This cartwheel training mat doesn’t require any special cleaning ritual. A soapy washcloth can always do the job.
Pros
- Durable
- Ensures soft landings
- Mildew- and puncture-resistant
- Comfortably-padded
- Good value for money
Cons
- Has a rubbery smell that goes away with time and use
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We Sell Mats Folding Cartwheel Mat
Gather around, tumblers! Knees, elbows, and backs need support.
There’s no need for your little gymnast to take a bad fall and wake up sore the next day. This mat has 1 ⅝” worth of cushion. That’s bound to provide some reliable support.
This mat is certainly something to look at. It’s a 2’ X 6’ stretch of royal blue with a bold white stripe in the middle.
This stripe helps beginners master balance. It also provides the necessary guide for maintaining proper form when polishing off cartwheel skills.
Not only that, but it’s effective for developing the proper alignment as well.
When you finish practicing, you don’t have much energy in you. You need a mat that you can put away easily without a hassle.
This mat manages to deliver on that very task. It’s not only compact, but it also weighs only 6.25 lbs. So it’s lightweight and easy to move around as well.
On-the-go fitness isn’t forgotten either. This comes with two hooks and loop-carrying handles; all to make it more mobile. This is an ideal feature for trainers in outdoor/indoor exercising sessions.
This vinyl mat is particularly compatible with hard floors. The vinyl itself is tear-resistant and low-maintenance. All you have to do to clean it is wipe it down with some soap and water.
Certainly, it provides good value for money.
Pros
- Long-lasting
- Durable
- Well-cushioned
- Lightweight and compact
- Easy to move around
Cons
- One-sided mat
- Has a strong chemical smell that goes away after a few weeks
Easy Gymnastics Cartwheel, Handstand, Bridge Soft, Non-Slip Mat
Here’s a little something for budding tumblers. With this cartwheel training mat, you get all the benefits of practicing and none of the injuries.
The soft material guarantees there’ll be no bruises later, only results.
This isn’t your usual cartwheel mat. Its audience is a bit on the younger side. This square mat features clear writing and illustrations to guide beginners.
There are positions for multiple skills: handstands, bridges, rolls, and cartwheels.
It offers you all that and cuts back on the bulk. This ⅛” mat is quite compact. It’s not as mobile as some of the other contenders on the list, but it’s certainly easy to store.
It also comes in different bright colors. They include blue, pink, and lime green.
Along with the visual guide, this could provide a motivational boost for gymnasts under 5 to practice and master their skills.
Plus, it includes 14 online instructional videos. These videos demonstrate how to properly use the mat. This way, you could start practicing more. You certainly get your money’s value with this one.
You’ll be learning gymnastics skills, all from the comfort of your own home.
Pros
- Long-lasting
- Requires small storage space
- Made of non-slip material
- Comes with instructional videos
Cons
- May not be thick enough for some users
Tumbl Trak Girl’s Gymnast Hands and Feet Placement Mat
This Tumbl Trak 5-piece mat isn’t your run-of-the-mill mat. With red for right and yellow for left, this mat is designed to teach you correct hand and feet placement.
Hand and feet placement is important when it comes to gymnastics. Younger kids can have a hard time mastering it. The reason this gymnastics mat is so great is it helps recent tumblers visualize better.
The fabric is quite soft. A feature like that is important, especially if you’re going to be spending some time practicing.
Rough fabric can be uncomfortable and therefore hinder your progress.
However, this soft denim fabric mat includes hook Velcro on the back. Considering you’re going to be using it on a closed-loop carpeted surface, this makes application smooth and easy.
All in all, this is a set of five. It includes 2 hands (red and yellow, for right and left). It also included 2 feet and 1 double feet, both of which arrive in red and yellow.
Cleaning and maintaining this set is no big feat. No manual washing is required.
A regular machine wash will be sufficient. Afterward, make sure to lay them flat so they could dry.
Pros
- Teaches hand and feet placement
- Soft and durable
- Good value for money
- Minimum storage space
Cons
- Requires a safe surface (carpet, mat) to work on
What Is a Cartwheel Beam Mat?
When you’re trying to master your gymnastics skills, you could use all the time you have. Especially at home, where everything can be smartly transformed into a gymnast’s apparatus.
However, bare floors aren’t as gentle on your body as gymnastics mats.
It’s no wonder why they’re in wide use: they’re well-cushioned and thick, so they’re prepared to take your hard falls and decrease the impact.
Now, a cartwheel beam mat isn’t that different from a gymnastics mat. They’re both thick and well-padded.
However, a cartwheel beam mat is more specific in its purpose. It’s intended to help you master your cartwheels and your balance.
Cartwheel beam mats are typically two-sided. On one side, there are hand and foot footprints for practicing cartwheels.
On the other, there’s a single beamline right down the middle. These mats are just as prepared to support your falls as regular mats, if not more.
Why Do I Need One?
Tumblers can’t go without their mats. It’s not them, though. Gymnasts need them as well.
Landing on a hard floor doesn’t feel the same as landing on a gym mat. To put it simply, they provide extra safety.
They allow for shock-absorption upon falling down. This doesn’t only prevent bruises, but also possible injuries.
Some children bruise more easily than others. It’s a usual result of thin skin, which is common among those kids.
When they’re trying to polish their skills, a cartwheel beam mat might just be what they need. Anyone from a one-year-old toddler to an eight-year-old can use one.
PRO TIP: Cartwheel mat is nice to have but the base for safety in all exercises is the classic gymnastics mat reviewed here. Also, check incline cheese mats here.
What to Look for When Choosing the Best Cartwheel Mat?
When you’re shopping for a cartwheel mat, there are some important things to consider.
Size
Here’s one question you want to ask yourself: what space are you working with?
Now, here’s another. How big is the person using the cartwheel mat?
Before making a purchase, you need to know that you have a space that can accommodate your mat. You also need to know that your mat will accommodate you.
A large number of the cartwheel mats you’ll find out there are 2ft x 6ft, exactly like the Z Athletic Cartwheel Mat. Usually, these 2ft x 6ft mats can be suitable for eight and nine-year-olds.
However, they can seem a little too small for some.
That isn’t to say it’s impossible to find something that is a little bit bigger.
With enough digging around, you might find a mat that is space-efficient but also accommodating.
Material
Usually, these mats are made out of leather-covered foam. Sometimes the core of the mat isn’t only made of foam, but nylon as well. However, foam is a staple among mats’ materials.
It’s more than often that these mats are covered in vinyl. When they’re not, they’re covered in plastic lining.
Then there are 100% polyester covers, which are often tear-resistant and non-slip.
Whichever the materials are, you should make sure that they’re lead-free. If they’re not, they have a big chance of being toxic.
Before purchasing, check to see whether your mat is approvable according to CPSIA standards or not.
Thickness
When it comes to cartwheel mats, the thickness is important. A mat that’s not thick enough is useless.
After all, its main purpose is to provide padded support. If it’s too thin, it can’t do that.
The thicker your mat is, the better. However, it’s important to find a happy balance.
If your mat is too thick, it could present a problem for the user. Their hands could sink deep into the mat while they’re doing stunts.
When you’re examining mats’ thickness, you need to remember that 1 ⅜” is the standard. Try to remain in that range.
Safety Tips
The main tip is clear yet extremely important: never practice without a mat. Avoid practicing on hard floors.
Here are other things you might want to keep in mind.
- Warm up and do active stretches before you start practicing.
- Place the mat under your equipment, if you’re using any.
- Make sure you’re using a well-cushioned surface if you’re using a multiple-piece set.
- Protect your back by doing exercises to build core strength.
How to Do a Cartwheel
For some, doing a cartwheel doesn’t just come naturally. You have to practice.
You could start by imagining a straight line ahead of you. This will help your balance.
Then, assume the position of a lunge. To do that, put one leg in front of the other and bend at the knee. Don’t kneel with your other knee. Instead, keep it straight.
Next, you need to put your hands on the floor. Then, put all of your weight on one leg.
Kick your other leg off the floor. Finally, follow it up by the other leg. Finish off by landing in a lunge.
Here is a video on how to do this correctly:
Best Cartwheel Mat for Gymnastics – Bottom Line
Looking for the best cartwheel mat?
Z Athletic Cartwheel and Balance Beam Practice Mat is an excellent choice. It’s durable, long-lasting, and easy to store. More importantly, it’s well-cushioned. You’re getting all the support and comfort that you need.
Have fun tumbling!
Last update on 2024-12-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
