Women When is Hollow Body position used in Cartwheel?

[michellethomas]

I am familiar with the Hollow body position. Just curious, when is it used in a cartwheel or handstand? I do those a lot, and don't notice its actual usage in the movement. or is it more of a core-body exercise?

Resource:

Gymnastics 101: The Hollow Body Position

The Hollow Body position is one of the most basic but fundamental movements when learning gymnastics. Mastering the hollow body position strengthens your core, creates midline stability and gives positional awareness in more complex gymnastics movements. It allows your body to work as one unit...

www.coliseumstrength.com

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I wouldn't necessarily say an actual hollow body position is used in a cartwheel (other than cartwheel step-in) or handstand (except, arguably, on bars).

However, by default the body tends to have a natural arch in the lower back and forward tilt of the pelvis. Strengthening hollow body position means strengthening the muscles that straighten the lower back and tilt the pelvis backwards, achieving the flatter, straighter shape that is needed in a carthweel or handstand. (There's some debatable nuance I'm glossing over here)

And to be clear: this natural arch in the lower back and forward tilt of the pelvis is completely fine in normal situations. Walking, standing, etc; the back is supposed to have a slight j-curve (or at least, that's my understanding; I'm not an expert on lower spine posture, I'm just repeating what I've heard from people who know this stuff better than I do). But in the context of a handstand or cartwheel, one of the goals is to get the body as straight as reasonably possible.

So not a "hollow," per se, but the same muscles used in a hollow.