Cartwheel kick advise

so uh i just learned how to do a cartwheel kick and i want to improve my technique for it, i know it doesnt work as much and its difficult to land but for fises it would be nice to improve:

First off, when i kick do i go hand first on the floor or can i just kick and plant my hand midair just to have some support and pivot when coming back to the floor? (Mainly because i cant do a handstand nor a cartwheel for my life). And how can i get back from the kick? I usually just fall to the ground after or just land like really crouched (and really open for knees to the head).

Second, as a short guy (literally a recent teenager that trains with adults), how can i land it better in sparring? And how can i improve my timing? I see a lot of openings after catching kicks and dodging hooks.

Third and final question, do i land the kick on the head or neck? Plus, does the kick go diagonal or horizontal?