Forward Roll

These notes combine advice from 34 reviewed passages across 18 workouts.

Overview

The forward roll is a floor skill used for recovering from forward falls and for selected descents from handstands and other inverted positions.

Basic technique

Stand in front of the mat and place the hand on it close to the feet. Tuck the head, then bend the arms slowly as in a push-up so the body releases into the roll without rushing.

Bend deeply and pull the knees toward the torso to initiate the entry. Hold the knees and remain tightly rounded so the body does not open during the roll.

Opening the body at the last moment produces an abrupt finish. Maintaining the knee hold helps preserve the compact shape.

Rising from the roll

Time the knee pull for the exact point at which the body reaches the tuck. Use that pull to rise upward and avoid traveling too far backward.

Brace the abdominal muscles as you rise and finish with the arms raised.

Body position and comfort

Coach’s advice

Keeping the chin deeply tucked throughout a roll or fall may help protect the neck from the forces of the movement.

Practice surfaces

Coach’s advice

Grass, carpet, a mat, or another fuller surface may be more tolerable during the first stages of learning.

Coach’s advice

Surface guidance is inconsistent. Gradual hard-surface practice was claimed to reduce initial discomfort as familiarity grows. A later, stricter view treated parquet as unsuitable and called for tatami.

Bailouts and descents

Coach’s advice

Possible handstand bailout methods include turning sideways, catching a tripod, using a cartwheel-style exit, making a compact knee tuck, or entering a technically sound forward roll.

Coach’s advice

For a forward handstand tip, a forward roll may finish the descent. For the separately taught backward loss of balance, tuck the chin and enter the roll; catching a tripod may also work. The applicable cue depends on the direction and drill.

Coach’s advice

A shoulder roll may be easier and more suitable for drops because it travels over the shoulder and keeps the nape away from the floor.

Use forward-roll or shoulder-roll practice to address hesitation during an elbow-supported descent. Going backward through the elbows can be harder than pulling the leg inward, while a bridge descent requires sufficient flexibility.

Drills and other applications

Perform a wall-supported handstand, then a forward roll.

When a backward descent from the bar is difficult, keep a firm grip and use a forward roll that reverses the pullover path.

Gymnastics for Everyone includes skills such as forward rolls and competitions for participants over fifty.

Coach’s experience

In his own approach to handstand bailouts, the coach trusts the cartwheel-style circular exit most and finds it the most comfortable.