Forward and backward rolls (recall)

1Why this matters

You probably rolled on the grass at primary school. In secondary PE the same rolls become the building blocks of gymnastics: a forward roll can link a jump to a balance, and a backward roll can end a sequence. They also teach you to fall safely. When a footballer is tackled or a volleyball player dives, rolling along a rounded back spreads the force of the fall instead of letting one wrist or shoulder take it all. This lesson recalls both rolls, with the progressions that make them safe.

2Safety first

• Roll only on a mat or a thick, soft surface, never on bare ground or concrete.
• One performer on a mat at a time; the next person waits behind a line.
• Remove watches, earrings and bracelets, empty your pockets, and tie long hair back.
• Warm up the neck gently (slow nods and side tilts, never full circles), the wrists and the back.
• Stop at once if a roll puts pressure on your neck, and go back to an easier progression.

3The forward roll

1. Crouch at the end of the mat with your feet together.
2. Hands flat on the mat, shoulder-width apart, just in front of your feet.
3. Chin to chest. Look at your knees, so that the back of your head, not the top, touches the mat.
4. Push evenly with both feet and lift your hips, so your weight moves over your hands onto your shoulders.
5. Roll like a ball along your rounded back, knees tucked to your chest.
6. Stand up by reaching your arms forward as your feet arrive, without pushing on the mat with your hands. Finish tall with your arms stretched up.

4The backward roll

1. Crouch with your back to the mat, chin tucked.
2. Hands up beside your ears, palms facing the sky and fingers pointing back over your shoulders.
3. Sit back close to your heels and roll backwards onto your rounded back, staying tucked.
4. Push hard through both hands as they reach the mat beside your head. This lifts your head and takes the weight off your neck.
5. Land on the balls of your feet and stand up tall.

5Progressions: from easy to full

1. Rocking: sit tucked, holding your shins, and rock back to your shoulders and forward to your feet, five times.
2. Rock with hands: the same, with your hands by your ears touching the mat at the back of each rock.
3. Downhill roll: roll down a gentle slope made by a mat laid over a folded mat or a low bench end. Gravity helps you over.
4. Full roll on a flat mat, then two rolls linked, then a roll into a straight jump.

Worked example: a partner checklist

In pairs, one student rolls and the other observes and ticks a checklist of five teaching points. Isimbi observes Mugabo's forward roll:

Score: 3 points out of 5.

Feedback: Isimbi starts with what went well, then gives one correction: "Your chin and tuck were good. Push with both feet together, so you roll straight along the mat." She gives only one correction at a time, because a learner can change only one thing at once. On his next roll, Mugabo also works on reaching his arms forward to stand.

Practice

Solution. So that the back of the head and the shoulders touch the mat. Landing on the top of the head would force the neck to carry the body's weight and could injure it.

Solution. To push hard through both hands as they reach the mat beside her head. The push lifts her head and lets her roll over onto her feet. She should practise rocking with her hands by her ears first.

Solution. Rocking, then downhill roll, then full roll on a flat mat.

Solution. 4 points out of 5. Feedback starts with what went well, then gives one correction, for the point that was missed.

Solution. Any three: roll only on mats; one person on a mat at a time; remove jewellery and tie hair back; warm up the neck and wrists; stop if the neck hurts and use an easier progression.