Forward and Backward Rolls

What it is

Forward and backward rolls are the shoulder rolls drilled in every warm-up: chin tucked, rolling diagonally across the back from one shoulder to the opposite hip, never over the head or the neck. They teach your body to tuck and go with a fall, and they are the base of the shoulder roll out of turtle and the granby.

When to use it

• In the warm-up, moving down the mat forward and then backward.
• Going with a throw or a sweep, so that you roll through instead of landing flat.
• Escaping from turtle or rolling out of a stack: the same shoulder roll with a partner on you.

How to do it

1. Forward roll: step one foot forward, bend down and place the hand on that side on the mat, arm turned in so that the shoulder on that side leads. Tuck your chin and look toward your opposite hip.
2. Push with the legs and roll over that shoulder, diagonally across the back to the opposite hip, with the head to the side and off the mat.
3. Let the legs follow through and come up to a crouch or to your feet, facing the way you were going.
4. Backward roll: sit back and down, chin tucked, and roll onto your rounded back with the knees to the chest.
5. Turn your head to one side and roll over the opposite shoulder, never over the head, with your hands posted beside your head to keep the weight off the neck.
6. Finish on your knees or feet, facing the way you came, ready to post and stand.

Key details

• Over a shoulder, never over the head. The neck is never under the body's weight.
• Chin tucked from start to finish.
• Diagonal: shoulder to opposite hip. A straight roll down the spine hurts.
• Round everything: back, legs, arms. Corners stop a roll.
• Finish facing someone, on your knees or feet, not lying down.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: rolling over the top of the head. The neck is compressed and you get hurt in a warm-up.
• Mistake: a straight roll down the spine. Every bone in your back hits the mat in turn.
• Mistake: looking forward instead of tucking. The head leads and the roll stalls on the neck.
• Mistake: rolling slowly and stopping halfway. In a roll with a partner this hands them your back.