Video exampler: coming soon…
Video tutorial: coming soon…
Recommended prerequisites: kneeling front shoulder roll
Description: The kneeling forward roll is super similar to the kneeling front shoulder roll, only it's completely over the top. No needle. No thread. No looping.
Slide by slide breakdown
The forward roll starts on your hands and knees. Ruff ruff. Begin by bending end arms and bring your forehead to the ground.
Don't rest your forehead on your ground. Bend your arms to bring it to the ground, and allow clearance for your head to pass through. You don't want grass stains on your forehead.
There are two places supporting my weight: my feet and my hands. There is 0% on my head. Tuck your chin to your chest. (If you haven't caught on, this is basically the key element in any roll.) Do this by shifting most of you weight onto your arms and lifting your hips in the air. This begins the tumble.
It looks like my neck is being crushed, but it's actually in a rather safe position. Most of my weight is on my hands as my chin continues tucking. I'm pushing gently with my legs to get my hips up and over my head. If you have any sort of handstand experience or strength in the handstand position, that will go a long way in feeling confident because your arm's will have the strength to support your entire body with absolutely no weight on your head or neck.
My neck is completely tucked into my chest. My weight is still on my hands, but even if it wasn't, my chin is tucked enough so that my upper back is what would touch the ground rather than a crash landing on my neck. And that's exactly what's going to happen in the next slide, but before going there take a look at how compact I am.
As you get your hips up and over, keep your knees tucked. Tucked knees make the roll much easier and fluid. Compact. It puts the body in a good position to roll.
Once you hip the tipping point, gravity will take hold and roll you over. Stay in that condensed ball for a nice roll. I'm beginning to unravel here because I'm going to carry my momentum through the move and into a squat. Don't worry about when to release the hands; it's something that happens naturally.
I'm reaching forward here to keep my momentum going forward so that I can take it into a squat. Still looking nice and compact though.
Because, squat. And if you are a mobility freak, you can use this front roll to squat for a bunch of things. Maybe even in between sets of benching and pull-ups. Yeah, I said it.
Perhaps one of the few times “ATG” actually involves grass.
Recap cues:
- Keep most of your weight on your hands
- Tuck your chin to your chest
- Keep the knees tucked close and compact
Troubleshooting:
Unsure about your neck? Might want to start with shoulder rolling variations. Those go off to the side and will help get the acrojuices flowing enough to have the confidence for these.
Feeling weight on your neck? Since your arms are in contact for the first part of the move, I'd say you might lack the strength to support your weight with your arms. Strength training might be what the doctor ordered.
Unraveling too soon and landing on your back? Stay compact. Keep your knees tucked into your chest after you tip your momentum forward.