Teaching Forward Rolls (a.k.a. Somersault) - Gymnastics 4 Hire

Home » How To Do A Somersault » Teaching Forward Rolls (a.k.a. Somersault) - Gymnastics 4 Hire

Maybe your like

forward roll

Technically a 'sault' is a skill that is performed in the air. A Forward Roll is performed on the ground, so in this article I am calling this skill a 'Forward Roll', not a 'Somersault'.

This is arguably one of the most enjoyable movements that children do. My 2 y.o. son loves doing forward rolls. However, children today typically don't tend to experiment as much with different movement patterns like we did when we were growing up.

The trick with forward rolls is to start children doing them early - the earlier the better. If a child hasn't had any experience rotating around their transverse axis, then the first few times can be quiet scary. The start of the roll feels like you are falling over. The longer you leave it, the harder it is to teach. It's much easier to help a small 5 y.o. do their first forward roll, than it is to help a large 12 y.o! Forward rolls should be introduced in the first year of school, or earlier.

I've taught about 80,000 of these in many schools over the last 12 years, this is what I've found works best. Your experiences may differ.

NOTE:- This is about teaching beginner forward rolls, not technically accurate forward rolls for gymnastics competitions. Technique for a perfect competition forward roll is beyond the scope of this article.

Tag » How To Do A Somersault