Roll (gymnastics)

A roll is the most basic and fundamental skill in gymnastics. There are many variations in the skill. Rolls are similar to flips in the fact that they are a complete rotation of the body. although, the rotation of the roll is usually made on the ground while a flip is made in mid air with hips passing over the head and without any hands touching the ground. Rolls also help recover from a fall safely.

The forward roll (colloquially called a roly poly) is one of the most basic elements in gymnastics and one of the first learnt. The forward roll is started from a standing position and then the gymnast crouches down, places their hands shoulder wide apart and hands facing forward. They tuck their chin to their chest and place the back of their head onto the floor. They then push off of the floor with their legs and rotate over their head onto their back. The gymnast then presses their feet onto the floor and whips the arms forward to stand up.

The backward roll is similar to the forward roll, but in reverse. The gymnast starts in a standing position and bends to a squat/sitting position with their arms in front. They then lower and lean back slightly until their bottom reaches the floor. They then continue this momentum and roll over their back onto their shoulders. They should then place their hands next to their shoulders and tuck their head into their chin. The hands then push the floor strongly and straighten their arms and continue to rotate their body over their head. The feet are then placed on the floor and the gymnast stands.

Variations:

A sideways roll is also known as a log roll, barrel roll, or pencil roll. This can be started by lying down on the back or front with the body outstretched. The gymnast then rolls onto their side and does a complete rotation of the body, remaining parallel to the performing surface. The log roll is a sideways roll with the hands next to the waist and the pencil roll is with the hands stretched above the head. A sideways roll can also be performed when a gymnast over-rotates or loses their balance in a vertical, forward or sideways direction.

A Tucked Sideways roll begins with the gymnast starting in a kneeling position, with the gymnast sitting back onto their heels with their head and arms in an outstretched position like the child pose in yoga. From here, the gymnast rolls onto their side with their legs maintaining the tucked position and onto their knees again.

This roll starts by sitting on the floor in a straddle position. The legs are held below the knees and the body leans over towards the shoulder on one side. The gymnast then folds more tightly until they roll over their back and return to a sitting straddle position.

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Wikipedia