Parkour Exercise – Roll

A roll is a technique used to absorb your landing. When you do a drop, you build up a lot of energy in the air. A drop is a jump from one level to a lower one. That energy can hurt your joints and cause overuse injuries. So it is not always enough to bend your knees. You may need to do a roll. A roll is extremely effective if it is done correctly.

Setup

A roll can be done on hard, soft and uneven ground. However, do it on soft ground at first, because it takes a lot of practice to do a roll correctly. As with all other techniques, the ground must be stable and non-slip. Once you have learned to roll on hard ground such as asphalt, wear a long-sleeved top. It protects your skin from small stones and the like.

Execution of roll

In the following we assume that the roll is done from a standing position. It should be learned first.

Roll step by step

  • Decide whether you want to roll over your right or left shoulder. The picture shows a roll over the right shoulder. That is therefore the starting point for the description below.
  • Start by bending your knees. Place your left hand on the ground.

The roll itself

  • Bring your right arm in under your left arm and further in under your body, like a crawl stroke. The back of your hand touches the ground first. Then you roll up over your arm and the back of your shoulder. Your body follows in a smooth movement with bent legs. Keep your chin towards the left side of your chest all the way around, and tense the right arm you are rolling over. This protects your head. Also remember to round your back all the way around.
  • In the final phase you must actively bend your left leg in. This lets you push off the ground with the outer side of your shin muscle. It helps you get back up on your feet.
Parkour jump - exercises in parkour
Roll or also called roll fall is a widely used technique in parkour. In the picture here, a parkour practitioner is seen jumping before performing a roll on the ground, thus absorbing the impact of his landing. Practice your roll on soft ground before performing it on hard ground.
Parkour exercise - learn to roll
'Roll', also called 'roll fall', is a very essential technique. If you can make a good roll, you can cushion the impact when you land after a jump. Roll is a good parkour exercise to train.
  • The right leg is placed on the ground in front of the bent left leg, and is set off to get up to stand. The left arm is placed on the ground next to the left thigh, and this must also be actively removed.
  • If the roll is done correctly, the entire transition can be done in one fluid movement, so you have enough time at the end of the phase to get back on your feet immediately and continue your flow.
Problem statement

Pay attention to the following:

  • Be very aware of actively arching your back all the way around and always having contact with the surface. It is absolutely central to protect against damage and ensure a good flow.
  • If the roll is made just over the back, you can accidentally hit the spine, and this can hurt. Therefore, make sure to roll diagonally over the back to the side that feels best. In this way, you roll over your back muscles, which lie from the shoulder blade muscle to the muscles that lie right up the spine, down to the buttocks, and further up the legs.
Rehearsal

A good exercise for a roll is a regular kettlebell from a squat. Quietly, you can practice making the kettlebell more oblique, so that eventually you feel that you are rolling obliquely over your back. If you don't have enough speed to get up on your feet, you need to practice pulling your legs in close to your body. This will create a better roll, and thus more speed.

Training in the gym

Step by step:

1) Start the exercise on a flat rolling mat. A soft surface means that more people dare to throw themselves into it. Run across the roller mat and have the students help each other correct two by two.

2) Let the students get off the rolling mat and make rolls. A little bit of speed can help to give more flow in the movement.

3) Put a small step on, possibly from a step bench or the top of a wooden plinth.

4) Let the students try to drop down from the wooden plinth or similar, which ends with a roll.

5) When the students are getting the hang of their technique, it can be a good test to let them do it on the wooden floor. Be careful though! If the roll is not performed correctly, it can be felt!