Gymnastics: Rolling

Introduction: The teacher will explain to students that they will be working on different gymnastics rolls during the lesson that day. Introduce start/stop signals as well as rules that may be followed during the class. 

Warm-up: Students will spread out across the gym in their own personal space (at least an arms-length apart). The teacher will play 5 smart cat exercise videos (#'s 1, 2, 4, 5, and 10) while the students follow along with the video completing each exercise. 

• Exercise #1- https://www.knowitall.org/video/exercise-smart-cat-1
• Exercise #2- https://www.knowitall.org/video/exercise-smart-cat-2
• Exercise #4- https://www.knowitall.org/video/exercise-smart-cat-4
• Exercise #5- https://www.knowitall.org/video/exercise-smart-cat-5
• Exercise #10-https://www.knowitall.org/video/exercise-smart-cat-10

Task 1 (Log Roll and Safety Roll): The teacher will go over and demonstrate 2 types of rolls (log roll and safety roll) on a mat with one person on a mat at a time. The teacher will explain the cues of each roll and some tips that will help the students perform these rolls. Once the teacher explains how to perform each roll, demonstrates, and explains safety precautions the students will partner up and find their own mat. There should only be 2-4 people per mat depending on class size. Students will begin practicing the two rolls on the teachers command. 

Cues for log roll-

• Lie on back with legs straight and toes pointed
• Arms are extended overhead with hands together
• Knees are together

Cues for safety roll-

• Stand in an athletic position facing the mat
• Bend over while placing one arm in between the legs
• Roll forward on the shoulder and then lower back

Task 2 (Shoulder Roll and Forward Roll): The teacher will now introduce and demonstrate two more rolls in the shoulder roll and the forward roll. Students should be in the same groups as before and following the same rules as the first task. If you want the students to think more deeply about how they can perform smooth rolls you can talk to them about how rolling on adjacent body parts provides smoother and better-looking rolls. Students will practice the two new rolls one at a time on the mat.

Cues for shoulder roll-

• Squat with your body sideways
• Keep knees tucked together
• Lean body sideways until you fall
• Roll sideways across the top of the back

 
Cues for forward roll-

• Balance on feet in a tuck position
• Place hands on the mat, shoulder-width apart in front of knees
• Put your chin on your chest
• Tip forward until begin to roll
• During the roll, keep your body in tight, rounded shape. May help to pretend you are a tire

Task 3: For this task, students will be in the same groups as before but this time they will partner up with someone in their group. The goal of this task is for one student to perform a roll, transitional movement, and then another roll. After that student has performed their rolls, their partner will try to match exactly what their partner did. Make sure that you explain to the students that matching requires them to have the same shape, time, and space as their partner. An example would be a log roll, jump, and then safety roll. After the second partner matches the first partner, they will switch roles and the partner that went second will now go first and create his own sequence of rolls and a transition movement that is different than the first sequence (ex. shoulder roll, spin, safety roll). 

Closure: To end the class have the class get together and ask them what they thought was easy/hard about performing rolls and matching their partners. Quiz them on the cues for each roll and remind them that if they're trying to match their partners that they want to be in the exact shape, time, and space as their partner.