Teaching little ones to roll

Teaching younger students to roll well and safely can be a challenge. There are some very subtle nuances to making it happen that aren't always easy to see even when demonstrated properly. The key is often repetition and doing that repeated rolling on mats that are adequate but not exactly "soft". Students need to feel the ground under them and understand what exactly they are doing.

It is possible and in this video we see an Oni Kai student doing some fairly advanced rolling, not using her arms going into the roll. She'll need more practice and some tuning to her technique but she's really grasping things at this point. Suffice it to say, if  a four year old can do it, most anyone can. This video was shot right around her fourth birthday. Noting again, we're working on getting that cute little noggin off the ground and protecting her neck but I'm more than pleased at the thought she's even a little less likely to break a wrist falling on the playground or tumbling off of her bicycle. We've been working on this for about eight months, so it hasn't happened over night but if all goes well she'll be tumbling like a champ by her next birthday.

This has been another experience for me as an instructor learning just how much the little ones are capable of doing and understanding. They can often accomplish far more than popular culture would have us, or them, believe. They really are incredible and it's a gift to work with young students.