Parkour is a challenging and thrilling discipline that requires practitioners use a combination running, jumping and climbing to navigate their environment. Parkour rolling is one of the most important skills. It helps practitioners land safely at higher elevations and perform other high-impact movements. This guide will take you on a deep dive into parkour rolling. We’ll explore its history, key techniques, and different types.

Parkour Rolling: History

Rolling as a means to absorb impact and roll out from landings can be traced back in the early days of gymnastics and acrobatics. Rolling was essential for performing acrobatic tricks like flips and somersaults safely. Rolling was not a common technique for navigating urban environments until parkour emerged in the late 20th-century. Parkour pioneers Sebastien Foucan and David Belle developed rolling techniques that allowed them safely to land after jumping over obstacles or from high places. Over time, these early practitioners perfected their techniques and created different types of rolling for different situations.

Types of parkour rolling

Parkour practitioners can use a variety of parkour rolling techniques depending on their situation. Here are the most popular types:

Freestyle Roll

The freestyle roll, one of the most popular types of parkour rolls, is the simplest. The freestyle roll involves rolling diagonally across the ground from one shoulder to another hip, spreading the impact evenly throughout the body. The freestyle roll can be used to perform low-impact landings such as jumping off a low wall, or performing a dive roll.

Safety Roll

For higher-impact landings, such as jumping from higher elevations or performing a wall running, the safety roll or forward rolling is used. To protect your neck, you will tuck your chin in and roll across your shoulders and back. Keep your knees bent and your feet close to the body. The rolling motion absorbs impact and distributes it evenly throughout the body.

Cartwheel Roll

The cartwheel roll, a more advanced rolling technique, involves a sideways cartwheel motion that is then rolled. This technique is useful for landings with higher impact, such as cat leaps or wall runs. The cartwheel roll allows the practitioner divert their momentum and change direction quickly, making it versatile for navigation in a variety of environments.

Key Techniques for Parkour Rolling

For safe and effective movement, it doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned parkour practitioner, or just starting out. Here are some key points to remember:

Start slow

It is important to start slowly and work your way up to more advanced parkour movements. Begin with the simplest roll techniques like the freestyle roll before moving on to more complicated techniques.

Master Your Landing

Mastering your landing is one of the most important aspects of parkour rolling. Before you plan your landing, make sure to assess the environment and the jump height. To absorb impact, it is important to land with your feet together.

Practice makes perfect

Practice is the best way to learn parkour techniques. Practice rolling techniques regularly. Start with simple movements, and then build up to more advanced moves.

Conclusion

Anyone who wants to learn parkour rolling is an essential skill. You can learn different rolling techniques and master key techniques to improve your parkour skills, no matter if you are a seasoned or new practitioner. To improve your rolling skills, you should always start slowly, master your landing techniques, practice often, and never stop learning.