Hollow roll

I've been working on my hollow roll, and I feel very uncoordinated. I feel ok with rolling to my front and keeping my chest up, but I can't seem to get the technique of rolling to my back without letting my shoulders touch the ground. Any advice would be great.

Hey Valerie,

You're doing great! It takes some time to build the strength needed to keep your shoulder blades up the entire time. Keep cranking on your Foundation core workout and keep up the practice. Movements like these are skill work and take time to improve. You're on the right track. Keep working on keeping your feet together, legs and arms straight, and back high. You have the right ideas and I can see that you'll get this one down in no time. 

Thanks

Hi @Valerie Morwood a month later how is your progess coming along?

Hi @Tanya Hill thanks for asking! I found it super encouraging! I'm plugging away at the hollow roll, and I feel less awkward and like I am improving. 

In general, with tumbling I feel pretty limited for a few reasons. First, I don't have a really good area to practice. I do my workouts at home in the rooms with carpet, which are too short to do any more than 1 hollow roll one way, or one back roll or forward roll. Second, my mobility limits my execution of elements. Third, my strength limits my execution. This course is really making me appreciate why foundation is the foundation. I still am doing the best I can with what I have at home, and where my body is. I usually get in 2-3 sessions a week. I think the dynamic nature of this course gives it the potential to be really really fun as I master elements. So, I keeping the long game in mind when I feel discouraged about slow progress. So, here are a few videos to show where I'm at.

On my assisted backward roll, I am using an air mattress, which means it is really hard to get momentum while lying down. So, I do a deck squat as fast as I can from standing on the air mattress. I guess it would have been helpful if I took a video from the front.

Hey Valerie!

Nice improvement on your hollow to arch rolls! Like you already mentioned, your foundational core strength will continue to improve these. One thing to work toward for the rolls is lowering your feet so they are just off the floor; this will require much more strength and is not a quick fix. Just something to begin working on now that your rolls are super smooth. 

For the extended forward roll, a side view is best for us to provide feedback.

Multiple angles for the back roll is also ideal. From this view, it looks like you're making too much head/neck contact. Practice applying pressure earlier to avoid stressing the neck. 

@Everett CarrollThanks for the tips. I didn't realize that feet close to the floor is the goal for the hollow roll. I'll work on that. The part that feels the most awkward is that I have a hard time keeping arms and hands from dragging on the ground. I think this is due to lack of t spine mobility and back strength. I haven't had to do back arches as part of any other courses yet (except fundamentals). Would it be a good idea to do a few sets as part of my tumbling workouts? Is my current form ok for moving to the next progression (once I have my endurance built up)?

My limited space for tumbling makes it difficult to get a side view, but I'm working on a solution. When I figure it out, I'll post a proper form check. 

I'm also working on a solution for a platform to do the backward roll off.

16 hours ago, Valerie Morwood said:

I haven't had to do back arches as part of any other courses yet (except fundamentals). Would it be a good idea to do a few sets as part of my tumbling workouts?

Absolutely. 1-3 extra holds in the arch body position will be great to do after your session. Keep them short and focus on arching as much as possible. 

16 hours ago, Valerie Morwood said:

Is my current form ok for moving to the next progression (once I have my endurance built up)?

Not quite. Keep working on arching more and keeping your shoulder blades off the ground during the hollow portion. 

You're doing great, Valerie. Keep at it!

Ok, a few more months, and I'm still worked no on my hollow roll. How is my form now?

Hey Valerie, 

It's coming along great but I do have one last thing to suggest before clearing the mastery. I'm going to attach two screenshots, the first being your starting position and the second being after your second roll. 

-The first image is the starting position from this video which was perfect. I want you to try and return to that shape after each roll. 

-In the second image, you'll see that your shoulder blades are much lower and that there is a slight gap between your lower back and the ground. Lifting your shoulder blades slightly will close the gap. Once that small detail is fixed, your rolls will be looking outstanding!

Valerie, your gains are shining my friend. Great eye from Everett in pointing out what you need to work on. Wish you lived close to Denver so we could train together.

Everett, that is awesome feedback! I'm excited to have something so specific to focus on!

Thanks for the encouragement! 

3 more months working on this. Almost feeling comfortable—definitely not easy. How does it look?

Am I ok to move on? Or do I spend more time working on this?

If all the reps are equally performed with the above quality then yes, you can.

Awesome. Thanks. That was my final set.