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Safe Roll Finish

Learn to roll safely over a shoulder so a fall never ends on your head or neck.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Kneel on a soft mat with your chin tucked.

Core: Jogs. Beat your own run of balanced stances.

Ages
11 and up
Time
10 min
Players
Just you
Space
Gym or court
Bring
Soft mat, coach
Level · skill
Developing · Defending

The steps

How it works

  1. Kneel on a soft mat with your chin tucked.
  2. Roll over one shoulder at an angle and come up on your knees.
  3. Then try from a low crouch.
  4. Do 6 each side.

Coaching point

Chin tucked, roll the shoulder.

Safety: Only on a soft mat with a coach watching. Roll over the shoulder, never straight over the head.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Shadow-form game: practice the stance and footwork on a partner’s walking line with no contact at all. Swap, and share one thing you liked.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (partner walks), Core (jogs), More (changes direction). Beat your own run of balanced stances.

Story

You are a shadow that stays right in front of its owner.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own run of balanced stances. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

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