Why Forward Rolls Are Good for Adults (and Children)
Last week, I programmed forward rolls into the warmup.
Cue the grumbles.
Now, to be fair, I kind of expected it. Adults tend to get a little squeamish about rolling. It feels weird. It’s disorienting. You might flash back to a P.E. teacher barking instructions in 1994 while you tried not to crush your neck or vomit cafeteria nuggets.
But here’s the thing: I didn’t put them in there as a party trick. Or a nostalgia flex. Or even because I enjoy the subtle wave of existential dread that ripples through the room when I say, “Alright folks, let’s get rolling.”
I put them in there because forward rolls are good for you.
Really good for you.
And if we can push past the discomfort, we can start to rediscover a piece of our movement heritage — one that connects strength to safety, coordination to confidence, and movement to play.
So let’s roll. Literally.
Rolling Lights Up Your Vestibular System (That’s a Good Thing)
Let’s talk inner ear.
Specifically, the vestibular system — the part of your body responsible for balance, spatial awareness, and keeping your eyes from jiggling like Jell-O when you move.
When you were a kid, you naturally stimulated this system all the time: spinning, tumbling, climbing, falling, rolling down hills. It’s how the body learns to understand its position in space.
But as we get older — and start moving in straighter, safer, more predictable lines — our vestibular system gets a little… underemployed. And when it doesn’t get challenged?
- Balance declines.
- Dizziness becomes more likely.
- Our “get up off the floor” game starts to tank.
Rolling, especially in multiple directions, stimulates and sharpens this system. It teaches your brain and body to stay oriented during motion — which becomes even more important as we age.
It’s like an oil change for your balance. Uncomfortable for a second, but it keeps the whole system running smoothly.
Rolling = Joint Mobility in Motion
You could stretch your spine, hips, and shoulders one at a time. You could do pigeon pose, cat-cow, or a dozen other classic mobility drills.
Or — and hear me out — you could do a smooth, gentle forward roll and hit almost all of them at once.
A properly performed roll requires:
- Spinal flexion and control
- Shoulder flexibility and engagement
- Hip mobility
- Ankle dorsiflexion
- Core activation
- Fluid transitions between movement patterns
In short: it’s a full-body mobility tune-up that’s more engaging than just sitting on a mat tugging at your hamstrings.
And unlike static stretches, rolling connects mobility to action. You’re not just increasing range of motion — you’re using it.
Rolling Teaches You How to Fall — and That’s Not Just a Martial Arts Thing
Here’s something that’s not fun to think about:
Most people who get seriously injured after the age of 50 do so because of a fall.
Now, most adults don’t plan to fall. They just do — and then they don’t know how to absorb impact or redirect force. That’s because they haven’t practiced.
Rolling helps.
More specifically, rolling teaches your body how to fail safely. It shows you:
- How to keep your chin tucked
- How to distribute force through a curve instead of a thud
- How to turn a wipeout into a recovery
You don’t need to become a ninja. But having a basic roll in your toolkit makes you safer — on the trail, on the field, or when your dog trips you in the hallway holding a cup of coffee.
Falling well is a life skill.
Rolling is how you rehearse.
And Maybe Most Importantly… It’s Play
Let’s be honest: this is what really throws people off.
Rolling feels… undignified. Silly. Juvenile. Like something we’ve outgrown now that we do “serious” fitness with barbells and rowers and WOD clocks.
But here’s the question:
When did we decide movement had to be so serious?
Somewhere along the line, many of us turned movement into a transaction.
Sweat → Pain → Progress → Repeat.
We traded joy for metrics. Curiosity for efficiency.
Rolling doesn’t give you big biceps. It doesn’t PR your back squat. You probably won’t even post it to Instagram (although you absolutely should). What it does is remind you that movement can be strange and unpredictable and fun.
It takes you out of the calorie economy and into a world where the point of moving is… to move.
And if that’s not fitness, I don’t know what is.
So the Next Time We Roll…
Will you feel awkward? Probably.
Will you giggle a little? Hopefully.
But that’s kind of the point.
The goal isn’t to be perfect. It’s to reclaim a part of your physical intelligence that most adults lose around the same time we decide “recess” is for kids.
You don’t need to do gymnastics. You don’t need to become a parkour prodigy.
You just need to be willing to roll — and to remember that sometimes, the most powerful kind of strength is the kind that looks like play.
P.S. If you haven’t rolled since the Clinton administration, don’t worry — we’ll walk you through it gently. And yes, we do have mats.
