For military training, a long stick or
wand may be carried in the left hand.

DIVE: Lean forward and jump off
both feet, throwing the arms forward.
Absorb the shock of the fall with the
hands and arms. Duck the head and
roll on the neck and shoulders. Keep
the chin on the chest and the heels
close to the buttocks. Grasp the shins,
keep the head forward and come up to
a stand. In practice, start at low heights.
Finish the dive sometimes with a quick
roll to the left or perhaps with a
shoulder roll as our soldiers do in
tumbling into foxholes.

BACKWARD ROLL: Stand with
the back to the mat; then sit down just
behind the heels. Place the hands on
the mat at the sides of the buttocks to
break the fall. Then quickly place the
hands behind the shoulders with the
palms up. Tuck the knees close to the
chest and roll back. When the weight
is felt on the hands, a push will relieve
the strain on the neck. Keep pressing
and roll over to a landing on the feet.

FORWARD ROLL

SQUAT HAND BALANCE: Squat,
placing the hands on the mat with the
fingers forward, palms flat and fingers
arched. Rest the knees above the el-
bows. Push forward with the toes until
the entire weight is on the hands. Bal-
ance on the hands, rocking back and
forth about ten seconds.

JUMP THROUGH: Lie flat on the
chest with the legs extended, palms on
ground close to the body and the el-
bows at right angles. Straighten the
arms quickly, at the same time flexing
the knees and hips. Sling the feet
through the arms to sitting position,
legs extended. Absorb any shock with
the arms.

SIDE ROLL: Run toward the mat
and throw yourself sideways as you
fall, landing on the left foot and left
hand at the same time—the hand ab-
sorbing the shock. To avoid injury,
turn the elbow and knee in imme-
diately. Then, as you roll, turn the
shoulder over with the legs extended.

BACKWARD ROLL