As you roll over to the face again,
bring the knees up under the body.

HEAD STAND: Imagine a triangle
on the mat. Place the forehead on
the far angle and the hands on the
two near angles. Now walk up close to
your hands (raising the hips) . Keep the
back straight. Raise the legs one after
the other to an inverted position. Lean
the weight slightly toward the hands,
keeping the body arched with the legs
together and toes pointed.

HAND STAND: Lean over from
the hips, placing the hands on the mat
with the shoulders well ahead of them.
Look straight ahead, always keeping
the head up. Now raise the legs one
after the other to the stand position. If
you feel yourself going over too far,
press down with the fingertips and
raise your head. If the body falls back
toward the starting position, drop to

the heels of the hands, bend the elbows
and lower the head. Once the hand
balance is attained, make sure to hold a
good arch. Keep the feet together, the
toes pointed and the head up.

DIVE AND ROLL: How football
players and soldiers toughen up. Note
how the diver breaks his fall with the
hands, rolls over on his shoulders and
back and comes right up to his feet—
ready for action!

JUMP AND ROLL: A popular
event on the obstacle course program.
The parachuter leaps from a beam high
into the air. Upon landing he goes im-
mediately into a forward roll and
comes to his feet.

CHEST ROLL: Go into a hand
stand, hold it a moment or two, then
lower your weight slowly with the arms.
Keep your chin up and inch the chest

 

forward slightly. Come down on your
chest and roll down, holding the arch
until your toes touch the ground. As a
variation, rock forward and backward
after the landing.

CARTWHEEL: Learn this stunt
from a short run. As you reach the mat,
place your right hand on it and kick
up with your left leg, turning sideways
as you kick. Make your arms and legs
resemble the spokes of a wheel, and
keep turning. Make sure you travel in a
straight line. Keep the back arched, the
head well up, and the hips straight.
Upon landing, your side, not your
front, should be toward the mat. If
you intend doing a series of cartwheels,
whip the arms and legs over fast to
pick up speed.

If you want to know how valuable
this basic training on rolls, dives and
balances can be, a visit to the local
newsreel theatre will prove illuminat-

  
 
 
 
  
     
   

DIVE AND ROLL

ing. You'll see soldiers rolling into fox-
holes, diving over ditches, etc.

The parachute landing is nothing
but a backward roll. The jumper, as he
approaches the ground, grasps the
shrouds with both hands and gives a
mighty tug upward (chinning). He
lands with equal force on the balls of
both feet and pivots in the direction of
the wind. The knees give naturally, the
body assuming a squat position over
the buttocks. The lander continues his
rolling motion with a backward roll
and ends up by scrambling to his feet.

JUMP AND ROLL