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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think martial arts is out because of forward roll fear?

102 replies

TaylorWift · 12/10/2025 17:53

DS 13.
I really want him to learn a martial art.
He is shy, sensitive, quiet, and his self esteem is ok but very easily knocked for a number of reasons too detailed to go in to here. He had amazing self esteem as a young child, but I've watched this get knocked since the age of 10 due to a series of different things that happened to him. Obviously im working hard all the time to rebuild it, but bottom line is his view of the world and the people in it has been turned upside down over recent years and his self confidence is now low.
Anyway, big bullying incident at school a few of months back. Led to the bully being permanently excluded.
DS isn't confident in a sporty way, unfortunately. He's always refused to join any sports clubs that involve higher levels of competitiveness, i.e. football.
I feel like I need to get him in to martial arts. Not only to teach him self defense but also to make him carry himself confidently and to give off an air about him that shows he's not an easy target.
I chatted to him and he's open to it.
So I've had a long phone conversation with a local martial arts trainer who was great and really helpful and he talked at length about the philosophy behind martial arts. I told him all about DS and he said martial arts would be great for his self confidence. I could hear his passion for it. But then, as soon as I said DS can't do a forward roll, or a head over heels as I used to call it as a kid, he straight up said DS won't be able to join his class until he can do one.
But DS literally cannot do a forward roll. And I don't mean he can't. Can't, and won't practice. He also cannot dive. In his swim lessons, he can't go up to the next stage because he can't dive.
He has tried to dive and tried to do forward rolls but he can't do them.
He says he cannot do anything where his head has to go forward and down under the rest of his body and then for his body to follow over his upside down head. I don't know if I'm explaining this properly 🤦‍♀️
So is that it? Is DS blocked out of learning a martial art because he can't do forward rolls?
I'd really love advice from anyone who foes martial art, or whose DC do, who might know about this?

OP posts:
Landlubber2019 · 12/10/2025 18:01

I gave up judo as I can't go a forward roll, so I sympathise.

I would say that if the martial arts instructor is unable to support your son, he has not got the instructor. I would chat to your son, does he want to learn a martial art?

My son was similar and did well joining air cadets and scouts, where he developed new friendships and gained confidence. He didn't do well in martial arts and I quickly pulled him out watching as he was partnered with older more competitive boys who were happy to beat the crap out of my boy which I had paid for!

Original poster
TaylorWift · 12/10/2025 18:06

Sorry - some of my post doesn't make sense because of my idiotic phone changing the bloody words as I type. It drives me insane! Just tried to edit my post but the edit button has gone.

OP posts:
ElectoralControversy · 12/10/2025 18:06

Well really you're supposed to roll over your shoulder not your head... but I do have sympathy, I'm not great at doing upside down things.
Surely something like karate wouldn't need forward rolls? Or boxing, or kickboxing?

VikaOlson · 12/10/2025 18:10

What martial art is it? My son does taekwondo and I don't remember forward rolls featuring heavily!

Original poster
TaylorWift · 12/10/2025 18:11

Landlubber2019 · 12/10/2025 18:01

I gave up judo as I can't go a forward roll, so I sympathise.

I would say that if the martial arts instructor is unable to support your son, he has not got the instructor. I would chat to your son, does he want to learn a martial art?

My son was similar and did well joining air cadets and scouts, where he developed new friendships and gained confidence. He didn't do well in martial arts and I quickly pulled him out watching as he was partnered with older more competitive boys who were happy to beat the crap out of my boy which I had paid for!

Oh, that doesn't sound good at all.
After the bullying, this would be DS's worst nightmare.
He doesn't even like it when other boys play wrestle with him on the school field at lunch break.
Our local Scouts is awful, it's run by an elderly man with very poor health who sits in the hall (not physically well enough to do anything else) whilst the boys play card games. DS is never going to enjoy that.
As for cadets - how does your DS find this? I looked in to this and lots of people told me most of it is spent polishing their boots....🤔

OP posts:
rattling · 12/10/2025 18:13

Find the right club. Me and my sons have done karate for nearly 10 years, since they were 8. We are average at best, moving through the grades really slowly, but no-one ever gets to "beat the crap" out of anyone else. They actually started at judo where one of them just face planted on the mats every week when they practiced shoulder rolls. Not everyone could cope with taking so long to get the hang of things, but he did eventually. Bullying is the opposite of everything you should expect from a good martial arts club.

rattling · 12/10/2025 18:16

My other son (to again give an idea of their personalities) had to give up rugby as he couldn't cope with the tackling. He enjoys the controlled fighting in karate.

TheSmallAssassin · 12/10/2025 18:20

I've done karate to brown belt, no forward rolls, involved in that! It did make me much more confident physically. I only really stopped because my knee was, giving me trouble, but that's because I am in my 50s!

Original poster
TaylorWift · 12/10/2025 18:21

ElectoralControversy · 12/10/2025 18:06

Well really you're supposed to roll over your shoulder not your head... but I do have sympathy, I'm not great at doing upside down things.
Surely something like karate wouldn't need forward rolls? Or boxing, or kickboxing?

Karate does. You have to do forward rolls.

Hmmm, never even thought about boxing. What's the difference between boxing and kick boxing? Do both involve physically attacking the opponent?

OP posts:
Greggsit · 12/10/2025 18:22

Try kickboxing, you don't need to roll for that.

amber763 · 12/10/2025 18:24

I've trained in karate since I was 12 and not once had to do a forward roll. None of the kids in the class i attend now do them or or are asked if they can. How strange that this is a requirement. Find another class

Squidgemoon · 12/10/2025 18:33

My DS does karate, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them do a forward roll. It’s been really good for his confidence, he is now going for his brown belt and at the stage where they do start doing some freestyle “fighting” each other but it’s certainly not beating the crap out of each other as a PP described! Karate sounds like it might be the best fit for your son out of all the martial arts.

OnePinkWasp · 12/10/2025 18:36

My DS is a black belt in karate and has never had to do a forward role. I've never seen it in any katas even advanced ones

cobrakaieaglefang · 12/10/2025 18:41

Karate is the way to go. Most areas have clubs with different styles...so look around..I'm 59, train twice a week and not a forward roll in the last 3 years.

menopausalfart · 12/10/2025 18:42

There are lots of different martial arts. I did karate for years and never once had to do a forward roll.

Gizlotsmum · 12/10/2025 18:43

TaylorWift · 12/10/2025 17:53

DS 13.
I really want him to learn a martial art.
He is shy, sensitive, quiet, and his self esteem is ok but very easily knocked for a number of reasons too detailed to go in to here. He had amazing self esteem as a young child, but I've watched this get knocked since the age of 10 due to a series of different things that happened to him. Obviously im working hard all the time to rebuild it, but bottom line is his view of the world and the people in it has been turned upside down over recent years and his self confidence is now low.
Anyway, big bullying incident at school a few of months back. Led to the bully being permanently excluded.
DS isn't confident in a sporty way, unfortunately. He's always refused to join any sports clubs that involve higher levels of competitiveness, i.e. football.
I feel like I need to get him in to martial arts. Not only to teach him self defense but also to make him carry himself confidently and to give off an air about him that shows he's not an easy target.
I chatted to him and he's open to it.
So I've had a long phone conversation with a local martial arts trainer who was great and really helpful and he talked at length about the philosophy behind martial arts. I told him all about DS and he said martial arts would be great for his self confidence. I could hear his passion for it. But then, as soon as I said DS can't do a forward roll, or a head over heels as I used to call it as a kid, he straight up said DS won't be able to join his class until he can do one.
But DS literally cannot do a forward roll. And I don't mean he can't. Can't, and won't practice. He also cannot dive. In his swim lessons, he can't go up to the next stage because he can't dive.
He has tried to dive and tried to do forward rolls but he can't do them.
He says he cannot do anything where his head has to go forward and down under the rest of his body and then for his body to follow over his upside down head. I don't know if I'm explaining this properly 🤦‍♀️
So is that it? Is DS blocked out of learning a martial art because he can't do forward rolls?
I'd really love advice from anyone who foes martial art, or whose DC do, who might know about this?

My son does kick boxing and doesn’t need to forward roll, might be a good option?

treesarealive · 12/10/2025 18:43

I’m a black belt in karate and I’ve never had to do a forward roll 🤷‍♀️

Gizlotsmum · 12/10/2025 18:45

TaylorWift · 12/10/2025 18:21

Karate does. You have to do forward rolls.

Hmmm, never even thought about boxing. What's the difference between boxing and kick boxing? Do both involve physically attacking the opponent?

Show quote history

In the kick boxing my son does sparring is an optional additional you can just do pad work and never spar against someone. Pad work is with someone

Aliflowers · 12/10/2025 18:46

VikaOlson · 12/10/2025 18:10

What martial art is it? My son does taekwondo and I don't remember forward rolls featuring heavily!

Was going to post exactly the same. Tae Kwondo (Korean for the art of hand and foot) is literally punches and kicks. I can’t ever remember rolls. My other daughter does Akido which it features heavily in.

BTW personally I’d chose Tae Kwondo any day over Akido. It’s just seems more practical and better for self defence

cobrakaieaglefang · 12/10/2025 18:47

I've only seen a roll in advanced weapons kata..cool to watch and a long way from beginners.

Ohdearwhatnow4 · 12/10/2025 18:47

What about a mixed martial arts, that cover some of all of them?
Kickboxing you use leg, boxing is fists.

spirit20 · 12/10/2025 18:49

He can do karate, I did that for years as a chid and there's no forward roles. I gave up judo and jujitsu because of that very reason though, I couldn't handle the forward rolls, or the whole being flipped over someone's shoulder and having to fall in a certain way.

GaudySocks · 12/10/2025 18:57

Many years ago now but my son’s beginner judo class did forward rolls at the beginning of the sessions as part of the warm up and learning how to fall/break their fall. Could possibly be something similar.

Original poster
TaylorWift · 12/10/2025 19:05

amber763 · 12/10/2025 18:24

I've trained in karate since I was 12 and not once had to do a forward roll. None of the kids in the class i attend now do them or or are asked if they can. How strange that this is a requirement. Find another class

Edited

Oh really? OK that's interesting to know.
The class instructor I spoke to told me all martial arts require forward rolls.
He teaches Judo and JuJitsu.
So I just took his word for it when he said DS would not be able to do any martial art without forward rolls!
So should I look in to karate then - is it contact or non contact? Sorry, I know nothing, as you can tell!

OP posts:
Original poster
TaylorWift · 12/10/2025 19:06

VikaOlson · 12/10/2025 18:10

What martial art is it? My son does taekwondo and I don't remember forward rolls featuring heavily!

Judo/JuJitsu

OP posts: