THE WHAT:
The ‘Travelling helicopter-roll’ is a locomotive floor-contact pattern which essentially integrated the fundamental ‘Helicopter floor-entrance/exit’ pattern with the ‘Open-hip lateral floor-roll’. They are linked together in cyclical combination, the only addition being a “whip” of the arms to help PULL the upper-body back around when passing through the ‘Open-hip roll’, with the function of producing onward momentum.

Notably, this momentum is generated in the TORSIONAL relationship between the torso & pelvis and carries with it the physical sensation of a tight, counter-rotational “twisting” in the midsection. It is this elasticity which allows the torso to PULL the pelvis, and the pelvis the torso in return, with the legs used as a “weight” to initiate movement in the pelvis and the arm-whip used to initiate movement in the torso. Whilst this rolling integration, then, shares much with projects relating to ‘Force-generation & transmission’, as the feet are not connected to the ground it is only the concept and INTERNAL mechanism which remain & function to “drive” the pattern.

Optimal timing & coordination (i.e. of arms/legs and toros/pelvis) is integral to bring out the true EFFICIENCY of this roll – it is driven largely by intrinsic kinetic potential (the potential of the weight of the legs to move the pelvis through transverse rotation), the transmitting momentum into & from the arm-“whip”, and only a moderate amount of tension to emphasise & manipulate the elastic ‘stretch-reflex’ created in the torsional twisting of the midsection. Further, as a floor-contact pattern, the necessary practice of “softening” to the ground and reflective awareness to notice & “ironing out” the “bumps” and “creases” is ever-present. Like all of its ilk, it can never be practiced enough.

THE HOW:
To save the frustration of lacking experience, it is highly recommended to have established a number of patterns before practicing the ‘Travelling helicopter roll’. Namely, the fundamental ‘Floor-entrance & exit’ (FEN/FEX)’ from seated & squat, the fundamental ‘Lateral roll’, the ‘Open-hip lateral floor-roll’, the isolated ‘Helicopter roll’ from seated, and, as a complementary reminder, the ‘Pu-bu to floor-entrance & exit’. In generally, each should have a minimum of one 6-8 week phase of practice to itself, although multiple contexts can of course be practiced in a single phase subject to optimal programming and the capability of the practitioner.

It is also valuable to have invested in leg-abduction contexts if this range is lacking, such as ‘Cossack-squat/with knee-collapse’, ‘Pu-bu’ variations, and ‘Middle-split’ contexts. This is because the greater the range of leg-abduction available, the more effective the ALTERNATING action of extending/flexing the legs to PULL the pelvis around will be. Whilst all of these can be practiced in the background (building in complexity along with developing floor-work patterns if the programmer has optimal foresight), the ‘Cossack’ and ‘Pu-bu’ forms are of particular complement; they open the potential to transition into the roll from a STANDING position (i.e. ‘Pu-bu to floor-entrance’) and successfully connect two levels of locomotive practice – bipedal ‘low-gait’, and the floor.

In approaching the ‘Travelling helicopter roll’ for the first time, it is recommended to simply open a time-space for practice, such as a single visit of ca. 5 minutes 1-2x per week, taking rest as needed, and simply drilling at will. In the same space can be injected other lateral-rolls, particularly ‘Hollow-body lateral-roll’ variations, if they have already been practiced, as some variations share a similar mechanic. Once a 6-8 weeks phase has been spent with this introduction, the pattern can be “drilled” for lengths (ca. 10m/30 feet) each direction, or number of repetitions (i.e. rolls) each side where space is limited (although equating to a similar distance).

This can then be injected into the ‘main body’ of practice for 3-4 sets in a dedicated ‘floor-work’ section of a ‘floor-communication’ session or other practice, ideally shared in a round with complementary movements (e.g. floor-entrance/exit variations or other locomotive floor-contact patterns). As with all locomotive patterns, once some baseline experience has been built and the roll is more or less “working”, either plug it into a self-directed floorwork sequence or an open improvisation context of non-stop floorwork for time (e.g. sets of 90” work) to see how it fits in the bigger-picture. Lastly, it can be integrated into a floor-communication sequence or impro which explores LEVEL-CHANGES, entering the roll from the level of standing and finding a way back again & injecting appropriate connecting and transitional movements in the “in between”.

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