when close in do you roll once you have seen the punch coming or just when anticipating he is about to throw some punches??? I find it very difficult to see the punch coming when close in.
Your asking about the shoulder roll, and no you dont want to roll in anticipation because you will be easy to set up that way. You need awesome reflexes to pull off a shoulder roll. Look up some shoulder roll drills on youtube if you dont have a coach who is experiecned with the roll. But honestly that will only get you so far, you really need a coach who knows what hes doing so he can correct when he sees you doing something wrong and all that. So look some tuff up on youtube, play around with it while light sparring and keep an eye out for someone who has experience with the shoulder roll.
I think he's talking about rolling your head with a punch. It takes experience to learn when to roll with a shot you know is coming, vs falling for a feint and turning your head and getting caught worse.
Don't just roll or slip randomly. You will get tagged. You need to read punches, which means you need to have your head up. A lot of inside fighters bend at the waist- don't do that. Use your knees and thighs to lower your whole upper body. Bending at the waist is physically easier, but more difficult to read punches. Train your lower body well in advance, and focus on good technique.