about breakfalks

[JP3]

I could just show you why you want to know how to breakfall..... it's called harai makikomi.....

Just to check, I just did a google search on "what are breakfalls" and tons of good results explaining what they are, how to do them, the science behind them, and different teaching methods.

Honestly, if your judo instruction did not have significant breakfall practice contained therein, I would be questioning your instructors ability to teach judo. It is a fundamental core of the entire curriculum.

 

[Juany118]

I could just show you why you want to know how to breakfall..... it's called harai makikomi.....

Just to check, I just did a google search on "what are breakfalls" and tons of good results explaining what they are, how to do them, the science behind them, and different teaching methods.

Honestly, if your judo instruction did not have significant breakfall practice contained therein, I would be questioning your instructors ability to teach judo. It is a fundamental core of the entire curriculum.

I was thinking the same tbh. Ukemi is something competent Judo instructors train you in to the point of frustration because without that you will get hurt on a mat, on concrete? I don't want to think about it.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I was thinking the same tbh. Ukemi is something competent Judo instructors train you in to the point of frustration because without that you will get hurt on a mat, on concrete? I don't want to think about it.

I think my first two Judo classes were almost nothing else. I remember the ukemi training from Judo better than any of the techniques.

 

[frank raud]

My friend, professional stunt woman, author and martial artist Lori O'Connell demonstrating falling down stairs.

 

[Buka]

My friend, professional stunt woman, author and martial artist Lori O'Connell demonstrating falling down stairs.

Glad you brought that up, brother. My friend, Sandy, has been a stunt woman since she doubled for Billy Mummy in Lost in Space in 1965. She's still a working stunt woman in Hollywood as we speak. Little bitty thing, too, tough as all get out.

She credits her longevity to Martial Arts training, and learning how to fight, fall, roll, slap out and relax while performing.

(bet they know each other, too)

 

[Gerry Seymour]

My friend, professional stunt woman, author and martial artist Lori O'Connell demonstrating falling down stairs.

Mostly relaxing and rolling with it, from the looks of it. Still looks like there'd be some soreness the next day - stairs are bumpy.

 

[Runs With Fire]

. Or, I guess, 3) faceplant on the asphalt and break your face.

on that note, during my first black belt test in TSD, the judges had us do lots of stuff we never heard of just to see how we handled it. Near the end, the head master asked us to fall forward and catch ourselves on our "shock absorbers" then go into a low spinning heel kick. The first student up, to say politely, was very large chested and completely misinterpreted the term, "shock absorbers". ( catch yourself on bent arms like a pushup while keeping momentum for the turn kick. ) thank goodness we had just installed the floor mats.

 

[Runs With Fire]

I'm going to check into it a little more. Signed up for a Judo seminar with a group in South Bend next month. No promises though.

 

[MI_martialist]

Care to elaborate?

Sure...every "breakfall" has attacking combat applications that should be learned. Ukemi does not mean to fall...it means to accept what is happening. If we accept what is happening, we can accept to attack and use what is happening as an attack.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Sure...every "breakfall" has attacking combat applications that should be learned. Ukemi does not mean to fall...it means to accept what is happening. If we accept what is happening, we can accept to attack and use what is happening as an attack.

The question was about breakfalls, not ukemi (which breakfalls are a part of). While actually falling (breakfall) from a throw, there is not an attack component, except in some rare circumstances. For the vast majority of the time, either there's a counter that starts early (in which case you're not actually breakfalling, but doing sutemi waza), or you do the breakfall, then counter.

It may simply be that we are talking about two different things. Can you give me an example of what you mean?

 

[WaterGal]

on that note, during my first black belt test in TSD, the judges had us do lots of stuff we never heard of just to see how we handled it. Near the end, the head master asked us to fall forward and catch ourselves on our "shock absorbers" then go into a low spinning heel kick. The first student up, to say politely, was very large chested and completely misinterpreted the term, "shock absorbers". ( catch yourself on bent arms like a pushup while keeping momentum for the turn kick. ) thank goodness we had just installed the floor mats.

Hah! I've not heard the term shock absorbers used in a martial arts context before, so I can understand why she might be confused, haha.

But were they looking for you to catch yourself on your forearms, or on your hands in a push-up position? I ask because, at as far as I've ever learned, catching yourself on your hands means you're using your wrists and metacarpals to absorb the shock.

 

[frank raud]

Hah! I've not heard the term shock absorbers used in a martial arts context before, so I can understand why she might be confused, haha.

But were they looking for you to catch yourself on your forearms, or on your hands in a push-up position? I ask because, at as far as I've ever learned, catching yourself on your hands means you're using your wrists and metacarpals to absorb the shock.

When you do a forward fall, you want to land on your forearms(to absorb impact). If you reach out and land on your hands, there is a good chance of breaking your wrist or collarbone. The way we learned it was to be on your toes and your forearms. In jiu jitsu, we would regularly do this by jumping up, kicking out your feet and landing flat on your toes and forearms. It was not uncommon to be falling from shoulder height(5'?) onto the mat. I have done it on a tile floor(intentionally). We also learned to turn our head, so as not to bump our nose on the ground. We do the same fall in judo, but usually from our knees, occasionally from standing.

 

[frank raud]

Glad you brought that up, brother. My friend, Sandy, has been a stunt woman since she doubled for Billy Mummy in Lost in Space in 1965. She's still a working stunt woman in Hollywood as we speak. Little bitty thing, too, tough as all get out.

She credits her longevity to Martial Arts training, and learning how to fight, fall, roll, slap out and relax while performing.

(bet they know each other, too)

Lori works in Vancouver(Hollywood North) Not sure if their paths have crossed.

 

[Spinedoc]

There are different kinds of breakfalls. Soft halls, hard falls, high falls (shihonage anyone), and what I am working on....featherfalls.

 

[Spinedoc]

Additionally, knowing how to breakfall properly is an important life skill, and to be honest, unless you live in a combat zone, or, are just a complete a-hole, is probably the most important physical skill you learn in martial arts...I love this one of guys on a wooden gymnasium floor going at it.....I see, very, very precise ukemi here.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

When you do a forward fall, you want to land on your forearms(to absorb impact). If you reach out and land on your hands, there is a good chance of breaking your wrist or collarbone. The way we learned it was to be on your toes and your forearms. In jiu jitsu, we would regularly do this by jumping up, kicking out your feet and landing flat on your toes and forearms. It was not uncommon to be falling from shoulder height(5'?) onto the mat. I have done it on a tile floor(intentionally). We also learned to turn our head, so as not to bump our nose on the ground. We do the same fall in judo, but usually from our knees, occasionally from standing.

We use an identical fall to yours in NGA (our ukemi is very similar to Judo).

 

[Gerry Seymour]

There are different kinds of breakfalls. Soft halls, hard falls, high falls (shihonage anyone), and what I am working on....featherfalls.

I've been starting to work on those, too. I don't think they are as universally applicable, but they are a hell of a lot softer on the body when they are available. So far, I've only gotten the feather front fall in working order, but haven't had a chance to use it.

 

[Spinedoc]

I've been starting to work on those, too. I don't think they are as universally applicable, but they are a hell of a lot softer on the body when they are available. So far, I've only gotten the feather front fall in working order, but haven't had a chance to use it.

I've been working on it from all falls, and specifically higher side falls from Shihonage and/or kotegaeshi. Still working on the back fall version from iriminage though.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I've been working on it from all falls, and specifically higher side falls from Shihonage and/or kotegaeshi. Still working on the back fall version from iriminage though.

Our version of shihonage (Pivot Takedown) and kotegaeshi (Front Wrist Throw, and Peel-off) don't usually generate as high a fall as you're used to. When there's some speed on kotegaeshi - even with our throws - it'd be nice to be able to pull off a feather fall. I just don't have a partner to work on them with. My wife's back is a mess, so she doesn't take a lot of falls, and none of my other students are near ready to do some self-study on that type of thing.

 

[JP3]

Mostly relaxing and rolling with it, from the looks of it. Still looks like there'd be some soreness the next day - stairs are bumpy.

Finally! Gotcha! Or, can get you back for the nitpicking about my inability to properly perform division. Staris are not "bumpy." Stairs have corners. Normal stairs do not have bumps, they have "corners."

Yeah! Go Team!

As you can tell, this sort of drivel entertains me to no end.

Our version of shihonage (Pivot Takedown) and kotegaeshi (Front Wrist Throw, and Peel-off) don't usually generate as high a fall as you're used to. When there's some speed on kotegaeshi - even with our throws - it'd be nice to be able to pull off a feather fall. I just don't have a partner to work on them with. My wife's back is a mess, so she doesn't take a lot of falls, and none of my other students are near ready to do some self-study on that type of thing.

My class starts in about90 minutes, c'mon over. I'll stick you with this brown belt girl I have who I think could be Nina from the Tekken games made flesh. She's working on kotegaeshi right now, too. She's sort of... cruel, though.