What a good fall school makes possible

[AikidoRostock]

A clip from one of our demonstrations on concrete last year. The training also saved my health in a wild bike crash.

 

[drop bear]

Yeah. Falling has saved me a few times.

 

[Buka]

One real cold winter morning I was headed to my car to go to work. I was carrying a Pyrex container filled with spaghetti and meatballs. We lived on a hill. I was walking down to the driveway. The sidewalk was black ice that I didn’t see. Both feet went out from under me, high in the air. The container went up in the air, too.

I successfully broke my fall without hurting myself, bruised my hand a bit from slapping the cold sidewalk, but not badly.

Broke the container and had to clean up the mess. But that was the day that I knew break-fall training was well worth the time.

And learned how much I really like spaghetti and meatballs. I almost cried.

 

[Dirty Dog]

One real cold winter morning I was headed to my car to go to work. I was carrying a Pyrex container filled with spaghetti and meatballs. We lived on a hill. I was walking down to the driveway. The sidewalk was black ice that I didn’t see. Both feet went out from under me, high in the air. The container went up in the air, too.

I successfully broke my fall without hurting myself, bruised my hand a bit from slapping the cold sidewalk, but not badly.

Broke the container and had to clean up the mess. But that was the day that I knew break-fall training was well worth the time.

And learned how much I really like spaghetti and meatballs. I almost cried.

The very first time I jumped out of an airplane, my chute was twisted and only opened about 75% of the way. It was a windless day, as well, so turning into the wind and flaring wasn't happening. I learned just how effective breakfalls can be that day.

 

[Buka]

The very first time I jumped out of an airplane, my chute was twisted and only opened about 75% of the way. It was a windless day, as well, so turning into the wind and flaring wasn't happening. I learned just how effective breakfalls can be that day.

Oh, God, that’s so nuts. I don’t know anything about parachuting. What’s “flaring”
and how hard did you hit the ground?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

To protect your head is more important than to be able to land comfortably. When your body is rotating in the air, you truly don't know which part of your body will land first. Not to let the back of your head to hit on the hard ground should be your highest priority.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Oh, God, that’s so nuts. I don’t know anything about parachuting. What’s “flaring”
and how hard did you hit the ground?

When you're about 15 feet from the ground, you turn into the wind and pull down both steering toggles. This flattens the rear of the chute and slows you down right before contact. No wind, no real slowing.

I went home sore. I'm pretty sure I'd have broken something if I hadn't known how to breakfall. In the basic class you have to take before your first jump, they actually give a very abbreviated lesson on breakfalls. They had us jump off a wooden box about 2' high.

Just to clarify. I am not an expert. I'm certified, and I've done a few jumps. I got certified because I have a thing about heights. I don't even want to stand on a chair to change a lightbulb. (All our lights are LED, so I'll burn out before they do.) But I don't believe in letting fear control me. So... skydiving.

My first jump was a matter of weeks after I'd finished surgery/chemo/radiation for throat cancer. In hindsight, a bit of a delay to get stronger might have been wise.

 

[Tigerwarrior]

A clip from one of our demonstrations on concrete last year. The training also saved my health in wild bike crash.

I did 9 months of judo when i was younger. The first 3 months I didn't learn how to throw anyone. All I did was learn breakfalls and conditioning. Once I got the falls down I was shown a few techniques and allowed to do randori. I got my butt handed to me but I would safely fall. That was 10 years ago, I fell several months back and my body went into auto pilot and did a break fall.

 

[Stuarto]

I did 9 months of judo when i was younger. The first 3 months I didn't learn how to throw anyone. All I did was learn breakfalls and conditioning. Once I got the falls down I was shown a few techniques and allowed to do randori. I got my butt handed to me but I would safely fall. That was 10 years ago, I fell several months back and my body went into auto pilot and did a break fall.

This reminds me of aikido. We had to learn how to fall correctly before we could get thrown. Through regular practice I got much better at ukemi. Even now while practicing in Kenpo, my small amount aikido shows with my rolls and some wrist twist techniques.

 

[Tigerwarrior]

This reminds me of aikido. We had to learn how to fall correctly before we could get thrown. Through regular practice I got much better at ukemi. Even now while practicing in Kenpo, my small amount aikido shows with my rolls and some wrist twist techniques.

Especially aikido! I think aikido guys need just as much if not more training in breakfalls compared to judo guys. They can have some real hard landings. I trained with a guy once who separated his shoulder from a botched fall in aikido, it's serious stuff. His shoulder was never the same after that. The worst that ever happened to me being thrown was getting the wind knocked out of me. I also saw someone get knocked out from a throw at a judo tournament at a judo school just outside of Boston, they landed on their neck. Everyone at the event was praying for them and there was a Dr who was competing so he was able to give assistance. Getting hit by the ground as you know does way more damage than our fist or kicks. Getting hit by the earth sucks lol

 

[AikidoRostock]

Especially aikido! I think aikido guys need just as much if not more training in breakfalls compared to judo guys. They can have some real hard landings.

Yes, that's a part that some people don't understand. The fall school is about protecting the body, not resisting or avoiding points for the opponent. If you don't fall properly, you will hurt yourself. The technique therefore often seems contrived or even dance-like. There are moments in the technique that are suitable for offering resistance. However, if you miss the moment and your partner does not have the level to compensate for your mistake, he will hurt you.

 

[Stuarto]

Especially aikido! I think aikido guys need just as much if not more training in breakfalls compared to judo guys. They can have some real hard landings. I trained with a guy once who separated his shoulder from a botched fall in aikido, it's serious stuff. His shoulder was never the same after that. The worst that ever happened to me being thrown was getting the wind knocked out of me. I also saw someone get knocked out from a throw at a judo tournament at a judo school just outside of Boston, they landed on their neck. Everyone at the event was praying for them and there was a Dr who was competing so he was able to give assistance. Getting hit by the ground as you know does way more damage than our fist or kicks. Getting hit by the earth sucks lol

Absolutely, and that's why so my emphasis is focused on falling and rolling. I don't think a lot of people realize how much damage can be done if you don't know how to fall correctly when receiving a technique. When I was still actively training in Aikido we would roll at the beginning of every class, over and over again. For newer guys like me, they wouldn't full on thrown me but help guide me down into a roll. Even now I can still roll well. In fact, one of my sensei's in Kenpo was quite impressed at how smooth my rolls are. I can do some mean roll!

 

[Holmejr]

a few years back, I was playing singles tennis and I had to chase a ball cross court. While sprinting, attempting to get to the ball, I stumbled hard and was heading to the ground. Old instincts took over, I tuck my chin to chest, tucked the racket across my chest, sprung with my feet, rolled perfectly and sprung up as if ready to play. My opponent simply said “nice roll!”. We used to have to roll like that, pick up a weapon from the ground, spring up and defend against attack and turn it into offense. Super drill. Multiple attackers and random shots.

 

[Tigerwarrior]

a few years back, I was playing singles tennis and I had to chase a ball cross court. While sprinting, attempting to get to the ball, I stumbled hard and was heading to the ground. Old instincts took over, I tuck my chin to chest, tucked the racket across my chest, sprung with my feet, rolled perfectly and sprung up as if ready to play. My opponent simply said “nice roll!”. We used to have to roll like that, pick up a weapon from the ground, spring up and defend against attack and turn it into offense. Super drill. Multiple attackers and random shots.

That sounds like some fun training! Which style did you train again? I wish we would of did some fun drills like that where I used to train weapons it sound like a blast!

 

[windwalker099]

Don't know if this qualifies as fall training the traditional sense.
Went though a course in the military back in the 70s

Commando Entraînement 7


Part of the training involved performing Parachute Landing Falls (PLFs).

One of the exercises included a slide-for-life—a cable suspended about 100 feet up. The slide extended approximately 75 feet before ending abruptly at a solid barrier wall. A person on the ground would signal when to drop—about 15 feet from the ground before the end—into a pit of gravel, executing the PLF.

Very funny watching some of the other GI's as they dropped, not landing well, their gear scratting all over the place.

I had the chance to put this into practice unexpectedly—once during the course and another time outside of it.

The French commando course, was conducted by members of the French Foreign Legion. One part involved a 75-mile road march, during which we were required to conduct night raids on selected targets. We traveled only at night.

During one of these night movements, our squad was navigating a steep mountain slope. I was the medic for the squad. The darkness was so intense that the only visible markers were the glow tabs on the back of the soldiers' helmets. This meant that if someone fell off an obstacle—like a large rock or boulder—those following would likely fall at the same point, unable to see anything else around them. Small laughter as this happened, the SQD LDR telling all to knock it off, in his usual colorful language.

Suddenly, we heard someone fall—it must have been from about 15 to 20 feet, we could hear the sound of the fall before the impact. A moment later, we heard moaning. The silent call for a medic was passed down the line until it reached me.

I reacted instinctively, running toward the sound in the pitch black darkness—inadvertently running off the same cliff the other soldier had fallen from.

During the fall, I grabbed my sleeping bag, which was attached to the top of my rucksack, and curled into a PLF-like position. Hitting the rocky ground, rolled out of it, and landed next to the fallen soldier—who, to my surprise, was one of the French Legionnaires accompanying us.

Luckily, I hadn’t landed on him—just close by. After a quick check, I found that he had no serious injuries, just some bruises and scrapes.

At the time, it was just a funny story for me—but in hindsight, an example of training kicking in when it mattered most.

Ya never know...


A little more for those interested, different unit and training area..mine was number "7" representing
7th Commando Training Center (Centre d'Entraînement Commando, CEC).

"First, I found out why they call it the Black Forest. It was so dark we had to grab the rucksack of the man ahead of us to follow along without getting lost. We entered by helicopter and moved as a company, platoons in column. We got to a spot in the forest where we reached a bad cliff that dropped a long way to the road we needed to cross down below. The French captain commanding our company told me that we weren’t going to descend the cliff in the dark,"

 

[Holmejr]

That sounds like some fun training! Which style did you train again? I wish we would have did some fun drills like that where I used to train weapons it sound like a blast!

At that time it was Derobio escrima.

 

[Tigerwarrior]

At that time it was Derobio escrima.

I liked that drill you mentioned it sounded fun. I formerly trained in dikiti tersia siradas kali. At my school we never did a drill like that. We did do some interesting stuff though.

 

[Hanshi]

After many years of judo and aikido, break falls and rolls became second nature to me. Years ago I was diagnosed with a severe autoimmune disease. At first it was just a hindrance that restricted what I was able to do. A little later on it pretty much stopped me cold and major balance issues caused one doctor to suspect Parkinson's disease. I went through two PT programs for balance/Parkinson's.

Several years ago I started chronically "falling" and it became so bad I had to stop going outside to walk unless someone was with me. The thing was that I was never injured regardless where or how I happened to fall. My body ALWAYS reacted without thought thanks to countless hours of falling in the dojo. Sometimes a hand was sore from slapping, but big deal!

Then one day I went to walk around the block where I used to walk our dog. At some point I passed out and came too splayed out facedown on the asphalt. I tried to lift my head as blood poured from my nose, much confused about where I was or what had happened. Fortunately several people witnessed the accident and I was helped up and placed on the curb. The EMT and my wife were called but I still ended up in the Emergency Room. After a couple of hours of examinations and tests no serious injuries/broken bones, heart problems, etc, were found. I also no longer drive having my DL withdrawn.

On the last accident I was simply lucky. Up until then my years of rolling & falling saved, perhaps, my life.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I am working to get my falls and break falls back, not easy in your 60s, but I'm working on it. I think they are a highly neglected part of many martial arts.

Also what I learned, and what muscle memory remains, saved me from some pretty bad falls when I was in my 40s

Once in an apple orchard, walking with an arm full of apples, I hit a hole in the ground fell forward, rolled and got up, didn't even drop or bruise an apple. My daughter was very young then, in a wagon and turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, Daddy just fell down and stood up and didn't drop any apples"

Then a few years later I was caring a box full of things down the basement stairs, not paying attention to how many steps I had taken and thought I was on the last step, I wasn't, Went over onto the concrete floor, box flew, I fell properly, but there was not enough space to complete the fall and I hit my back on a metal support brace and that bounced me into an oak desk. I was bruised but that was all. If it was not for that automatic response I likely would have face planted on the concrete

But somewhere between then and now (in my 60s) I have developed a slight fear of falling I never had before. I am working to overcome that