When did you use your breakfall skills in real life?

[Hawke]

Greetings Everyone,

Has anyone used a breakfall (ukemi) skills to save yourself?

When I was much younger I played a prank on a bunch of girls at a retreat. I had to make a quick get away so I wouldn't get caught, so I jumped over a bush. As I jumped over the bush, I realized that we were on a hill and I fell maybe 10 to 12 feet (seemed much higher at the time). I was able to tuck my head and roll away, but I did scratch up my hand and arm.

Another time I was riding my bike and a car driving out of the alley way collided with me and I was able to roll on to the ground.

How did you use your ukemi skills outside the dojo?

 

[Carol]

Greetings Everyone,

Has anyone used a breakfall (ukemi) skills to save yourself?

When I was much younger I played a prank on a bunch of girls at a retreat. I had to make a quick get away so I wouldn't get caught, so I jumped over a bush. As I jumped over the bush, I realized that we were on a hill and I fell maybe 10 to 12 feet (seemed much higher at the time). I was able to tuck my head and roll away, but I did scratch up my hand and arm.

Another time I was riding my bike and a car driving out of the alley way collided with me and I was able to roll on to the ground.

How did you use your ukemi skills outside the dojo?

Up here in the northeast, they come in handy every winter with the ice and snow

My ukemi skills stink....I can't roll out of a fall very well but basic breakfall skills have helped me on more than one occasion.

 

[theletch1]

Mine came in handiest when I fell off a two story roof. I still wound up with a compression fracture in the spine and a torn rotator cuff (from trying to slap out) but the damage could have been much worse.

My daughter used hers not long ago when she tripped on a curb and fell straight forward. She did the basic front fall that we do and only scratched up her palms a little.

My seven year old son uses them on a regular basis. He's very active outside and is constantly tripping and falling. I've seen him do front rolls so often from tripping over something that it isn't even a surprise anymore.

 

[ArmorOfGod]

I worked for about 5 years at a paper company. I was working behind a roller that was sending a 20 foot wide piece of poster board at a very high rate of speed. The paper broke (which it often did), and it shot right at my face. Before I realized what had happened, I had dropped to a simple front fall.
It was a common problem there, but I was where I was supposed to be when the break happened. It just shot at an odd angle. If I hadn't fallen forward, the paper probably would have knocked me out.

Another time, I was trying to lift a 45 pound roller out of a cradle. It was about 8 feet long and should have smoothly lifted out, but the weld broke near the middle and it (and I) came crashing down. I fell forward hard and fast, but I used that same front break fall and turned my head to the side. Yet again, that same break fall kept me from getting hurt.

Now, last week, I went to a friend's house and got out of my truck. On his slanted driveway, he has millions of marble like rocks. I stepped out and looked like an old cartoon. It looked like I was running backwards in place, but in the end, I fell on my butt hard and it hurt. No pretty break fall happened that time. I just fell like a giant klutz.

AoG

 

[Jade Tigress]

When we were living in Tennessee my son and I both trained. We learned breakfalls in that style. I forget the circumstances now, but I saw my son fall and he used a breakfall to save himself. Another time I was freesparring in class with an upper rank and he swept my feet out from under me before I knew what was happening. I used a perfect breakfall without even thinking about it. It all happened so fast but it was awesome.

In both these instances the reaction was - wow, that was cool. It's always great when something like that comes out in a situation and you *save* yourself by using a learned technique spur of the moment. I haven't trained breakfalls since starting my new style almost 2 years ago, I wonder if I would still do that if it happened now.

 

[MJS]

In both cases, I was out walking my dog. The first time was on some grass. It was early in the AM, the grass was wet from the morning dew. The dog saw something, pulled and I slipped. The other time was on ice. Both times, I landed properly, without injury. Was I sore for a day or so? Sure, but no broken bones or things of that nature.

 

[Bigshadow]

Once while playing paintball; I was running and tripped in some tall grass and fell, ended up forward rolling out of it and was back up and running before I realized what happened.

The other time was while playing soccer with my son's soccer team (parents against the kids), it was a running, kick to my opposite side, trip myself, fall... Ended up doing a side roll to end back up on my feet.

Of course being almost 40 at those times, I could have easily broken something had I not been trained, or at the very least very sore! Of which I was neither.

Even more recently I stepped onto the edge of something that cause my ankle to twist and I was able to shift my balance and position to prevent injury to my ankle, where many would have ended up with a nice sprain. It all happened without even thinking about it. Even something as small as that is ukemi.

 

[fnorfurfoot]

Up here in the northeast, they come in handy every winter with the ice and snow .

Absolutely. I was leaving my school one night after vaccuuming and I was bringing the machine home with me when I slipped backwards on some ice right in front of my car. I'm not sure how I managed it, but the vaccuum never touched the ground. All I had was some sand on my right hand and a wet backside.

 

[DMcHenry]

I have a big dog who likes to run (a greyhound). We were running to catch up with my wife on an asphalt trail when I stumbled, and the dog was pulling on the leash. I could have ate it face first, but took the fall and did a head over roll and came out pretty OK.

The other 2 times was in motorcycle wrecks. Bike went into a ditch and I came off on the high side - I truly believe knowing how to fall allowed me to come out of it with no problems, similar to the second time but on asphalt (was wearing full leathers and a helmet). I was able to walk away from both of them.

I've known others that it save them, like one that a car backed into them while riding his bike and he flew over the car, and another lady who's horse slipped and went down, rolling over her. Both of them (especially the lady) may have saved their lives. The most receint one I heard was someone slipping in their bathroom on the wet floor and doing a break fall that kept them from getting hurt.

Mac

 

[still learning]

Hello, Learning to fall and roll out? ...does save lives.

Many of us heard lots of stories.....My daughter's Judo Sensi and another from different branch...mention once how to were working on the roof of their houses and fell....both did not know how they landed...but found themselves rolling out unhurt!

A retired Dentist in Kona..walking to his farewell party on a grass hill fell and roll up standing like nothing has happen (a Judoka).

A private school...had a Judo Sensi...teach students how to fall and roll...they had less injuries and bullies...wanted him to continue to teach Judo...because of the success it had on the kids at this Elementary school.

Judo fall and rolls does save lives.......So many stories of how Judo train people survive many incidents....

Aloha ( Humpty dumpty should have learn Judo?)

 

[hapkenkido]

i worked for the phone company on construction sites with very high priority on safty. when i got laid off i went to work for a day with this other communcation company doing the same thing on constuction sites but no safty meetings.
well me and this guy and i were putting a reel of cable on a pole and then up to pull the cable off of the reel. i had told the guy that it was not safe and we should not do it but it was my first day there and "i dont know what i am doing" "you dont have my experience" (he had been doing it for a year, myself 4 years). when we went to put the pole up he droped his side whipping the pole and throwing me over. if i would not have done a front roll the reel of cable would hve crushed my head.
that was my first and only day with that company.

 

[morph4me]

I came out of my garage one morning to go to work and stepped on some black ice, my feet when up over my head and I did a back fall. I ended up sliding down my driveway cursing and laughing the whole way. If I didn't know how to fall I would have hit my head and probably laid there until someone saw me and got me help, if I survied the fall at all.

 

[crushing]

I think a breakfall may have saved me from some damage when I slipped on the ice leaving work one day.

Also, sometimes I do a breakfall jumping into bed at night just for the fun of it.

 

[KenpoTex]

twice...

1) back break-fall when I slipped on some ice

2) forward roll when I tripped while walking down the steps (luckily it was the bottom step). The bad part was that I rolled over my gun and ended up with a bruise on my hip...better than a faceplant though.

 

[Kacey]

Yes. Some years ago, I was carrying trash out to the dumpster when I stepped on a rock and twisted my ankle. I did a forward roll on the pavement and ended up back on my feet, in a squat. Other than a rip in my jacket sleeve where I rolled over a sharp rock, there was no other damage besides the twisted ankle that started it - I didn't even rip the trash bag (not sure how that happened, actually!).

 

[Touch Of Death]

I was climbing a big shelf to get grease pads at my work, when I grabbed the wrong thing to hold on to. As I was falling ten feet or so. I used my left hand to throw the object away and my right hand to break my fall. All I got out of the deal was a brused hip.
Sean

 

[charyuop]

5 minutes ago when, after getting jelous from reading your posts coz it never happened to me, I jumped out of the window to take a break fall!!!
I remembered only in the middle of fall I live on 7th floor...sigh...

Joking aside, it never happened to me so far. Anyway something I noticed is if I trip or slip I no longer do like before starting Aikido where the first reaction was stretching the hand to break my fall. Only now I realize how I could have broken my wrist easily.

 

[tshadowchaser]

I have in the past had to use breakfalls while playing street basketball. after falling off a step ladder. and a couple of times when I had the misfortune of being dumped off my bike in the middle of the street in Anaheim. Not all pleasant places or reasons to use a breakfall but I must admit they worked.

 

[YoungMan]

Back in 1992, I was at a Clinton rally after having helped set up. I had a pass to the first few rows, but having arrived later than planned, I was separated from where I was allowed to be by a fence and about 5000 people.
So I ran, flew headfirst over the fence, did a nice rolling breakfall, picked myself up, and continued to my alloted area. Got to shake hands with Bill Clinton too.
I'd had no judo or aikido training by the way.

 

[charyuop]

Maybe a little OT, but now I am curious. I know of Aikido, Hapkido and JuJutsu (including MMA and BJJ).
What other styles actually put alot of focus on breakfalls???