Fear of Falling

[Emiskating]

I am starting to learn and I go to practice as much as I can but I am terrified of falling. Any advice in how to conquer the fear of falling.

[Emiskating]

I am trying to conquer my fear for falling. I have never skated before but I am taking classes and going to practice as much as I can. I need help to be able to conquer the fear of falling and also avoiding getting dissy. Any advice? :roll:

[Skate@Delaware]

The font color is still hard to see.

Get some pads. Knee, elbow, butt. Then get back out on the ice. Don't grab onto people; don't stay near the wall.

Each time you go out, push yourself a little harder.

This is a tough sport-you will fall. 99% of the time you will not get hurt severe enough to keep you off the ice very long. Don't let it stop you.

I hugged the wall for a year before I bit the bullet, got pads, and went into the middle and jumped. When I did-I didn't die, nothing bad happened!

I've fallen tons since then and I'm still alive!

my worse injury happened off-ice.

[Emiskating]

I am going to do that. I have seen the pants with pads, they are funny.

[Skate@Delaware]

I am going to do that. I have seen the pants with pads, they are funny.
they won't be too funny if they save you from getting a HUGE bruise! Be sure the ones you get have a pad on the tailbone, just in case.

for the knees and elbows, you can get vollyball pads. a lot of girls at my rink use them. for the knees you can slide them down when you don't think you need them (they just use them for jumping)-i've found that when I'm not wearing pads is when i need them!

[Sessy]

1. use protection on the spots you fall most often on (I skate very often with wrist- and elbow pads on my left arm, because I keep falling on it and I do not want to injure myself), though do make sure to skate often enough without the protection so as not to become psychologically dependant on it (skate without the protection when you're doing something you do pretty well, since for tests and competitions you will be doing something you do pretty well too). I can't jump right now but when I was, I was padding my right hip too. You don't even need expensive crash pants really, you can get a few very sturdy, rubbery sponges (like big holes in them, not the small "foamy" sponges) and stuff them down your pants and it works like a charm!

If you think only wussies pad up, look at hockeyers and how much padding they are wearing! Frankly, figure skaters are insane for not padding up more than they do. Most figure skaters who have had a serious injury DO use protection, so there's nothing strange about that. BTW for wrists, inline skating wrist guards will do fine, but for knees and elbows you'll need something a little suppler - if you turn out to need it that is. I made mine myself from lycra and sponges btw, worn under clothing they're invisible and non-restricting.

2. learn to fall safely, this means slide and roll as much as you can, relax into the fall, but keep your chin tucked to your chest so as to prevent bumping the back of your head hard. It's actually very instinctual to fall safely, you just have to access it. Don't always try to hold on spastically to not-falling. Oftentimes it's quite okay to just let yourself fall, shake it off and get back up again. Falling is NOT a bad thing, it simply means you're training at the edge of your abilities, going further than you did before. Be a rag doll. It's a proven fact that drunken passengers, IF a car crash occurs, have a far better survival chance and no serious injuries chance than non-drunken passengers. This is because drunken passengers are relaxed.
What hurts and causes injuries is not how hard you fall, it's how well the energy of the fall is distributed. As long as it's distributed all over your body more or less evenly, you might not even feel a thing.

3. to get over the fear, fall often. Start with falls from things like a shoot the duck (low to the ground), from a backward shoot the duck (roll with it), slide out from crossovers (just do this when the trajectory is clear of people, try to find a relatively empty ice rink to practice it). Try to practice a few falls from jumps, roll & slide with it.

And use common sense. There's just things you're not ready for and you are very likely to take very hard falls trying it (like trying a biellmann spiral before you have a solid normal spiral, trying a scratch spin when you barely can do a 1-foot, etc) so leave them alone until you're more ready for them. It's very important to have very good basics (3-turns, edges, spirals) before you move on to the more complicated stuff.

[techskater]

I am trying to conquer my fear for falling. I have never skated before but I am taking classes and going to practice as much as I can. I need help to be able to conquer the fear of falling and also avoiding getting dissy. Any advice? :roll:

Practice controlled falling. Slow and just slide to a fall.

[SkaterBird]

I use SkatingSafe gel pads for my knees and elbows. They're expensive but (in my opinion, anyway) worth it - they are very effective. I have a damaged left arm (car accident) and irascible knees that hurt even when I don't fall (arthritis, tendon issues) and the SkatingSafe pads really do work. I have taken some hard knee falls and barely felt them with these pads on, and (important!) they do not move or slip when I fall on them.

If you are looking for some really economical, but equally effective, hip and spine pads, go to Menards or another large hardware store and ask for a product called concrete joint expansion foam. Really. It comes in a great big roll (will last you and your three best skating friends a lifetime!) and is absolutely cheap, about $8 to $10 dollars for a roll. It is about 4 inches wide, about 3/4 inch thick, can be cut into short strips to put under your tights over your spine and hips, is very lightweight, and absorbs impact extremely well. They aren't shaped for knee and elbow protection, alas, but they make dandy hip and spine pads.

[vesperholly]

Are you worried about being embarrassed and looking dumb, or are you worried about injury?

I don't know about padding everything up. IMO, this tends to inhibit the skater and they rely on the padding to protect them instead of learning proper falling methods. I've never had a skating injury that padding would have prevented. YMMV.

There is a technique to falling. If you practice falling, you will eventually get used to it and be able to fall safely. Start with sitting down on the ice on purpose and getting up. Skate forward a little and do a sliding fall. Forcing yourself to do it is the only way you'll get past it.

[Kim to the Max]

In some ways, I have found the best way to get over the fear of falling, is to actually fall....first in a controlled way, then once you are comfortable with that, if you fall, you will have more confidence...when I teach tot classes, the first thing I do is have them fall and get up...

I would also suggest the padding...if you are nervous about hitting something, definitely put something there...they sell velcro knee pads so you can take them off if you need to, otherwise, the gel sleeves or the padded shorts are good too...

And from personal experience...my first lesson back, in September, I fell on the first jump I did for coach...man, did I feel like a chump...you know what she said? Good, now we've got that out of the way!

[FlyAndCrash]

Padding is great, but I would try to avoid the knees. Knee bend is crucial to skating, and something beginners don't do enough of. Granted, your knees might get a little bruised, but you should be starting off slow and easy enough not to take any big spills. If you start out under the supervision of a coach (group or private), any falls should not be too bad because they should be monitoring your level and the skills that you are able to do.

[jazzpants]

Padding is great, but I would try to avoid the knees. Knee bend is crucial to skating, and something beginners don't do enough of. Granted, your knees might get a little bruised, but you should be starting off slow and easy enough not to take any big spills. If you start out under the supervision of a coach (group or private), any falls should not be too bad because they should be monitoring your level and the skills that you are able to do.Geez, you sound like my secondary coach!!! LOL!!! :lol: (If I didn't read your previous posts, I would have question right now whether or not you ARE my secondary coach under a different alias! LOL!!!)

Yes, she says the same thing about my having knee pads on and forbid me from having them on except for when I'm learning something like a knee slide or something like that. I'm supposed to LOWER the pads to my ankles after I've practiced those things. Even when I was learning stuff on a harness, I am only allowed hip pads and tailbone pads... no knee pads!!! (Evil, isn't she? :twisted: :lol: :P )

[teresa]

fall =-) The more you do, the less scary it is. Want the skill or skills more than the fear of getting hurt. This usually is my motivator.

teresa

[Sessy]

I've never had a skating injury that padding would have prevented.

True, but padding's most useful when you fall over and over and over on the same spot. Or to allow pre-existing injuries to recover properly (like my over-stretched wrist ligaments or the broken wrist of an other girl in my group).

[Mrs Redboots]

True, but padding's most useful when you fall over and over and over on the same spot. Or to allow pre-existing injuries to recover properly (like my over-stretched wrist ligaments or the broken wrist of an other girl in my group).Or my poor husband's "loop elbow". Poor man skidded on a patch of ice (not rink ice!) on a bridge at the weekend and bashed it AGAIN, and was very miserable with it on Saturday. A combination of ibuprofen gel, arnica and PADDING does help.

[jskater49]

At my age (50), fear of falling is reasonable. I can't get up as quick as a kid, I can get hurt more easily and I don't recover as quickly. For this reason my coach wants me to wear pads but I just won't because I just won't.

But one thing I think is helpful to remember, some of my worst falls have been from trying to avoid doing it the way my coach told me to do it because it seems scary, when in fact her way was the safest, even if it did seem scary. Also sometimes trying to avoid falling when it is enevitable can result in a worse fall - so if you know you are going down, go with it, try to land on your butt and not let your hands break to fall.

Keep your head up , watch your posture, bad posture, head down, leaning forward - those lead to those horrible forward falls on your knees.

I have arthritis in my knees, which skating has helped a lot, but a fall on my knees is not good.

j

[Emiskating]

Thank you so much for your postings. I am going to use your advice. My biggest problem is fear of an injury. I am having terrible back aches (not related to the sport) and I am trying to avoid getting badly hurt and not being able to continue practive.

I feel better now that I know that I am not the only one and safety is at the most importance.

:roll:

[Sessy]

Or my poor husband's "loop elbow". Poor man skidded on a patch of ice (not rink ice!) on a bridge at the weekend and bashed it AGAIN, and was very miserable with it on Saturday. A combination of ibuprofen gel, arnica and PADDING does help.

Ohhhhhhh I'm soooo hearing you!!! I banged my "spin elbow" again too, and I wasn't skating either. I'm starting to think I should wear al elbow pad at all times for a while, not just skating... :evil: I'm using naklofen gel for mine, it's pretty good stuff.

BTW is your hubby a sagittarius/capricorn cusp by chance? :mrgreen: You'd almost think it's in the stars or something!