I've noticed a difference in the attitude toward falling between coaches at my rink. Some coaches prefer their skaters working at the limits of their ability, which means the skater falls a lot. Others (my coach is in this group) prefer that their skater skates well within their comfort level in order to ingrain good habits (and stay on their feet).

I noticed this difference after switching from the learn-to-skate group to just taking private lessons. My private coach treats every fall as a near-catastrophe, and I have to reassure her that I'm fine every time I hit the ice- but I only fall every few sessions, and usually it's a slow fall where I land on my natural padding instead of my knees or wrists or face. My coach's attitude might be explained by the fact that she does nearly all the coaching for the older skaters (I'm a baby in this group- most of them are over 60) where minor falls really can be a catastrophe.

At any rate, I'm a big fan of the less-falling style of coaching, and I think I'm learning better and have more confidence (although I don't see anything more exciting than a waltz jump in my mid-to-near future) than if I were skating under a fall-a-lot coach. I don't have anyone to show off bruises to, anyway.

What do you all think about the different philosophies? Are the potential injuries worth progressing into more exciting moves sooner?

Hi Hannah

Generally when I fall in my freeskate lesson my coach asks me if I'm allright, basically the louder thud I make the more concern he shows, if I look like I'm in pain he will ask whether I want to continue or have a rest.

Anyway, in answer to your question - I would say that it depends what moves you are working on as to how much you are 'expected' to fall. I think you have different types of falls, too - for example if you're working on dance you might have a nasty unexpected fall where you lose an edge or catch your blades together, or be in a position where you don't acctually fall directly by go kinda off balance, if that make sense.

From my experience, if you do free skating you have to expect to fall a bit more. Probably not on Waltz jumps, but I would say it is quite normal to fall when you start learning loops and flips, because the technique's different to 'kick thro' jumps.

However, you will be surprised to know that falling from single jumps isn't quite as scary as it sounds. For one thing, the more you skate, the less scared you get of falling. You can feel when your off balance, just relax and fall gently on your hip.

S xxx

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

It's strange because I've heard so many people say that you don't progress if you don't fall, but I don't really believe that theory. I feel that I've made great progress for an adult skater. Maybe a bit slow but I'm progressing at a steady rate, yet I don't fall that often. While I accept that falling is part of skating, I prefer not to fall and certainly don't push myself beyond my limits so that falling is inevitable. I've fallen badly a few times and suffered the consequences - broken ankle and wrist and cracked rib to name a few times - and I have to say that it sure puts you off falling when you end up in hospital.

Nicki

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I'm a human zamboni. I find myself taking risks, but the rewards have been fairly good.

I tend to trip and fall over nothing half of the time. I swear the ones that hurt the most are those toe pick falls when you take 2 steps forward.

My coaches both say I have a knack for jumping straght so I don't do many sideways leaning bad falls. More often than that I just fall on my big ol' bottom.

I have a new coach and she always asks if I'm ok. I told her if I don't get up or burst into tears then there is a probelm. If I fall and get right up, no damage.

I have only been skating 9 months but have taken some pretty good falls (including cracking a rib) but I have pretty quick reflexes (for an old broad) and usually manage to get a foot, a hip, or something under me so I don't go down hard. I don't mind falling but I have goals and getting injured would seriously effect reaching those goals so injury is my prime concern. One of the coaches at summer school said (to my coach) "I wish she would just FALL!" - well if I can minimize the risk by NOT falling, so much the better. Falls at speed I don't worry about - I can usually be heard laughing as I go sliding down the ice.

My regular coach neither discourages me from "pushing my limits" nor pushes me to it - she trusts me to know how far I am comfortable pushing. The objective, after all, is to become a good skater and falls aren't part of the skills (aside from maybe a comedy routine) - just something you deal with along the way. When I started backward edges, I started wearing a butt pad just so I don't worry about landing on my tail bone or the bony part of my hips.

It is a balance between "fear" and "wrecklessness" and everybody should be deciding their own comfort level. As much as we might love skating, most of us still have to earn a living and keep a household together, so we need our own balance.

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

That's exactly right.

Whilst I am prepared to push myself, I do not have the inclination that I had years ago to chuck myself in the air and not worry about coming down. So as far as I am concerned, *if* in say a year's time I've got all my single jumps to a decent standard and my coach thinks I can do it I *might* try for an axel - but I'm not going to kill myself in the effort.

S xxx

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

I grew up in roller skating with that philosophy, and have decided that it's meant for kids. It's usually said the other way around, as a consolation after someone has fallen: "if you don't fall, you aren't learning anything!" I do use it with the learn to skate kids, although last year, one fell and broke her leg , and that kind of put me off it.

For myself and other adults, especially older one, I agree with NickiT. Going to the hospital sure slows you down.

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Most falls aren't scary at all. I fall with some regularity, but not super often. The scary falls are the bad falls. I swear I know when they happen that they are going to be bad. Something about that moment when you sense it. You can tell if it's no biggie or an "oh crap."

The worst was when I had TWO bad falls three days before my bronze test session. My coach isn't a big hugger, but I got a hug that day. Yeesh....nerves....

If you never broke a bone in a fall or had a concussion or dislocation from a fall, then you haven't had a bad fall. Can't say what a scary fall would be for you, but most of them are scary for me simply because one has so little control once one's feet are off the ice, and the consequences can be severe. The slow, straight down ones are the worst, IMO.

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I've seen alot of people, kids and adults, in pain at the rink and they haven't broken anything. Anything that makes one cry qualifies as bad in my book.

My coaches have always encouraged me to push myself as far as possible and fall if I have to.

honestly, I dont think I would have gotten very far in my skating without falling. On a typical session learning a new jump i can fall up to 30 times, just practicing I usually fall a lot less, maybe 10 times tops.

There is a difference however between falling when its anticipated and falling randomly on some moves element. Usually the unexpected falls are ones that really give you some serious bruises. On the other hand, when I learn a new jump or spin or something, I go into the element knowing that there is a good chance I will fall and which way to fall in order to minimize pain. I am prepared for these falls so they rarely hurt at all but they give me the opportunity to really launch myself into a jump without fear I may hurt myself.

If I was always trying to avoid falling I would probably be doing very low jumps and sloppy, cautious spins. And if I fell when trying to avoid falling it would probably hurt even more.

In my case, if I'm not falling...I'm not learning anything new

I guess I have to agree somewhat. Tolerance for pain can vary quite a lot, but since pain is totally subjective, if it makes you cry, it's gotta be bad. OTOH, when I broke my wrist the last time, it wasn't all that painful, but I knew right away the wrist was gone, and my body knew it was serious because I got shocky and nearly passed out.

If you are going to jump, you are going to fall while learning. I once heard that it takes about a thousand falls to learn a jump, although the topic was triples. I've seen fear of falling hold back kids and adults alike from learning jumps. I don't have that problem as my knees and hips can't take the impact .

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That isn't necessarily true, though. There are some kids who will cry after a fall even though it wasn't really bad so that they can get a break from a brutal lesson or session. I think one of our coaches calls it "good acting"

That's a real shame. Those kids may want to quit, but parents won't let them. That's a different kind of pain, but still pain.

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I'm another skater who falls. I find my worst falls are over ther the "stupid" things. Catching my toe pick, which did occur a week or so ago, or catching someone elses edge, etc. It's the surprise falls. I do fall when jumping and doing moves sometimes but on the whole they tend to be "easier" falls. Maybe, because I "expect" the possibility. I've also been told that if you don't fall your not pushing yourself as a skater. I guess I agree with this, if I'm pushing myself falls happen. I've seen just about everyone fall, including coaches. Ice is slippery, =-), if you skate you will fall. I'm another skater who doesn't need attention when I fall. If I'm hurt I will ask for help. If I'm asking....you better call 911. I have been known to get teary eyed over the painful ones though. =-)

Chico

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"I truly believe, when God created skating, he patted himself on the back."

My coach even has me practice falling. She has me practice a backward shoot-the-duck and fall on purpose. She even has me sit spin and go low, and lower and then fall. Even after a waltz jump or salchow, I will hold the landing then deliberately fall. I have found this beneficial in that it helps to desensitize the "shock" value when falling. It is as if falling becomes just as necessary to master as any other element in skating like mastering jumps, spins and footwork. My first skating lesson was falling, not skating. It is good to practice, that way your body is accustomed to fallling when the time comes. My favorite falls are those preceded by the "click of death" Suprise!

I have to disagree here. I caught my wrist in between my hip bone and the ice, and though I'm not sure exactly what I did, it didn't work right for 2-3 months. And more recently, I broke my finger.

Neither of those were what I would call "bad" falls. Much worse was the one where I somehow twisted my knee and scraped my calf with a blade and bashed my elbow AND twisted my ankle when I was doing...erm...crossovers. And the least bad part about tha fall was the blade injury. And I was fine a day or two later, but it hurt more than anything else I've ever done.

Another bad fall was at the roller rink where I tried a waltz jump and landed on my shoulder and cheekbone (god, roller skating falls are soooo much worse). And then there have been a couple falls on my front that made it impossible for me to breath or get up for a moment.

In none of my "bad" falls have I sustained any serious injury.

And back to topic...I'm not afraid of falling, and 99% of the time my falls are really minor and I get back up right away, but I fall very very rarely, less than once per day that I skate usually, usually doing something boring and simple, rather than anything I'm working on. But I don't have a coach pushing me, either...

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

Yeah, I agree Chico. It's the unexpected falls that are worst because you just aren't open to the possibility. If I fall from a jump it usually (touch wood) isn't so bad and I go down relaxed.

Mind you, my coach has taken me in hand and said I really need to correct some faulty technique in my jump entries because I fall too often.

I also agree with those saying if you've had a bad injury (and that is a very subjective term) then it can make you a little scared. I recently had 5 weeks off nursing an injury. First session back I landed right on the injured spot, and was able to skate away without any problems. I was very grateful that I had that fall, because I knew it would be okay, and could get on with skating again and got over my fear so quickly.

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

Yeah, I agree Chico. It's the unexpected falls that are worst because you just aren't open to the possibility. If I fall from a jump it usually (touch wood) isn't so bad and I go down relaxed.

I think there is a balance in the "if you aren't falling, you aren't learning" thing. I have always said it, but recently my coach has taken me in hand and said I really need to correct some faulty techniques in my jump entries because I fall too often. Sometimes falling is just bad skating. And sometimes it is just having the courage to keep trying something over and over. Whatever works for you, I guess, on the move you're working on at the time.

I also agree with those saying if you've had a bad injury (and that is a very subjective term) then it can make you a little scared. I recently had 5 weeks off nursing an injury. First session back I landed right on the injured spot, and was able to skate away without any problems. I was very grateful that I had that fall, because I knew it would be okay, and could get on with skating again and got over my fear so quickly.

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

I am scared of falling, and very scared of falling backwards and cracking my head. I've seen others fall just doing a mohawk and falling backwards scares me most. Having said that, when I do fall I feel like I've purged myself. I just get up and thatink 'that wasn't so bad, I've done it now so I can stop worrying!' It's mad really, being such a wuss, but I keep going back for more I often wonder if I got used falling would it make me a better skater?

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Level one Field Moves......PASSED 05.06.08
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GOALS FOR 2009

• Level One Compulsary dances.......PASSED 19.02.09
• Level One Elements.....................PASSED 10.07.09
• Level Two Free dance.................PASSED 19.02.09
• Level One Free...........................
• Level Two compulsory dances.......

Loving it, Loving it, Loving it!!!!!

I've fallen doing mohawks more than anything else! One moment I'm standing, and the next I'm sitting on the ice with jarred wrists. They're more surprising than painful, but I've started wearing wrist supports as a consequence.

For me, the worst falls are definitely over my toepicks. My knee's still recovering from the last time I did that, a couple of months ago. I fall over my feet enough off the ice, so I have little hope of avoiding it on-ice

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"Every revolutionary idea seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases:
(1) It's completely impossible.
(2) It's possible, but it's not worth doing.
(3) I said it was a good idea all along."
- Arthur C Clarke

I'm one of those people that rarely falls while skating. The first few times I have fallen was from doing nothing (i.e. standing still on the ice). I fell once doing a back progressive (caught the heel of my blade), and once learning the flip (jammed my ring finger which still swells up now and again). Then there are the "toepick tumbles" which happen every so often. The other day I went down doing a mohawk because my blades got caught up together. I have fallen on scratch spins. I fall more when I'm sick or tired or when my blood sugar is down.

It doesn't bother me as much to fall as it once did. I just don't fall as much as others seem to. I don't fight it (usually happens so fast I'm down wondering what happened).

When adult LTS-ers talk to me about their fear of falling, I mention that yes, you may fall but the majority of falls are not dangerous and don't cause major injury, and if it makes you feel more secure, wear some padding. I remember being like that-worrying about it so much. I don't think about it now.

I think my fall yesterday was a "bad fall" for me...I have a huge lump on my chin, it's bruised, and my head hurts like heck! But I'm going back to skate again today (not on the hockey skates, I'm not stupid, but next time I will wear my son's hockey gear and have FUN falling).

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

I fall quite a lot. At least once a session - usually from silly things like standing still I don't mind falling and I forget it instantly. Most falls don't hurt - in my experience. And the painful ones are from steps etc rather than jumps - usually....

When I started falling on axels it was because I was rotating more. I usually do think that I'm not not falling then I'm not pushing myself but thats because I can err on the side of caution and I need to remember to push myself out of the comfort zone - falling reassures me that I am pushing myself. But that doesn't mean I fling myself into things aimlessly. There needs to be control - but falling is inevitable. And I don't mean I fall all the time as that is just bad practising but I think an occasional fall is good - takes the fear away. If you fall then that usually is the worst that can happen.... usually....

My free skating coach does not react if I fall over. I prefer that. Don't make a big deal of it and then the skater doesn't make it a big deal. Occasionally she will say something like 'are you ok' or 'that looked nasty' which means I probably took quite a tumble! She is an advocate of falling means you are pushing yourself - although she doesn't want constant falling though - she stops me if it gets to that - the odd fall is ok.

My dance teacher is a bit more concerned when I fall. I usually have bad falls from dances things anyways - falling over toes on steps, having your weight in the wrong place or catching an edge. Falling on steps I always find I lot worse than falling over on spins and jumps. I managed to fall and slide into and hit the barrier doing a mohawk the other day. Pretty spectacular.

One skater at our rink says he likes to see people go at things and fall rather than half attempt things and hold back but manage somehow to get round the element.

I'm another who doesn't fall very often, and I suppose it does hold me back some, but I'm not willing to risk life and limb. Yeah, I know it's not like you will necessarily get hurt on all falls, I just prefer not to have them. So that means my coach will usually be right with me and sometimes lend a hand. It works for me.

I will say that I have fallen more times on crossovers than on anything else. None of those falls hurt. Once I did a fall where my feet just flew out from under me and up in the air, and BOOM, down I went. Apparently it looked very spectacular, but I wasn't hurt at all. But definitely, the straight down falls are the worst.

My coach's reaction when I fall? He can be practically gleeful! He doesn't get to see many of them, but he gets excited when I tell him I fell. A few times I've tripped or stumbled when I'm with him, and I recover, and he says, "Careful." I'm always, yeah, like that's really helpful, LOL.

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August 22, back on the ice!

I think that falling is good. My old coach used to get really upset when I fell, and I think that over the years I've gotten really scared of falling. Now I have a new coach and the first things he did when I switched was tell me that I need to fall if I want to fix my jumps. I'm still having trouble forcing myself to do a jump when I dont' feel comfortable, but it's getting better. My jump technique has improved drastically!!! At one point my coach was forcing me to fall 5 times at the beginning of each session. It was quite amusing because I was having trouble forcing myself to fall, so other people would end up pushing me over. My jumps have improved drastically because of the change. So here's my opinion: You can't be scared to fall. Sometimes falling can help a lot, and it might improve your skating. Falling is a part of skating. Yet, don't be reckless and fall too much. You can seriously injure your body by doing that. You have to find a balance, which is very hard to do.

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Live life on the edge......judges HATE flats!!!

Skating is past, present, and future. My life revolves around when I am at the rink, and when I am there, I am happy.