skatingonclouds, i think you helped a lot. I'm still trying to look for the foam that the others mentioned though. But I hope your tip about asking the questions can work me through while I cant find the foam

I would just like to add that as someone who took a Learn to Skate Program. Even though I found that I can balance on single runner. What I found helped me out was just remembering what I read in a library book (what Breezy the Demo-skater showed in "Skate n' Play). In which case I already knew that if I feel,to fall backwards. I hope this helps.

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FSWer

NO!!!! don't fall backwards!!!! if you fall back, you can hit (and hurt) your tailbone (OWWW) /spine/butt/hips.... you may try to break the fall with your arms and break your arms (true life story...) or you won't break the fall at all...

try and fall forwards. that way , you can break the fall with your arms, and you're much less likely to break something.

DO NOT TRY TO FALL BACKWARDS

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The proper way to fall, as taught by ISI and USFSA instructors, is to let yourself "bump down" onto one cheek butt. Not straight back, as it can injure your tailbone and/or let your head snap back onto the ice. Not onto your hip, because you could break it and damage tendons. Not forwards, as it can damage wrists, hands, and knees. Not to mention the face-plant that can result in facial injuries, as some of our members have unfortunately found out.

Tushes usually have enough "padding" to handle a fall. I've been teaching ice skating for over 10 years and am a PSA-rated coach who has never had to use her liability insurance. FSWer, please trust me on this one. Fall on one butt cheek, keep your head up, and try to slide it out to lessen the impact.

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That's true. I find that the best way to fall without hurting myself is to crumple (bend my knees and relax into it instead of stiffening up) and rotate my body 1/4 turn as I fall so that I land on the outside of one butt cheek or the other. Rotating a little to land on one cheek also helps me roll a little once I'm on the ice, which not only absorbs a lot of the impact but also helps me roll right back up so that I can resume my program more quickly, LOL!

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Interesting fall stories:

About a year ago this time of year, I had a very nasty fall where I trip over a skater that had fallen RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME and I ended up getting one of my knees cut on her blade. Had to be carried off the ice.

Fast forward to this past winter where I was dodging yet another "speed bump." Yup! Exactly same scenario. But...for some reason, this particular fall went thru slower... slow enough, in fact, that I was able to do the knee bend and aimed towards one of the butt cheeks! It didn't hurt (much) and I was able to get back up and went back to finish up my skate.

As for fear of falling...I'm probably one of the biggest chicken on this board (boc boc boc)... but the good part is that the falls I took helped made me less afraid to fall.

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

This thread is truly fascinating, for it appears that falling is a genuine problem for so many people.

Falling is treated very seriously in the martial arts, where it is an essential part of many techniques, and is given its own discipline, called ukemi in japanese. The principles DO translate to skating, but adjustment is necessary due to the environment. Essentially though, one should be able to land from a fall in any direction, forwards, backwards or sideways. Needless to say, this is easier said than done, but practice does help !

I found that wearing two pairs of thick cotton underwear were helpful during my early tentative stages, and I always wear kneepads, being of an age where a bruised knee lasts for weeks if not months. I must look for elbow protection too, someone mentioned gel pads from Boots Chemist I think.

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The impossible is just a journey away ...

I wear "crash pads," that have padding for the butt and the hips, but I haven't found that I skate any differently with them than without them. I tried knee pads for a while, hoping they'd make me feel more secure, but I didn't like the way they seemed to get in the way when I did crossovers, and I also didn't like the pressure they put on my knees when bending them (which is mostly all the time, right? <g>). So I stopped using them. I think I'm more afraid of the falling than the landing, if that makes any sense. I've fallen and I know it's not the end of the world. But I still can't figure out how to relax when I skate--and in the end that tension does the same thing the original poster related to fear of falling: it's holding me back. Not sure how to learn how to relax and let go more while skating. Any suggestions would be welcome!

p.s. I think learning to relax can combat fear of falling, as well. We might still have the fear, but we won't respond to it with as much tension.

This is probably irrelevant to you as I'm only on SkateUK level 6, but when I feel like I'm not skating well because I feel like I'm scared of falling, I sit on the ice. I just get on my knees, sit on the ice, get slightly damp, and normally when I get up, I'm fine! Odd possibly, but it works...

Helen - don't put yourself down cuz you're level 6! level 6 is v. good. (hey, so i guess you passed 5 ok then? congrats!)
and, I think what you said makes sense. I do something like that if I start to be afraid - but I don't sit on the ice (i'd get in the way of all the ice dancers and figure skaters at patch time) but I do fall on purpose.
Falling is underrated. It can actually be quite fun...

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I'm confused. Because I read that your supposed to fall backwards,putting your arms and hands behind you,for you to land on,so you don't hit your tush too hard on the ice.

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FSWer

Putting your arms and hands behind you for a backwards fall can result in a broken wrist!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

I fell backwards once and hit my head. Had a nasty concussion and still had to take a cell bio exam the next day, even though I had a note from hte ER. Didn't remember taking the exam, got it back and I got a 60. That one grade brought down my entire average in that class, from an A/A- to a B/B+ average. I think I ended up with a B+ grade at the end of the term. Long story short: DO NOT FALL BACKWARDS.

I also wouldn't put my hands behind me when I fall. I can't imagine falling with all my weight onto my wrists behind me! It seems like something that would show up on that new show on MTV, Scarred. (Be warned, this show is not for the weak of stomach. I don't get grossed out easily, but when I see some of those falls and hte way the bones just snap, I get queasy sometimes too). I was always taught to fall on your butt cheek adn kind of slide/roll out of it. If you feel like you're falling backwards, make sure to tuck your chin into your neck to protect your head.

NEVER try to break your fall with your arms, especially behind you. If you feel yourself going over backwards, curl into a ball and SIT!

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

I did this inadvertantly about a month ago doing backwards crossovers. It wasn't done consciously, but my arms went out and I fell on my back with the bottom of the palms of my hands hitting the ice (although I did remember to tuck my chin in!).

I jarred both my wrists simultaneously and still have sore wrists now. Falling on them deliberately is a recipe for broken wrists, for sure.

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Amanda

"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance . . . "

My Skating Journal

i think i just had about enough falls yesterday during my lesson. haha. i kept tripping on my toepick on my spiral. i think that kinda broke the fear. and yes, we were taught how to fall, except that it's a different story when you trip on your toepicks! haha

Well, that is one of the worst falls you can have, so if you can laugh after that, then you're going to be fine! Remember to think about your toes while doing spirals: The toes on the ice are lifted up inside your boot while the toes in the air are pointed. Lifting the toes of your skating foot will keep you from getting pitched forward on your toepicks (the pointed toes in the air is just to make you look pretty, though).

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Hmmm yeah the falls I've had so far with the axel weren't nearly as bad as tripping over toepicks from catchfoot spirals. At least with the axel you go down on your butt.

The falls that are more of a shock are those from back 3s as they're unexpected and wind you more than anything. I've never found ones from jumps and spins too bad, as the majority of the time you can brace yourself as you generally know when something is going a bit wrong.

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If you want the best seat in the house, you'll have to move the cat!

Oh yeah except I fractured my shoulder on one of those (inside three)

Turning, and then BAM I was on the ice. Not fun. Give me a jump fall over that any day!!

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Revised Official 2010 Goals checklist
Skate __
New boots __
(lowering the bar for 2010 as I haven't skated in a year)

Yup, I passed level 5 . Thanks Peanuts. I went and sat on the ice today as a matter of fact. And it DEFINITELY helped!

This made me laugh, cause I do the same thing occasionaly and I thought I was the only one!
most of the time if i'm feeling like that i'll go and sit in the doorway (not on busy sessions when i'm going to be in the way of people getting on and off the ice).

but every now and again I get the urge to sit on the ice so I'll do a sit spin as low as I can, where I can't get up again and use this as an excuse to have a sit down, though I have been known to just sit down on the ice by the barrier on very empty sessions!

I definatley agree with you Helen always makes me feel better.

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"Well, I've got a banana, and in a pinch you could put up some shelves" - Captain Jack Harkness

1) True story: I know an adult who went out to dinner with her husband one night, had a glass of wine, and headed to the rink for her lesson. She did her first three-turn that night. She swears it was the wine.

2) I use mousepads as padding. When I was working on my axel last year I kept landing on (and bruising the heck out of) the outside of my right knee. I cut a six-inch circle of mousepad to stuff into my tights on top of it. Works like a charm (plus, mousepads can be found really cheap now that most people have laptops wth the touchpad mouse).

3) Fall on your hip/butt, and tuck your chin to your chest to keep your head off the ice. NEVER put your arms behind you to stop a fall. If you're a beginner, WEAR A HELMET!

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

I'd go get a glass of wine now if I was old enough - damn those 3 turns!

Is there such a thing as skating whiplash? A few days ago I was gliding backwards (setting up a loop) and caught my toepick in a gouge. I knew I was going down on my rear and I remembered to keep my chin tucked so I wouldn't bang my head. (Of course, I ended up with a heck of a bruise on my right elbow because I didn't remember to pull that out of the way) Anyway, I think I tensed up my neck muscles really hard when I fell, because the next morning (and the day after) the muscles in my neck were painful and I had a hard time turning my head from side to side.

It's mostly gone now, but it felt just like minor whiplash from a car accident. Very weird...in all the years I skated, I've never had that happen.