...but can someone tell me how to fall? Everyone seems to have been taught how to fall right at the beginning but I wasn't. We were taught how to get up, but not fall. I rarely fall as it is and so when I do, it affects me more than it does people who fall a lot. I don't want to injure myself because I don't know what to do when something goes wrong. Can anyone help?

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"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

Hi:

About the only thing I can contribute here is what I've been advised:

1) Try not to stiffen up when falling (usually easier said than done)
2) Don't use your hands to try to break your fall ... that's the cause of many a broken wrist!!

When you fall, any momentum gets transferred such that you will slide along the ice, unlike falling on non-ice, where you just go Boom. If you use your momentum to your advantage, you are less likely to injure yourself.


-- sheilagh

We teach people to try to fall on their backsides, since you have the most padding there. To practice, we have you bend your knees as much as possible & kind of hug your knees, then just let yourself kind of roll over to one side, which lands you on a hip.

In reality, when you fall, you rarely have the opportunity to choose the direction of your fall. The best advice is to try to learn not to break the fall w/ your hands, which could result in a broken wrist. Seriously, the more you fall the less afraid you will be. Most falls don't hurt (we say any sliding fall is a good fall), & people who are used to falling are less afraid; therefore they are more daring & willing to push themselves more; therefore they generally progress more quickly than people who never fall & are more timid.

It's part of the deal; if you're going to skate you're going to fall. They make very good "crash pads" for extra protection if that makes you feel safer.

A very good idea I heard once was to go out on a public session wearing something like a nylon jogging suit, & go "sliding"! Just get going & kind of drop yourself down intentionally, like the little hockey kids do. That will go miles toward losing your fear of falling.

Also, make sure you keep your arms and hands close to your body. Not only will this help cushion your torso, but it keeps your fingers away from the blades of other skaters.

Try to tell yourself "relax" as you begin to fall and always try to avoid hitting your head. The worst falls do come when you are going slowly or still because you can't slide and have the ice absorb your momentum. When you fall out of a back spin there's not much you can do but try and relax and be aware of where the ice is, if it's a slow mo fall then try and fall on your hip or the padded part of your behind. Ask one of your coaches to go over this with you, I'm sure they'd be happy too!

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Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
Maurice Setter

This is what most people are saying, but I'll just use different words: try to 'aim' for the side of your thigh/tushie. If you fall too directly straight down onto your bum, you run the risk of hitting your tailbone (ouch!) or continuing the momentum backwards and hitting your head. Unfortunately, falls from standing still usually end up going straight down like that, and they do often hurt. If you can get just a little momentum going, it's easier to aim for the side of the thigh/butt, where it's more padded, and those falls rarely hurt for more than a few seconds, if at all. This is why you see experienced skaters just seem to bounce right back up--they honestly aren't hurt.

Like backspin said--go practice 'falling'! Have you learned 'dips', or a shoot-the-duck? Start out doing those, bend your knees and get slowly closer to the ice, then just 'let go' and aim for the thigh and slide. You'll get practice, and have fun!

Also, wear gloves to protect your hands--ideally, you don't really want to put your hands down at all, but it happens, and you don't really want an 'ice burn' from rough ice!

Another tip is to learn to keep your head tucked in to your chest if you do fall--minimizes the risk of smacking it on the ice.

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"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

As with everything, 'bend your knees". Some of the worst muscle pulls occur from trying not to fall.

The don't put your hands out when you fall is easier said then done! I fell while working on the back 3's in the Adult Silver MITF. It was either put my arm out or hit my face. I opted for putting my arm out. I didn't break my wrist, but I did manage to fracture my shoulder in 2 places from the impact of the fall! I've been off the ice almost 3 months and finally get to start physical therapy next week. I have at least another 2 months before I will be back on the ice

Dawn

I don't have any real advice. Helpful aren't I? Seriously, most times you don't have time to prepare. My worst falls have been when I tried to save myself.(Or chickened mid air.) My suggestion is just to skate and let the falls take care of themselves. Falls happen in skating, and the folks who don't aren't necessarily the most successful. I figure you can "kill" yourself crossing the street or climbing the stairs, the risk is greater skating, but it also has more rewards.

Chico

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

Cheers everyone . So basically, let the momentum absorb the force, keep your head tucked in, aim for the side of your bum/thigh, try not to break your fall with your hands, and relax? Ok, sounds easy enough Thanks again people

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"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

Perhaps we should all try out a few practice falls and post them on the lessons and practices thread? No, I've decided to start a wipeout thread ....