Can you still get scrapes even if you fall correctly?

[SlickRCBD]

I needed toilet paper, but they were out at the grocery store, so I called around and found that the drug store 4 blocks away just got some in stock. I decided to walk.
Some kid was playing with a ball on the driveway, and he lost control of the ball just as I was walking past and I happened to be looking the other way. It rolled into my feet and tripped me as I was looking at the car pulling into a driveway next door right in front of me.

I'd taken some Tae-Kwon-Do as a kid, but I haven't practiced since I was in college almost 20 years ago. I thought I remembered how to fall, but I got a scrape on my arm from the sidewalk.
Feeling the sidewalk, it felt like sandpaper. Possibly rougher than some of the fine sandpapers.
I'm not seriously hurt, only a big scrape that needed a 2x4 band-aid. I might have gone a bit overboard using disinfectant, but COVID-19.

Is this a sign that I did not remember my training correctly because I'm so out of practice, or is it normal to get some scrapes if you fall on the sidewalk as opposed to the matt used in training?
The sidewalk is in good condition, I would not hesitate to ride my bicycle on it, and do not think it needs repaving.

 

[drop bear]

I have no idea how we would determine your injury as a technique deficiency or just a case of tough luck.

I think the martial arts roll is generally done wrong where people land with the back of the hands. But otherwise that is a tough thing to judge.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

A scrape is just a sign your skin was moving relative to the ground when it made contact. In some falls, that’s an assumed outcome, even when they are done quite well, if the surface is rough.

 

[skribs]

I'm not seriously hurt, only a big scrape that needed a 2x4 band-aid. I might have gone a bit overboard using disinfectant, but COVID-19.

What you're referring to is road rash. COVID-19 or not, the disinfectant was a good choice. That's an open wound sustained from a surface where people walk. It's probably got a lot of bacteria that could have infected the wound.

Falling techniques aren't about making you immune to damage. It's about making you take less damage. That scrape is a lot better than say a broken nose and a concussion.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Seriously? Do you guys not recognize this as the trolliest troll to ever troll some trollage?

 

[skribs]

Seriously? Do you guys not recognize this as the trolliest troll to ever troll some trollage?

We've got at least 3 regular posters that I think are trollier.

 

[Dirty Dog]

We've got at least 3 regular posters that I think are trollier.

They're not nearly so grossly obvious about it.

 

[skribs]

They're not nearly so grossly obvious about it.

They are to me.

 

[SlickRCBD]

Seriously? Do you guys not recognize this as the trolliest troll to ever troll some trollage?

I don't see how I was trolling.
I was just wondering if I screwed up because I haven't practiced in 18 years or getting minor scrapes was normal for rough surfaces like sidewalks.

What you're referring to is road rash. COVID-19 or not, the disinfectant was a good choice. That's an open wound sustained from a surface where people walk. It's probably got a lot of bacteria that could have infected the wound.

Falling techniques aren't about making you immune to damage. It's about making you take less damage. That scrape is a lot better than say a broken nose and a concussion.

Or a fractured wrist. Not fun. I got that back in 2000 when I was helping two drunk dormmates back to the dorm and they tripped and brought me down with them. I disentangled my arms (I had one under the shoulder of each) just in time to hit the floor at the wrong moment as I did not get my arm into position in time due to being wrapped around my buddies. Ironic thing was I was the only one sober, and was the only one hurt. About the only thing I think I could have done was to use them to cushion my fall instead, but I didn't exactly have time to think. Funny thing was they fell on the first step AFTER the stairs.

 

[Buka]

Welcome to Martial Talk.

There are several factors at play here. First, the inherent dangers of walking down the sidewalk, any sidewalk.

Then there is the ball factor. The very shape of a ball causes confusion, is it right side up? Upside down? Sideways? Who's to tell?
Thus, one must...

Perhaps when you did breakfall, you should have slapped up instead of down. Tis a point to ponder.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I don't see how I was trolling.
I was just wondering if I screwed up because I haven't practiced in 18 years or getting minor scrapes was normal for rough surfaces like sidewalks.

Or a fractured wrist. Not fun. I got that back in 2000 when I was helping two drunk dormmates back to the dorm and they tripped and brought me down with them. I disentangled my arms (I had one under the shoulder of each) just in time to hit the floor at the wrong moment as I did not get my arm into position in time due to being wrapped around my buddies. Ironic thing was I was the only one sober, and was the only one hurt.

Drunk people are very relaxed. A large part of taking falls well is being relaxed, so they had an advantage over you there.

About the only thing I think I could have done was to use them to cushion my fall instead, but I didn't exactly have time to think. Funny thing was they fell on the first step AFTER the stairs.

We used to live on the first (and only) long straightaway on a rural highway. Guess where most of the drunk people went off the road?

 

[Buka]

Drunk people are very relaxed. A large part of taking falls well is being relaxed, so they had an advantage over you there.


We used to live on the first (and only) long straightaway on a rural highway. Guess where most of the drunk people went off the road?

I grew up on a suburban highway, right at a curve. Drunks plowed through the fence, crashing into the house on several occasions over the years. Yet another kinship, Gman.

I so hate fricken' drunks.

 

[JR 137]

Road rash is better than a broken wrist, arm or hand when falling. Those are quite common when people fall onto an outstretched hand.

Road rash is going to happen even if you “fall right.” A judo teacher at a college I used to work at used to take his students out to the parking lot every so often and have them practice break falls and rolling on the concrete. He’d say “what’s the point in learning this if they’re not going to use it outside a matted dojo?” Even the upper ranks would get a decent amount of road rash. And judo guys know how to fall.

Edit: The white belts and students new to him would go on the grass area before the parking lot.

 

[JR 137]

I grew up on a suburban highway, right at a curve. Drunks plowed through the fence, crashing into the house on several occasions over the years. Yet another kinship, Gman.

I so hate fricken' drunks.

You reminded me of a funny story I hadn’t thought about in years...

There was a kid my age who lived next door to my grandparents. We played a lot. One Sunday night during my weekly visit to my grandparents house, the next doors kid’s mom decided she’d let him stay home alone for the first time while she ran out to the store. She was only gone for about 20 minutes. Wouldn’t you know it, but 5 minutes after she left, a drunk driver crashed into the house and came halfway through the living room. The kid was on the couch watching tv and was far enough away from it to not get hurt at all. Well, at least physically hurt.

The kid ran over to my grandparents’ house screaming that his mother was going to be mad at him for the guy crashing into the house. His mother was mortified, saying she felt like the worst parent ever for leaving the kid alone for the first time and then that coincidentally happens.

Yeah it was a situation that could’ve been tragic, but because he didn’t get hurt, it was comical in my warped mind.

Drunk drivers suck.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I grew up on a suburban highway, right at a curve. Drunks plowed through the fence, crashing into the house on several occasions over the years. Yet another kinship, Gman.

I so hate fricken' drunks.

4 of us had mailboxes mounted at the same point. Our boxes kept getting KO'd by hit-and-run drivers. Post office wouldn't let us move them back, so the guy whose property they were on use 3" steel for the pole and mounted it in about 3 sacks of concrete. The next guy who hit it did not drive away. Man, that was a noisy stop, but the guy was there for the cops when they showed up.

 

[Prostar]

I was carrying something out to the shed and didn't notice the compressed air line the handyman had aid out. I tripped over it and did a front fall just as I was trained.

My wife asked me, "Why aren't you hurt"? I explained that I had done that fall thousands of time and taught it to, at least,hundreds of students.

I did scrape the palms of my hands a bit but I have no complaints.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I was carrying something out to the shed and didn't notice the compressed air line the handyman had aid out. I tripped over it and did a front fall just as I was trained.

My wife asked me, "Why aren't you hurt"? I explained that I had done that fall thousands of time and taught it to, at least,hundreds of students.

I did scrape the palms of my hands a bit but I have no complaints.

I was at the park with one of the dogs a few weeks ago (just before all the lockdowns, actually), and managed to trip over.........something. I never quite figured out what I did there, but anyway, I fell down. I scraped both palms, but did a nice front fall into a roll and right up to standing. All without dropping the dog's leash. I was embarrassed about tripping and quite proud of my recovery all at the same time. But my hands were pretty well scraped - it was that roughened concrete texture.

 

[JR 137]

I was at the park with one of the dogs a few weeks ago (just before all the lockdowns, actually), and managed to trip over.........something. I never quite figured out what I did there, but anyway, I fell down. I scraped both palms, but did a nice front fall into a roll and right up to standing. All without dropping the dog's leash. I was embarrassed about tripping and quite proud of my recovery all at the same time. But my hands were pretty well scraped - it was that roughened concrete texture.

Admit it, it was your own feet you tripped over

Impressive as it sounds to not let go of the leash, I’d be far more impressed if it was a beer. I saw a friend trip down the stairs to the dance floor at a bar. Mid fall, he cupped the top of his pint glass. It was like it happened in slow motion. Landed flat on his stomach holding the glass up with one hand and covering the top with the other hand. F’ing hilarious. The crowd cheered his skill. And he was THAT guy. So many hilarious situations followed him. Thanks for jogging that memory.