Fall, tumble, tumble roll – well that turned out better than expected

[Xue Sheng]

I (Mr. I have done taiji for over 15 years and train rooting all the time) fell down the stairs last night. Luckily my Jujutsu training form over 30 years ago still seems to work. NOW I know why my sensei drilled us over and over and over again in shoulder rolls.

I was going down the stairs to my basement taking some of my youngest daughter’s toys down and paying no attention to what was going on, whilst acting like an idiot, when I, for reasons unbeknownst to me, decided I was on the last step…. When in fact I had 4 left to go. I automatically went into a diving shoulder roll and found myself laying on the concrete floor with toys everywhere with only a couple of scrapes on my right hand wrist and arm. I do believe if it were not for that automatic response of a shoulder roll I would have likely been hurt a whole lot worse.

Has anyone else had their training save them from getting hurt outside of a fight or SD situation?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I (Mr. I have done taiji for over 15 years and train rooting all the time) fell down the stairs last night. Luckily my Jujutsu training form over 30 years ago still seems to work. NOW I know why my sensei drilled us over and over and over again in shoulder rolls.

I was going down the stairs to my basement taking some of my youngest daughter’s toys down and paying no attention to what was going on, whilst acting like an idiot, when I, for reasons unbeknownst to me, decided I was on the last step…. When in fact I had 4 left to go. I automatically went into a diving shoulder roll and found myself laying on the concrete floor with toys everywhere with only a couple of scrapes on my right hand wrist and arm. I do believe if it were not for that automatic response of a shoulder roll I would have likely been hurt a whole lot worse.

Has anyone else had their training save them from getting hurt outside of a fight or SD situation?

Yes I have. The rolling, break fall skills that I teach certainly have saved a number of individuals on multiple occasions. One student fell off a ladder and did a dynamic forward roll and came without a scratch. (fifteen plus feet up :erg Another student fell in a parking lot and did a backward break fall and yet again not a scratch. I have fallen a couple of times myself and was fortunate and thank full for my training.

 

[Kreth]

I was out golfing, and leaning out of the cart to scoop up a ball (we were playing Captain & Crew) when my buddy decided to step on the gas and jerk the wheel hard left. Not only did I do about 3 forward rolls and come up on my feet, I snagged the ball. You should have seen my buddy's face when he circled around, expecting to see me sprawled on my face in the fairway. :lol:

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

I fall up the stairs all the time!!

Everytime I fall I use a foward breakfall.

One time I was jumping a fence and I used a foward roll to break my fall.

I have used backrolls when slipping backwards. Since I am accident prone person I am glad I learned Ukemi first

 

[jks9199]

The most useful training any of us get, I think, is falling and rolling! Most of my students will probably not ever be attacked, or get in a fight. But I bet every one of them falls sometime over the next 6 months. Miss a step, slip on some ice, go to sit and miss the chair, you name it... We ALL fall down! Learning to do so with minimal injury is more useful than learning to fight!

 

[crushing]

I slipped on a piece of ice while leaving work, well, one foot slipped forward anyway, as I fell I managed to turn my body and do a side breakfall. Before training I probably would have posted my arm or elbow out and suffered more than just a red face.

Knowing how to fall has likely helped me avoid some serious injuries playing volleyball too.

I think the stuff rubs off too. My wife (who isn't so much into MA other than using sticks to beat up credit cards) and I were bicycling some off road trails and I was right behind her when her front wheel slid out from under or hit something, but it threw her kind of forward and off the side of the bike where she did a very nice forward roll. I complimented her immediately on the tumble, then asked her if she was alright.

 

[bluemtn]

With me being a goofball on occasion? Yes!! Once at work, I was on a small step stool and started to topple over. Ended up doing a very nice back break fall, and not even slightly sore. Last night, I was goofing around where I was stretching my back as I was laying across something. Needless to say, I lost my balance and did a backward roll onto the floor. That one was almost gymnastic- like, because I was a couple of feet off the floor... Still worked, though.

 

[hkfuie]

People tell me I fall gracefully when skating! Happens all the time!

 

[bluekey88]

I tell my students all the time that falling skills are THE most important and most likely to be used skill we teach.

They've saved me from serious injurya few times...once when I slipped on some ice, once when I slipped off a curb...the most dramatic however:

I have a dog. A big 'ol Siberian husky named Sky. One of our favorite activities is hooking him to my bike and going out for a run (he literally pulls me all over the place...at speeds approaching 20 mph according to traffic radar).

So here we were running laps in my neighborhood going at a farily good clip. However, I neglected to note that I'd started us out going in the opposite direction than we usually go. So, I tried turning right and Sky tried going left. Rather than run him over...I turn the handlebars hard, jam the breaks...and I find myself airborne. Off I go, all 240 pounds of gracefully arcing over the handlebars...over the curb...until I gracefully start to head face first towards the cold, hard ground.

If it weren't for an ingrained abaility to roll (I actually ended doing 2 of them)...I'd be dead. Instead I had some road rash on my forarm/elbow and some soreness for a few days.

My dog was uninjured and thought the whole thing was hilarious!

Peace,
Erik

 

[Josh Oakley]

Two examples. One: I fell off the stairs, but because I knew how to slap out, I only got a small bruise on my wrist.

Two: I was at work and opening up a truck trailer when a 70 lb. John Deere back hoe bucket fell from some point above me and hit me in the head. I didn't see it because my head was turned, so I had no warning it was coming till it hit me. because I knew how to move when you get hit, I did, without thinking.

Don't get me wrong, it hurt. It pizzed me off. I started cursing at the bucket and kicked it a couple of times. Meanwhile my boss happened to see it occur, and asked, with shocked expression, "How are you alive, let alone conscious???"

They still made me fill out an injury report, just in case, but I went right back to work. Everyone kept asking for the next week and asked if I was sure if I were okay. For some reason, people didn't argue with me very much after that.

 

[Rich Parsons]

I (Mr. I have done taiji for over 15 years and train rooting all the time) fell down the stairs last night. Luckily my Jujutsu training form over 30 years ago still seems to work. NOW I know why my sensei drilled us over and over and over again in shoulder rolls.

I was going down the stairs to my basement taking some of my youngest daughter’s toys down and paying no attention to what was going on, whilst acting like an idiot, when I, for reasons unbeknownst to me, decided I was on the last step…. When in fact I had 4 left to go. I automatically went into a diving shoulder roll and found myself laying on the concrete floor with toys everywhere with only a couple of scrapes on my right hand wrist and arm. I do believe if it were not for that automatic response of a shoulder roll I would have likely been hurt a whole lot worse.

Has anyone else had their training save them from getting hurt outside of a fight or SD situation?

I was getting into my car where someone had parked real close, So I had to open the door put my stuf in and then try to get in by placing one leg out first. I slipped on the ice and went down. I slapped both vehicles and the ground as I had learn in class. It helped break the fall.

I had a time where four guys and I had hit the ground and stood up a couple of times. They jumped to knock me down again. We were all headed for the Large Store Front window. I rolled even with them on me, so my shoulder hit low and the window popped out. I kept rolling. Was on my back and saw the window still going up. I kept the roll going and when on hands and knees scrambled away no looking. The Glass was safety glass, but even as it broke over them the bouncing little squares still cut them up.

While at my current company but about 12 years ago, I was beign silly. I ran and jumped up on top of a work bench. I landed on my feet as planned. But I had not seen the transmission fluid on the surface. My feet went out from under me and down I went. I fell properply and jumped back up and everyone who watched was laughing. As I had been covered with fluid.

Just yesterday while walking out of the garage area, there was some oil fluid on the floor I had not seen as I was pay attention to the people come up to me. I stepped in and instantly lost balance. I caught my balance as I have done lots of other times (* most recent though so I shared it *) recovered without falling. But everyone who saw it was suprised and asked if I was ok. I just smiled and pointed at the fluid and said I guess I missed that.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Yep... got ran over by a van once. Fortunatly I had been in TKD for a while and part of John Chu's class was judo and leaning how to fall. The van backed up right in my face. Hit me square and I fell backward into the street. Did a good judo land on my left side. Just ended with a busted lip and a bruise on a shin. Limped to class.

I think learning how to fall, as well as learning how to swim, is a must every person should be trained in cause one day you undoubtably will need one or the other.

Deaf

 

[Phoenix44]

Absolutely. A forward breakfall saved me from a face full of concrete one night.

 

[jarrod]

glad you won your fight with the stairs!

ukemi helped a lot when i went snowboarding for the first time.

i also remember an incident where jigoro kano was thrown from a horse. he was firmly convinced that ukemi saved him from breaking his neck.

jf

 

[crushing]

Well, I successfully deployed a breakfall Sunday night. It was snowy and slippery in the parking lot as I went to the trunk of my car to grab my bag and before I knew it, my left foot kept going and I executed a decent side breakfall. There is no telling how I would have fallen before I got into MA with breakfalls and tumbling; probably right on my elbow (if memory serves me right).

 

[Cryozombie]

Has anyone else had their training save them from getting hurt outside of a fight or SD situation?

Yup. I was thrown over the handlebars on my motorcycle when I was struck by an SUV driver who wasnt paying attention. I hit the pavement rolling, and suffered nothing more than about a 2" circular patch of road rash on my elbow from the arm that went over, and a smallish patch (bout an inch wide by 3 inches long) on my calf as I slid a little durring the roll.

 

[Cryozombie]

Well, I successfully deployed a breakfall Sunday night. It was snowy and slippery in the parking lot as I went to the trunk of my car to grab my bag and before I knew it, my left foot kept going and I executed a decent side breakfall. There is no telling how I would have fallen before I got into MA with breakfalls and tumbling; probably right on my elbow (if memory serves me right).

Haha, that happens to me all the time.

 

[KELLYG]

I had two experiences.

While running to warm up in class my ankle roll over instead of spraining my ankle I did a forward front roll was back on my feet and running. Didn't miss a beat. The instructor was like chill out we are just warming up.

I tripped as I was going outside the door at my friends house. (Concrete porch with brick stairs into a gravel sidewalk with brick paver's) I ended up with a bruise about the side of a dime on my hip and a broken toe. The toe got hung up in my flip flops. It could have been way worse.

Yea its nice to know how to fall.

 

[Big Don]

I fell off the damn ladder at work today. My feet, dirty, duplicitous things that they are, missed the third step as I was coming down. I was on my back on the cold concrete before I knew what happened. It happened so fast there is no way I could have thought to fall correctly, it just came naturally. Thank God. So, I laid there for a minute or two thinking about how I had to call my Sifu and thank him for teaching me how to fall...

 

[Xue Sheng]

I fell off the damn ladder at work today. My feet, dirty, duplicitous things that they are, missed the third step as I was coming down. I was on my back on the cold concrete before I knew what happened. It happened so fast there is no way I could have thought to fall correctly, it just came naturally. Thank God. So, I laid there for a minute or two thinking about how I had to call my Sifu and thank him for teaching me how to fall...

Glad to hear you were unhurt