Learn How to Fall Safely

Learning to fall safely sounds like a contradiction but it’s not. Daredevils and stunt men and women make us gasp when they jump and fall and walk away, unharmed, unfazed. We don’t have to do anything that dramatic but the tricks of the trade are there for us to use. If you watched the Winter Olympics, you saw that falling is a big part of most of the events. Most of these young and well-trained athletes fall, some sloppily, some with good form, and some are wipeouts, but almost all of these athletes ski, skate, or walk away on their own. In a snowboard event, the rails can cause a fall or the hard-packed snow and unseen winds can combine to bring about a poor landing after a trick or a jump. The falls are hard. Most of us don’t put ourselves in that extreme position but there are simple tricks, easy-to-learn techniques that can protect us when we fall.