Falling Safety

Safety is very important in falling and learning to fall correctly:

• Most important! Do not let your head hit the ground.
• Do not reach out with your arms, you will probably break one. 
• Do not fall onto your elbows or knees.
• Keep vital body areas off the ground since you may fall on a piercing object.
• Keep unprotected bones from hitting the ground.
• Maintain the proper angle of the slapping arm(s) to the body.
• Spread the force of the fall evenly across as much of your body as possible.
• Timing of hand slaps must coincide with main mass of your body striking the ground.
• Stay relaxed to prevent injury.
• Roll whenever possible. Even a delicate, hollow, glass ball may survive a fall if it hits the ground at an angle that allows it to roll. Nothing protrudes from a sphere so it rolls without absorbing impact forces. When you fall,  you should make yourself into a small, compact sphere as much as possible. Be like a Michelangelo sculpture. Michelangelo kept is statues compact so if one fell or rolled, nothing would break off. Instead of a fall ending in an abrupt stop, the falling forces are gradually dissipated by the rolling action and you may roll back onto your fee, either away from danger or in a position of self-defense.

Safety is most important. All these elements must become instinctive before the students are allowed to throw each other with more advanced techniques. There are six ways to fall: back, back-rolling, side, front, flip, and front-rolling. The back and side falls are used most often.