Falling technique

[Lisette Broek]

Dear Sirs / Ma'ams / fellow coloured belt students,

Recently I have been watching the IHA How to series again, to review my basic techniques.

This has brought up questions about falling techniques. Since I have a judo background and I learned falling about 30+ years ago, I wonder why the forward roll is performed with a bend knee, while standing up. Is this just the basic, easy technique on the mats?
I learned to do the standing up from a forward roll, by bending both legs and stand up on both my feet, when rolling out of a sacrifice throw, for example.

One time I fell of my bike, which I was riding at that time, over the handlebars and I fell good, rolling like I was catapulted... I only hurt my pink, which was the first to hit the street.
So it seems to work for me, falling the way I've learnt to do it.

Other questions: why do you perform the side fall, holding your belt knot? Why keep the straight leg totally off the ground (it could make a bigger surface so you have less impact). I use part of my femur as well, when performing a side fall.

Should I try to change my falling techniques, I can easily change falling by myself, during warming-up, to be a role model for new students...

Please let me know your opinions,

Thanks in advance

Lisette

[Markus Santi]

Hi Lisette,

My opinion on these matters:
Do you mean bend the knee as you go down to do the forward roll or as you are rolling and getting up? What happens before the roll isn't that important if you do have to roll you most likely do not have to option of not doing it. So bending the knee before the roll is just to make it easier to learn. if it was when getting up, bending the knee under you makes you get up faster.

on side fall:
holding the knot or having a hand on top of your gut slightly reduces movement inside your body if you do a turning side fall both ways you'll understand what I'm talking about. Lifting the leg does not help side fall directly but since side fall is a pre-technique of turning side fall and if you think you would have to do this on a hard surface you do not want to hit your ankle at that speed. And it shouldn't be completely straight so you minimize the risk of hitting it with the other leg. I think the femur can hit the ground, the foot should not.

The techniques shown are a baseline, everybody should start by learning them (so should be thought that way) eventually everyone will find the way that suits them best. So if your way of falling works for you I think you should use it, but teach the way shown in the DVDs, just to have more united way of training.

my two cents,
-Markus

[Lisette Broek]

Sir Markus,

Thank you for your answer!

Best regards,

Lisette