Jo Ann Schneider Farris: How To Fall and Get Up on Figure Skates

[Query]

I love to push the idea of practicing falls to reduce injuries.

Jan Ann Schneider Farris's About.com figure skating page has a few short articles on falling.

Its wonderful that she can say "Falling is fun".

[pegasus99]

Jo Ann Schneider Farris has likely never had to change out her bloodstained laces from a laceration caused by a fall. I also wonder if her husband has asked her to not wear skirts or shorts for fear of being brought up on domestic abuse charges. Falling is not fun and she knows it.

That having been said, I do practice falling. I don't know if it lessens injury or what, because the absolute worst falls I've ever taken are the ones that came out of nowhere. One minute I was up and the next I was down, wondering if I was intact. When I practice falls, I note that I fall to one side, and it's hard to make myself fall the other way.

I debate the usefulness of "falling practice," so I do wonder what others have to say about it. Do more jumps to jump better, but falling better?

[dlbritton]

... because the absolute worst falls I've ever taken are the ones that came out of nowhere. One minute I was up and the next I was down, wondering if I was intact. When I practice falls, I note that I fall to one side, and it's hard to make myself fall the other way.

I debate the usefulness of "falling practice," so I do wonder what others have to say about it. Do more jumps to jump better, but falling better?

From the article:" If you anticipate that you are about to fall, bend your knees and squat into a dip position."

Most of my falls have come out of nowhere as well. I didn't have time to anticipate I was going to fall, it just happened.

All sports seem to recommend how to fall, such as relaxing when you do fall (yeah right, if I even have time to think about it, relaxing is not what pops into my head).

When I tore my MCL skiing I was on a beginner slope working on an easy drill. One second I was skiing beautifully and the next I was on the snow with a sore knee.

[Query]

Improving your reaction time, and overriding prior reflexes, take a lot of practice time. But that's true for almost any athletic activity, including figure skating moves. Everyone has to make their own decision as to whether it is worth the time.

For me, falling, like any mastered skill, is fun.

[TreSk8sAZ]

Well, I "practice" falling a lot! Ha ha. I guess for those that are beginning to skate, this is a good lesson. I know it's taught in the early learn to skate classes for both adults and kids. It is important to try to remember certain things, like not catching yourself with your hands, or tucking your head.

However, in reality, most falls I take are one of two kinds: A fall that I sort of know I'm going to fall (like a jump or spin) or something that is random and silly that just happens.

The first kind of fall happens every session I skate. I guess that's practicing it. But especially on axels or double sals right now, I kind of have an idea when I'm in the air of what's going to happen, and I can adjust. Realistically, those falls don't hurt that badly anyway.

The second kind of fall, I don't care how good I am or how much I practice falling, they're going to happen and there's not much chance to react. It's not like I start going down, try and stop it, or fumble around for awhile and then fall. It's pretty much hey, I'm doing footw - boom. My best one I was standing and talking to someone by the boards, and then I wasn't. Never could figure that one out. I can't replicate those falls to "practice" them and if they're going to hurt, they're going to hurt.

Maybe by falling so many times, I've unconsciously learned how to fall not to hurt myself. But I definitely don't actively practice just falling.

[ChristyRN]

The second kind of fall, I don't care how good I am or how much I practice falling, they're going to happen and there's not much chance to react. It's not like I start going down, try and stop it, or fumble around for awhile and then fall. It's pretty much hey, I'm doing footw - boom. My best one I was standing and talking to someone by the boards, and then I wasn't. Never could figure that one out.

One of my worst falls was pretty soon after I started skating, like less than six months in. I was standing on the goalie crease, then I was staring up at the ceiling and seeing stars with a huge lump on the back of my head.  I should have seen a doc for the concussion, but I didn't. I got off ice for a few minutes, then got back on. If I hadn't, I never would have. I would have had a week to convince myself how bad it was.

[pegasus99]

I think the value in "falling Practice" more comes from figuring out how to get up quickly and keep going, not so much the actual falling part. Because falling happens, but it's the recovery that counts.

Just my thoughts.

[Query]

Yes, it is the ones that happen unexpectedly that hurt. And that's where practice counts, to drop your reaction time from a second or so, down to about 0.3 to 0.4 seconds. (For an adult of typical height, you can't fall from standing height in less than about 0.7 - 0.8 seconds - basic physics.)

But of course creating and modifying reflexes is a large part of almost any athletic activity, including skating. Falling is no different. It takes a fair amount of time. Start easy, from a sitting position, and work your way up. Relaxing helps.

The other issue is that wearing clothing over all possible contact skin - long sleeve shirts, long pants, and gloves - helps a lot to prevent abrasions on the ice. Likewise, some people on this board find wearing padding helps. But skaters who wish to be fashionable may not consider those acceptable. The ISU says 50% of your skin can be bare, and a lot of ladies can't bear to show any less. Very few figure skaters are willing to dress like hockey players...