Judo and Breakfall Stories 3 - About Saved Live

A Breakfall Down Stairs

Falling downstairs is not recommended no matter what you think you know about how to do a Breakfall.

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I know we see stuntmen do it all the time on film. However it's not as if even they don't get injured occasionally when they do it, you just don't see that injury on film.

Still, that doesn't stop some people trying it even if it is unintentional.

One of the ladies from one of the self-defence groups, that I run only by request, told me of such an event in her life.

I met her and her friend, also a past student, in the food court of the local shopping centre and waved to them from a distance. I was immediately summoned over to their table with quite some excitement. For some reason, she wanted to show her bruises.

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The Joy To Which These Injuries Were Being Put On Display

I must confess to being quite concerned at the joy to which these injuries were being put on display. It would not have been the first time that I have counselled women to leave abusive situations. And it only added to my alarm when they told me that they had been obtained from falling downstairs.

But it turned out to be nothing of the sort. She had been in a loving relationship for many years and had fallen down the stairs when she slipped carrying he washing up the stairs.

She was only showing off her bruises to me because she had remembered something that I had taught her as she was falling. It was something that my own Sensei had taught me. It goes like this: "If you are round you roll if you are flat you go splat". Apparently, she recited it to herself as she was falling.

It just proves once again that proper falling technique saves lives.

Mind you I still don't recommend falling downstair to prove it.

You can see more stories about a breakfall saving lives here

Enjoy
    Sensai
        Richard