How to fall

Even with good posture on your skates, sooner or later you are going to fall. That fall does not have to be uncontrolled, though. An experienced skater knows how to go down properly.

Wear your pads

The right protective gear helps to shield your wrists, elbows, knees and head. Remember, however, that pads are not a hundred per cent effective and you can still get hurt while wearing them. Your head is very delicate, your hands contain the smallest bones in your body, and your knees and elbows are important joints – so none of them should be overused as shock absorbers.

When you fall, use your pads. Landing on a protected part of your body is far better than landing on an unprotected one.

Forward is better than backward

If you have any choice in the matter, fall forward, and ideally slightly forward and to one side. There are three reasons. First, all of your pads are on the front of your body – knees, wrists and elbows – so falling forward puts you down exactly where you are protected. Second, you can see the spot you are about to land on and still have a moment to adjust it. Third, a backward fall exposes the two most vulnerable places you have, the back of your head and your tailbone, and neither of them is covered by anything.

Falling straight forward is not ideal either, because the whole force goes into a single point. That is why it is best to go down at least a little sideways, which spreads the impact over a larger area of your body. From best to worst, the order looks like this: forward and to the side, straight forward, sideways, and last of all backward.

Control the fall

When you start losing your balance and expect to fall, don’t look down and don’t flail your arms – that will throw you even further off balance and may increase the force of the fall.

As you feel yourself going down, it helps to get your centre of gravity as low as possible. Bend your knees and crouch as low as you can. The lower you are, the shorter the distance you drop and the weaker the impact.

Don’t put out straight, locked arms in front of you. Landing on an outstretched hand is the most common way skaters hurt a wrist, because your entire body weight arrives in one small joint. Keep your elbows softly bent and let the wrist guard slide along the ground instead of planting your hand and stopping dead.

Don’t grab at other people or at railings either. Grabbing someone usually pulls them down with you, and a railing will stop your arm while the rest of your body is still carried forward by your speed.

If you are falling while moving, try to turn sideways before the impact and roll gently once you are down. That reduces the force you take.

It also matters that you stay relaxed as you fall – a tense body means a greater chance of damage and fractures.

Spread the impact across several pads

A good fall is one in which no single part of your body takes the whole force on its own. Your padded knees reach for the ground first, then your hands in their wrist guards, and finally your forearms and elbows. The impact is divided between several points and none of them receives the full dose. That is exactly why it is worth skating in a complete set of pads rather than in a helmet alone.

Practise falling before you need it

Falling is a skill, and you can train it calmly instead of learning it in a panic the first time you lose your balance. Put on your full set of pads, go out onto grass or stand on a thick carpet, and do a dozen or so controlled falls onto your knees and hands – from a low crouch, with no speed involved.

The point is to let your body memorise the movement: crouch, go forward onto the pads, keep the elbows bent. When a real fall comes you will have no time to think it through, and only what you have already practised will work.

After a fall

Don’t get upset or discouraged after a fall. Try to stay relaxed – falls happen on skates all the time. Even professionals have their moments, so why shouldn’t you. If you don’t let it stress you and you remember the techniques described above, you will avoid straining tensed muscles.

Sit down calmly and check that you are all right. If you are, get up and carry on skating.

While you are at it, take a look at your gear. Pads can twist out of position and are worth straightening before you set off again. If you hit your head hard, the helmet should be replaced even though it looks intact – the foam inside crushes only once and will not absorb the next impact in the same way.

There are also situations in which it is better to end the session for the day: when your wrist hurts as you try to put weight on it or you cannot lean on your hand, when a joint is visibly swelling, or when a knock to the head leaves you dizzy, nauseous or struggling to concentrate. In cases like these, take the skates off and see a doctor rather than skating the problem off.