[at-l] Falling

[shane at theplacewithnoname.com (Shane)]

> Does anyone in list-land know how to fall properly?  Can
> you help me learn?

Sure.  It's easy.  I routinely get body slammed on concrete with no adverse
effect.

The whole key is not to be afraid of the ground.

That sounds kind of hokey, but the reason most people hurt themselves in a
short fall is because they try to stop themselves from falling.  You have to
accept the ground.

The way to learn this is to get an old mattress or something very cushiony
and put it on the ground.  Then relax and fall on it.  It should be really
cushiony at first.  Don't try to stop yourself from falling.  Just let the
ground do that.  Relax.  Enjoy it.  Once you get into the idea of falling
totally relaxed, you'll lose the panic response.  Once you aren't having an
adrenalin dump every time you keel over, you're ready to start controlling
your fall.

The whole key is to relax.  If you stiff-arm the ground, you can break your
wrists.  Never try to stop yourself from falling, just try to control the
fall and land well.

Now, all bets are off if you're falling from a high place...

There are also some things that work against you, like brittle bones when
you're older.

The most successful way I've taught people is that if you're falling, or
about to fall, just sit down.  If you slip, don't try to stop slipping, just
change the slip into a nice sit down.  Your butt can take it...

Of course, falling on sharp things isn't helpful...

I hope this was helpful...

Shane