I bought gear - elbow and knee pads - to practice falling... but haven't got the nerve to do it. The good news is that now three times I've crossed what would have been my "panic threshold" (like, when you're learning to play softball and you just cower down and throw your glove in front of your face and they say "don't be afraid of the ball!" - but it's afraid of the pavement coming at you) and found myself with all parts in appropriate places, wheels and feet nicely planted. Whether it's bike experience or taknig yoga and getting "awareness of the body" (which I wasn't aware was happening, so how can it be awarness ?) it's something that never happened before... there's hope!

JUST DO IT ... in small doses...