smart falling?

[latelatebloomer]

Hi, support team (estrogen) - the rides are going great, but I had my second fall. This time I wiped out on gravel as I made a sharp turn, probably didn't help that it had rained 2 hours before. As I went down, I instrictively tried to catch myself on left knee and both palms. I don't think that was smart, but falls happen so quickly....How to fall smarter in the blink of an eye? I'm seriously considering calling an Akido sensei I know to see if he can help.

Now that I know to ice right away, I'm hoping knee and hand bounce back fast. And I used arnica, and....um...tequila.

[Fredwina]

Suuposedly you should try and 'Roll' i.e , keep your hands tucked in. If you stick them out (which is quite instictive), there's a chance you can break your collarbone(not a good thing). Of course, this assumes you know your'e falling and can't do anything about. I think some people (mainly racing types), practice falling, so they get in habit
of doing this. Make me glad I don't race....

[RoadRaven]

YAY!!! Lets hear it for arnica!!!!!

Sorry about your fall, LateLate always a bugger!

Um... I know you're ok... but hows the bike? Priorities, y'know?

Seriously... I don't know that there is a smart way to fall, I have only had one major crash and rolled in that several times... but that was not a concious descision.

I knew I had to get off the road pronto but I'll be damned if my body would do what my head was telling it - fortunatly a couple of marshalls were at that particulalr corner and got me and the bike off the road.

[salsabike]

See this thread on BikeForums. There is some really useful info there about this question.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...hlight=falling

[Trekhawk]

Oh no!!!! Glad to hear you are ok.
Tips for falling - sounds good to me.

[Trek420]

Glad to hear that you're ok.

And working on falls if you know an Aikido (or any other Martial Art where we throw each other in the spirit of loving protection for all things gleefully across the room) sensei sounds like a good idea, great cross training too

Aikido is something I do, and it takes a lot of work, years, decades to learn to fall well, it's a lifetime thing.

That's not to say you can't learn a few things quickly that will help. It's hard to know where to begin in this but I'll be glad to try to toss out a few tips ...once I bring in the groceries.

[latelatebloomer]

Good morning, all - thanks for the tips & sympathy. Thanks to quick icing & arnica, I'm slightly sore and that's all. My cheapie workout gloves look very broken-in now better them than my epidermis -(other newbies, don't go out without gloves - clearly, even the cheapest make-do will help a lot.)

The pretty blue "Swallow" is fine, RR - but I must have spun the front wheel as I caught myself on both hands, because the right shifter/brake was pushed crooked even though I fell to the left. DH was able to push it back and it seems ok.

Thanks for the link to the Bike Forum, those are good tips, too, but it really does come down to how to get the body to do the right thing instinctively. I owe my Aikido pals a call anyway - so I will see if George is willing to help me get a "tuck" instinct rather than a "brace" instinct.

And I know where I made my mistake. A sharp gravely left turn in the middle of a steep descent. I delayed my turn waiting for an oncoming pickup truck, and made the turn too sharp, too slow. I shoulda just stopped higher up and waited a moment for the truck to pass, and taken the corner on the crown, to get cleaner pavement. 'Tis better not to fall at all!

And just to prove that I must really be a cyclist, I'll be out there again this afternoon. Even though I fell, I'm jubilant about the hill I ate. It used to make me stop twice, once in the middle, once at at the top to get my breath. (I think of "eating" hills because of that old Joan Armitrading song - Some days the bear will eat you, some days you eat the bear... )

and Road Raven, your hill climb advice on another thread was great. Thanks, buddy.

[Trek420]

latelatebloomer glad that you and the your bike are ok

"I will see if George is willing to help me get a "tuck" instinct rather than a "brace" instinct."

I sure he can, just takes practice, practice, practice, practice. And it's fun.

BTW, what dojo does George teach at? I train with Pat Hendricks at San Leandro Aikido.

found a pretty good example of a basic Aikido style roll

http://www.aikido-world.com/highligh...mi-forward.htm

Discloser: do not attempt this at home or without an instructor. There's an easy way to get to this point, and from here to breakfalls. But trying to learn from a video....not good.

Aikido falls are not summersaults. Summeraults the impact goes over the head, down the back to the base of the spine, then there's a gap till *boink* impact on the knees. So the impact is on the vulnerable spinal column.

Aikido falls can begin at any point in the circle although the basic training is from the feet back up again. But the roll follows the outside of the arm, across the shoulders, *across* the spine-not down it, follows the hip and then you could either stay down, or go back up to your feet.

Don't forget to breath! I'm convinced a lot of fall injuries are because we hold our breath.

Have fun learing with George.