One of the first skills taught in many martial arts is not how to strike or throw, it is how to fall safely.
Known as breakfalls, these techniques are designed to minimise the risk of injury when receiving throws or falling to the ground. While they are essential for safe martial arts training, they also have value beyond the dojo. People with basic breakfall training often fare much better than most during accidental slips, trips and falls in everyday life.
Learning to fall correctly is about much more than avoiding injury. Once you have mastered the fundamentals, it becomes possible to practise throwing techniques repeatedly with confidence and without fear. Good breakfalls are therefore just as important as good throwing technique. In many ways, you cannot become skilled at one without the other.
For this reason, time spent practising breakfalls is never wasted. It is one of the most valuable investments you can make in your martial arts development. A student who is confident receiving a throw will usually become much better at performing throws as well.
Two Ways of Falling
There are two broad approaches to breakfalling.
The first is to spread the impact of the fall over a larger area of the body. This approach is used when falling almost vertically, where there is little opportunity to roll.
The second is to roll, allowing the body to continue moving and gradually dissipating the energy of the fall. Rolling breakfalls require forward or backward momentum and are most useful when there is sufficient movement to carry the body safely through the roll.
Over time, students learn a variety of breakfalls to suit different situations.
The Basic Back Breakfall
The back breakfall is one of the first breakfalls taught in Kempo and provides the foundation for many other falling techniques.
The key principles are:
- Tuck the chin firmly towards the chest to protect the head.
- Keep the body rounded rather than stiff.
- Exhale as the body makes contact with the ground.
- Slap the mat with both arms to spread the impact over a larger area.
- Never reach behind with the hands to stop the fall, as this can easily result in wrist, elbow or shoulder injuries.
When performed correctly on suitable matting, the impact is spread comfortably across the back and arms rather than concentrated on any single part of the body.
A Skill for Life
Like every technique in Kempo, good breakfalls develop through regular practice.
As your confidence grows, you will become more relaxed when thrown, allowing you to train more effectively and safely. Whether in the dojo or in everyday life, knowing how to fall well is one of the most practical and valuable skills any martial artist can possess.
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