The Importance of Falling Down

[Cass]

It seems to me that a lot of injuries occur because people don't know how, or are too stubborn to fall down.

I have never had a footbag related injury and I attribute much of this to my falling abilities.

If you land on your ankle wrong the best thing you can do to avoid injuring it is to take your weight off it. That way your aren't putting unnecessary force on the joint.


So my point is this: fall the fuck down!

Looking silly is better than hurting yourself

[Anz]

Indeed. I've learned this the hard way.

Another good advice: If you think you've sprained an ankle, don't "see how it feels after a couple tricks" - it'll make it much worse.

[Matt K]

Second to Anz's advice.

Cassy, falling works in some cases, and I've avoided hurting myself plenty of times by doing, but sometimes all the pieces line up in all the wrong ways and you can't do anything about it =/

But yes, if you feel something wrong and you have the opportunity to fall, please do.

[F[uns]tylin' Eclectic]

I'm great at falling down! I had a ton of experience with that in elementary school. The other kids on the play ground used to help me practice often

No but seriously, falling is really important and i've not yet had any injuries with falling, although I've come too close for comfort.

Learning how to fall will definitely save your ass... Good crank never hurts anyone either

[mahhkohh]

My worst injury occurred while I was falling down, into the wrong direction. And I was standing in the ankle with my other foot... And I had a wall in front of me so I had to fall the other way which resulted in nearly ripping of my foot... But yeah, fall if u can, other than that incident it saved me a couple of times!

[Jazzkid]

I have Defintely saved myself many many times ....as we get older this ability will help us in trying to avoid falling down and breaking our hips .....it's better to go with it than resist . But yes , one time I was trying to break my ripwalk record on grass ( stupid stupid ) and around 56 I stepped in a tiny hole I didn't see and ...it was the one time I didn't go with and actually completely the next set before falling .....heard a Loud pop .. 3 months of rehabilition before I could kick again

[sidekick]

Knowing how to fall and redirect momentum can save a players game. It's not always an option you can consciously make, but it is an invaluable skill.

I also agree that it's best to take a breather and wait after taking a fall or possibly injuring yourself. If you keep playing and assume everything is fine, you are much more likely to make it worse or actually injure yourself.

Most recently, when I hurt my knee in Utah, I took a minute or two of downtime after hearing my knee pop. It didn't hurt while standing, but it felt odd, and so I decided to keep playing a bit. After trying some basic stuff I figured it was ok but as soon as I tried anything that required my knee to turn I felt a sharp pain. I stopped but I was very glad I gave it a rest or I may have really messed something up.

I guess the main point I'm trying to make is the same bit of advice I give in yoga classes... LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!