Fall Breaks, Rolls and Getting Up (Yellow and Orange Belts)
Rear Break Fall
Forward Roll sequences
Back Roll sequence
Combat Get Up
Fall Breaks, Rolls and Getting Up (Yellow and Orange Belts)
If you are taken down or accidentally trip, your foremost concern must be to protect your head by tucking your chin and doing your best to execute the rear fall break (a “fall break” is a fall that is performed in a tactical manner as to both avoid personal injury as well as opening yourself to injury from the attacker). By using your body to create the broadest possible striking surface against the ground, the backward fallbreak will reduce your impact with the ground, distributing the force of the fall through the more durable areas of your body: the gluteus and your forearms. The importance of this safety technique reaches well beyond self-defense applications. For example, the next time you slip on a sheet of ice, the backward fall break will come in handy.
Rolling is another safety tactic that will allow you avoid injury if you find yourself falling forward. A roll allows you to redirect your momentum into the roll rather than injuring yourself. Rolls also have tactical aspects such as defeating an elongated flexible weapon along with military applications. Getting up from a fallbreak or roll is also crucial should you find yourself still under attack. Rising up from the ground in a defensive position that immediately transition into an offensive position is an important skill. It must be a seamless transition while protecting your vital anatomy.