Rolls & Falls

Pacificshore · Black Belt

For all instructors, what type of drills do you use for your adults to get over their fears when it comes to learning how to roll or breakfall? It seems that a good number of my adults who I teach have difficulty with this everytime I try to teach them.

When I teach break falls, it's usually from the squatted position if for a back or side breakfall. Then on their knees when falling forward. Same goes for the rolls, I usually start them out on their knees, and what I have seen many times is hestitation on some of their parts.

Any other drills, pointers would be great. Thanks

granmasterchen · Black Belt

i have my students do self defenses, with lots of take downs, i figure the other person will learn which way that hurts them the least over time, get them comfortable that way by not giving them a choice, you will take them down, it is up to them to try and make it comfortable,
i still do shoulder rolls and back rolls too, we just do drills on them we form up in lines and we take turns the first in each line goes down the floor and so on....
i love hard wood floors!
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TJA · White Belt

Chen,

Your doing the right thing by starting them on their Knees - I had my students do all of their breakfalls as such:

Sitting: rocking back and forth - side to side, so they get a little accustomed to the floor

Sitting: going back - slappin out 10 times

immediately go to

Squatting: going back

then

Standing: going back

Kneeling: going forward - on the last one they spring forward

Standing: going forward - " "

Side falls are the same - I just make sure they use their supporting leg to easy them down to the floor and alternate side

Free fall/free ukemi: this is the one that they are all afraid of - taking that leap - I ususally stand in front of them on one knee and lead them through this fall by giving them a Kote-gaeshi - I don't emphaize the Kote-gaeshi, just them making it over my knee safely.

Hope this helps

ninjanurse · KF VIP

TJA has good advice, this is the way I teach them also. As far as getting over the fear of falling...every student has their own time.
I have done this with some success: Stand behind student, have them close their eyes and cross there hands over chest, then have them fall backwards. PLEASE DO NOT FORGET to catch student as this will undermine the whole process

! When they are comfortable with this, you can have them do the same thing standing on a bench or chair, with several students catching them.
Another thing I do is when we are padded up for sparring I do a drill where I push them down, they fall and roll backwards, and come up with a kick or punch into a kicking shield. They usually don't relate it to falling drills so they are more relaxed and not thinking about "falling". I then remind them of this drill when we do a falling class and it becomes "no big deal".

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SBN Doug · KF VIP

We're pretty close to the same as well. We do have an additional step at the beginning of standing. We don't make them fall all the way to the ground right away. They start in standing position, then squat/sit/fall. The only difference is front where it obviously has to skip the sit.

We then phase out the sit, followed by the squat.
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Guest · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 7:20 pm Post subject:

We like to let those who are timid use mats to get familiar w/ the technique invovled. Then have the move to the carpet, starting from a kneeling position. When they feel comfortable enough, then they move up. It's bad to tell someone to start off from a standing position and do something when they haven't been trained how to do it properly. Injuries occur.

granmasterchen, do you teach them how to break fall or do you just throw them and hope they don't get hurt while screaming for their life as the ground is rushing towards them?

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