Originally Posted by peripatetic
Thanks. I was actually kind of hoping someone might have thoughts on the most instructive way to set up such scenarios. I think the 63xc(?) site mentioned trying to do this on grass somewhere. But how would people here think would be the best types of falls to attempt? (over the handlebars seems dodgy, unless your landing on a big cushion, but maybe to the sides, or something?)
I got to thinking about this b/c I watched the little NYTimes video piece on LESers who play bike polo. There was one moment where a fairly tall rider took a spill, and it just looked so un-painful the way it happened, even though it was on asphalt. I thought, "I'd like to learn to fall like that."
Well I spent a lot of time on playgrounds, woodchip surfaces back then weren't too bad, also crashed on grass, and jumped from every platform I could find. It was jumping 20' from a treehouse when I forgot to let my legs roll under, my knee came up and chipped my tooth. Thing is 10 year olds heal a lot faster than 35 years olds. I really wouldn't recommend this type of "Training" for anyone. Foam pads are the way to go. You still get a feel for how your body reacts to flying through the air, and hitting the ground, but without the inevitable broken bones. Martial Arts and Gymnastics both give you a safe padded space to practice flying through the air, though in gymnastics, the goal is NOT to fall, which I think is a much more sensible goal.