Is there a right way to fall?
 

I've always wondered this. If given the situation that I could anticipate that I was going to fall off my bike, is there something I can train myself to do? In other words, should I try to fall on my side, my back, feet first, hands first, tuck and roll etc?

I know it's kind of a morbid subject but it's something I've been wanting to learn, just in case.

Yes, always land on your collarbone, at least that is what the pros do, I am not sure how to really answer this, I think if you have time to implement a plan for falling, you might have time to avoid it. My experiences have been that you should always wear helmet and gloves for safety and hope for the best you won't have many choices when it happens.

try to miss landing on your head?

Always fall on something soft like grass or a person

unless that something soft is crap?

+1....:roflmao:

I've fallen hundreds of times on my BMX and you eventually learn how to fall as best as possible, and determining exactly how to react, based on the particular circumstances becomes sort of an instinct. I'm not sure there is simply one way to crash...it depends on why you are crashing and the surrounding circumstances that will dictate the best way to land. The more you fall, the better you fall. Most of the time going over the bars, or to the side, or to the back is not a choice...usually you are being thrown or forced in one of those directions. You don't have a choice. If you had a choice you wouldn't be falling in the first place. Does that make sense? The trick to falling is learning how to absorb the impact with your limbs or torso, given any direction and speed that you might be thrown, and at the same time not break anything or smashing vital body parts into the ground or other objects. Other than BMX (where falling is inevitable), maybe mountain biking is the best way to "train" for falling...I usually bite it once or twice on every MTB singletrack ride, as a result of hitting something (like a big rock) or taking a corner too fast. Usually MTB falls are at slower speed and less horriffic than nasty high speed traffic-related road bike falls. Some good hard MTBing will definately give you some crashing experience. No pain..no gain. But then again, I don't know if any of this experiance will help you with a horrific road bike crash....I don't want to find out either.

tuck and roll. You break your collarbone when the shock comes up when you put your wrist out. Eddy B actually had his racers take gymnastics to learn how to tumble. Personally, the crashes I've had in races came too fast to really have much chance to shape how the aftermath ensued.

I think the better practice is learning not to fall. Go out with some buddies in a grass field, dressed in long sleeeves and long pants, and beat each other up. Lean on each other, throw elbows, head butt. Practice overlapping wheels and bouncing off without falling.

Actually this is probably great advice. If you have enough control to decide how to fall you have enough control to stay up. On the other hand if doomed try to fall on the grass if there is any, avoid going over any cliff and don't fall into the traffic going 60 MPH. I've had at least two 'sure' falls where I stayed up.

Thinking a bit more I'd say one good idea is keeping your hands on the bars. You will not break our fall using your hands (unless you count breaking both arms) and you will make sure you do go down if you try.

The right way to fall is on your left side. ;) Bent derailers aren't fun...

Whenever I fall, I try to roll over onto my side. Taking one in the face is not so pleasant.

I also try to relax and distribute the impact over the length of my body. Landing on a single point is painful.

Finally, I never put my hands out in front of me. Trying to land on your hands can break lots of things.

I've broken one collar bone, which I attribute to not rolling over far enough before impact. I've also broken a hip, but that happened way too quickly to do anything about it.

"fall on my side, my back, feet first, hands first, tuck and roll etc?"

Feet first isn't a fall, it's a dismount. Hands first.. never unless you're protecting your face and even then it should be forearms in front, never arms extended. You usually don't have much of a choice as to which side is going to hit first (front/back/side) but I take the same approach I do in snowboarding.. whatever way I'm falling try to do a shoulder roll with my arms tucked in. Only time it doesn't work is if you're going to land flat on your back, but that's kinda hard to manage on a bike I'd imagine.

Judo, Jujutsu, Aikido, or similar throwing/grappling arts.
The first thing you usually learn is how to fall.
..especially violently from several angles, and not of your own volition :eek:

yes...down

Miclam has the nail on the head. Aikido, Bujikan taijutsu, or any grappling/throwing art will help you land on something that won't break and splinter by reflex.

Landing on hands == end of training season.

Wear a good helmet and keep it properly adjusted; wear gloves to prevent road-rashing your hands; try to land in a way that spreads the force over your body rather than concentrating it on one part, as that one part is likely the last thing you want to break -- your hip; contrary to others' advice, I always put out my hand -- mainly by reflex -- and suspect that it has helped slow me enough to protect me.

I ruined a Dura-Ace rear der. this way. :(

Tumbling on grass is a great drill that we used to do at the OTC in Marquette, back when they had cycling camps.

If you wait until you crash to learn how to fall....



And yes, Mike Walden used to coach his riders to aim for another body in a crash. Seriously.

I don't know if I could ever learn to *not* put my hands down first. It would take a lot of training for me to have those kinds of balls.

Seconding myclem, karate has been really helpful for me in situations when I've had to hit the asphalt...but barring taking up another time-consuming sport, I'd say it's probably well worth practicing shoulder rolls and relaxing while falling to soak up impact before you have to learn on the job, as it were.

No......fall up!

Mebbe true, but In the U.S. the traffic is to you're left...

Not on your face. Anywhere else is acceptable.

The 'right way to fall' threads are always the best.

Let's move right on up to 'right way to die' next.

Here is one way NOT to do it.

When I was 5 (way back in 1959) the kids across the street were going to teach me how to ride. I got on the bike, they gave me a push, and I was off for about 50 feet. About then I got scared and started losing steering control and managed to hit dead square a newly planted tree with a trunk that must have had a diameter of 3 inches max. The bike came to rest, but I didn't. I went over the bars and hit the tree with one legs on either side of the tree. OUCH!