Breakfall

What it is

A breakfall is how you land after a throw or a trip without hurting yourself: chin tucked, back rounded, and the whole arm slapping the mat at the moment you land, so that the impact spreads across the arm and the back. The one thing you must never do is reach back with a straight arm to catch yourself.

When to use it

• Every time you are taken down or swept, in drilling and in rolling.
• Losing your balance backward or sideways from standing, for example after a trip or a foot sweep.
• In the warm-up, from a squat and then from standing, until the slap becomes a reflex.

How to do it

1. Start low: from a squat at first, standing once the shape is right. Tuck your chin to your chest.
2. Sit back and down, close to your heels, rather than falling from height.
3. Round your back and roll onto it, hips first, then the back, keeping your head off the mat.
4. As your back touches, slap the mat hard with both arms, palms down, each arm at about 45 degrees from your body.
5. For the side breakfall, fall onto one side: slap with the arm on that side, bottom leg straight, top leg bent with the foot flat.
6. Keep your chin tucked until you stop moving, then roll to your side or use a technical stand-up to get up.

Key details

• Chin tucked. The head never touches the mat.
• Slap with the whole arm, not just the hand, at the moment of landing.
• Round the back. A flat back takes the whole impact at once.
• Never reach back with a straight arm. That reflex breaks wrists, elbows and collarbones.
• Breathe out as you land, so the body stays loose.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: reaching back with a straight arm. The wrist, elbow or collarbone takes the whole body weight and breaks.
• Mistake: lifting the chin or looking back. The back of the head hits the mat.
• Mistake: slapping late or not at all. The spine and the hip take the impact on their own.
• Mistake: landing stiff with the breath held. Everything hurts more and you get winded.