Break falls?

Do you train break falls?

Is it traditional part of your art?

comming from a wing chun background its something that i have never trained intesively

until recently whilst doing jujutsu and arnis

the JJ i'm doing puts alot of emphasis on it

what are your thoughts about this aspect of training?

__________________
"...any theory that satisfies the facts demands assumptions which are completely absurd."

Aleister Crowley

yes, and yes, and it's always good to know how to fall....

__________________

do you have chinese names for the falls?

__________________
"...any theory that satisfies the facts demands assumptions which are completely absurd."

Aleister Crowley

“	Originally Posted By: Pope_Wingnut do you have chinese names for the falls?	”

Yes, I'm sure we do. Do I know what they are? Nope...

__________________

I'm not sure about breakfalls.

I spent a bit of time training them (hapkido and wadu ryu) before I did any CMA and they worked beautifully in class - I was happy (well, safe) getting slammed to the mat (or floor) by guys literally 3 times my size. When I did my first WC class the teacher demonstrated a throw on me and I dutifully did my breakfall... very, very, fast, because he was expecting me to resist and try to keep my feet and until then I'd been trained to go with the throw and brakefall.

As for knowing how to fall... when I was doing a lot of breakfalls I found they interfered with my natural reactions when falling - particularly off rock faces when bouldering. That wasn't good - they are NOT designed for rough ground. I also mashed myself up quite nicely trying a breakfall when jammed up against a wall with nowhere for the fall to go. After doing more "tai chi tumbling" style fall training I found I developed more useful reactions which centered around avoiding the fall if at all possible and quickly rolling back to standing if the fall couldn't be avoided. I personally found that type of training adapted better to different conditions and falls outside class.

On balance I personally prefer other training but I can see how they would be essential for certain arts and I'm glad I trained them for a bit.

__________________
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me

Any style I've studied where there is throwing, I have seen break falls trained. I've learned some different variations of the same thing, and the way I look at it is the same way I look at normal martial arts training. Break Fall training is to teach you how to protect yourself when falling, but you have to look at the concepts of each rather than say "I MUST do a forward roll here".

The absolute worst break fall instruction was the one I received in my Kung Fu class.
The most technical break fall instruction was the one I received in my Judo class.
The effective break fall instruction was the one I received in my Pro-Wrestling class.

I have always told anyone I teach break falls to that it was probably the most important skill they are learning, because chances are that they will fall down in their life more often then have to fight for their life.

Now, I say that Pro-Wrestling had the most effective training because you learn real fast that old-school rings are quite as bouncy as the ones you see on TV. And you are also falling down through a variety of maneuvers hundreds of times a session. Then you factor in that the matches would go outside of the ring and you had to fall on concrete or tile floors, or dive off of the ring to the ground. So its not so much the technique that is reinforced, but you internally learn how to do it so you don't hurt (as much) the next day.

__________________
"You must eat bitter before you can taste sweet"- Iron & Silk
"I see no virtue where I smell no sweat"
"Arm yourself because no one else here will save you" - Chris Cornell

I worked break falls when I trained Long Fist in college, and also for a short time while I trained at Straight Blast Gym. Also, when Ive gone out to visit Cam in Atlanta, he has used rolls, break falls, etc as one of his pre-class warm-ups.

Im certainly no expert with break falls, but I find that while I almost instinctually do a break-fall during certain types of non- or semi-resistant drills that include going down, as soon as things get serious it seems like many elements of a breakfall are too passive (ie, tucking the chin is ok, but removing your hands from combat is not), whereas you should be working more on position, range, control, etc...

__________________
PlumDragon Herbs: Dit Da Jow and Iron Palm Liniments

"When a handshake passes the elbow, it becomes Judo."

Break falling is my greatest skill in life. One time as I was walking home from school, I tripped over a curb, but I instinctively rolled, recovered, and just kept on walking.

It is painful to watch bad break fallers grapple. I hate to see them hit the ground badly. It's just a hyperextended elbow waiting to happen. It is essential to train break falls in jujitsu, at least.

__________________
"Papers just don't make me happy." - Mary Kate Olsen, on quitting NYU

Yeah, I train em. It helps to be able to know how to break the fall of 230 pounds, for sure. And my skull has to fall from well over 6 feet above the ground...eesh.

-Wu

__________________
Man for Sale: House-broken, current vaccinations, almost never humps your leg.

I don't train in them now as much as I did when I started. But I guess since I started when I was six, and I guess we stopped working on them after about 5 years, that they'd already been drilled into my head, and I instinctively break the fall if I trip or something.

__________________
If the problem has a solution, worrying is pointless, in the end the problem will be solved. If the problem has no solution, there is no reason to worry, because it can't be solved.

Yesyesyes, saved my life more than once and even broke my neck doing it wrong.
Judo, wrestling and gymnastics have all helped, but....

This is how i practice now...

__________________
"It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought the fool, than to open it and prove it so." KungFuTze
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." T. Geisel

or study this:

Hah! Break falls wont help anybody there! =)

__________________
PlumDragon Herbs: Dit Da Jow and Iron Palm Liniments

"When a handshake passes the elbow, it becomes Judo."

whoaaaaaa is that you bobblehead?

lol @ t-b

__________________
"...any theory that satisfies the facts demands assumptions which are completely absurd."

Aleister Crowley

“	Originally Posted By: Pope_Wingnut whoaaaaaa is that you bobblehead?	”

A friend insists it is, and to be honest it looks like it is me, and i was out on that day, but for the life of me i can't remember that particular wave. (maybe a good thing!)

The rest of the sequence can be seen here as "favorite sequence" on 12-27
Sandy Beach P4

Sandy Beach is known as the "Broken Neck Capital of the World", not sure if stats bear that out though...

__________________
"It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought the fool, than to open it and prove it so." KungFuTze
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." T. Geisel