The Best Exercises to Prepare For Falling Backward

Practicing this technique is important for instances of slipping or being knocked backward. Protect your head by tucking your chin to your chest and using a slapping motion with your arms to break your fall.

1) Start by lying down on a mat with knees bent, feet planted. Tuck your chin to your chest, curling up through your core to raise your head away from the ground. Extend your arms straight in front of you, in the direction of your knees, with palms down. Reach your arms out to the sides and down to slap your palms on the mat.

2) Sit up with your feet planted on the mat. Roll back along your spine, taking care to keep your chin tucked and head away from the floor, and again practice slapping the mat at your sides on each rep.

3) Assume a squat position. From here, lower your hips as close to the floor as you can and begin the backward roll. Gradually work on starting the squat higher and higher so you have to lower your hips more before initiating the roll.

4) Finally, practice from a full standing position.

Keep these additional tips in mind in the event of a fall:

• Lean in. You have some control over the direction of your fall, so lean your weight forward and to the side, if possible. Aim toward grass, dirt, sand, or snow and away from concrete, obstacles, and sharp objects.
• Stay loose. Bend your arms and legs, and never try to catch yourself with your hands with straight arms. Try exhaling through your fall to encourage a relaxed frame.
• Protect your head. If you’re falling forward, turn your face to the side and try to shift your weight sideways to roll onto a shoulder. If you’re falling backward, tuck your chin to your chest to avoid hitting your head on the ground.
• Aim for the meat. Landing on a meaty part of your body, like the muscles of your back, butt, or thighs, can help protect your tailbone, hips, knees, elbows, and wrists. If you’re falling straight forward or backward, try to turn your body to land on your side.
• Roll with it. Rolling into the fall is a good technique to help spread the impact over more of your body and avoid concentrating the impact on just one area.
• Slap out. If you’re falling backward or sideways, try extending your arms to the sides with palms down and slap the ground. This can help fight the instinct to catch yourself with your hands or elbows while also helping you position and brace for impact. This isn’t a requirement for a safe fall, but it can be helpful with practice.