Falling...a matter of life and death

In the past few weeks I have heard of at least two people who were killed in altercations.  What do these two people have in common?  Both were killed when during the altercation, as a result of physical contact, they fell backwards and struck their head resulting in their death.

 The first was Amy Inita Joyner- Francis, the 16 year old in Delaware whose head struck a sink in the girl’s bathroom during a fight.  The second was the relative of a friend.  A bunch of guys were on a party bus and two became involved in a disagreement that turned into a fight when they got off the bus.  The relative of my friend tried to get between them and was either struck or pushed back which caused him to fall backwards, ultimately striking his head and killing him instantly.  In both cases, the deceased knew the people involved.  I also doubt that in either case the people doing the punching and pushing had intended to kill anyone.

One study suggests that your lifetime risk of dying in a fall is 1 in 269, while the suggested risk of dying as a result of being struck by or against another person is 1 in 58,689.  I have always wondered why we do not teach kids how to fall as soon as they can comprehend instruction and continue it throughout their schooling as part of physical education.

Only the martial arts that stem from Ju Jitsu such as a Judo and Aikido have a foundation of falling.  In other arts you will fall or get knocked down but they don’t offer much in the way of showing you how to do it to prevent injury.

In all of our defensive classes, whether they be police/corrections or office workers, we teach Vertical Stabilization and how to fall.  Keep in mind that many people may already have physical limitations that prevent them from even falling on mats.  The reality is that your inability or unwillingness to train for a situation has no impact on it happening. 

Vertical Stabilization- if you have early indication that an attack is imminent and you cannot escape, attempt to be close to or up against a vertical object such as a wall or vehicle.  The less distance you travel before making contact with the vertical surface or the ground means less time for momentum to build.  Less momentum equals less injury.  When up against a vertical surface, you never want to be at a 90 degree angle with your shoulders against the surface.  This increases the possibility that the back of your head could strike the surface.  This is the worst case scenario because a blow to the back of the head, especially at the base of your skull, is likely to cause serious physical injury or death. 

If possible, the only part of your body that should be against the surface is your hip, usually your dominant side.  Not only is this a very stable position to stay on your feet from, but it puts the most distance between your head and the surface.  Even if only your shoulder is against the wall, your head is still protected from hitting the wall because it would have to overcome the distance between your shoulder and the wall.  The bottom line is STAY ON YOUR FEET AT ALL COSTS.

If you cannot avoid it-

    Don’t fight it…the more you flail and struggle to stay up, the more momentum you gain.  The longer your path to the ground, the more likely you are to encounter other objects.  This often leads to broken ribs.

    Collapse- do your best to just fall in place, again preventing momentum.

      Fall on your side- not your butt which can cause paralysis, or on your back which will eventually cause you to hit your head.  Again, this will prevent you from hitting your head because your head would have to overcome the distance between your shoulder and the wall.


      Exhale and close your teeth together- only in inflated ball bounces, hard to get the air knocked out of you when you don’t have any.  Be sure to put your teeth together so as not to accidentally bite the end of your tongue off

   Get up as soon as you can- if this happens during an assault.  If it is a result of an accidental fall, stay in place and call for help if possible.

If you are unable to train even by putting some couch cushions or a mattress on the floor, at least go through these key points in your head…before you need them.