Learning a new sport is an intimidating prospect. It鈥檚 even more daunting as an adult, when a fall off your new bike or skis could mean injury, broken bones, time off work,听or听a spouse who has to carry your load while your clavicle heals. But there鈥檚 no reason to fear. In fact, you should embrace the tumble and consider it one more technique to add to your growing skill set. 鈥淚 actually like falling, at least when I鈥檓 not getting injured from it,鈥� says , a professional trail runner and coach. 鈥淚f you do it right, it鈥檚 like being a kid again.鈥�
We asked expert guides, trainers, and coaches in a variety of sports to break down听how to听fall听safely in each of their disciplines.听
Skiing听
The majority of falls in skiing are relatively low impact, especially for beginners moving at slow speeds on mellow terrain. 鈥淏eginners tend to fall backward and uphill,鈥� says Lexey Wauters, assistant director of the Mountain Sports School in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. And that鈥檚听the safest way you can fall, as long as you don鈥檛 fight it. 鈥淭he problem is听most skiers try to fight the fall and keep themselves upright.听And that鈥檚 where you鈥檙e most likely to rupture an ACL.鈥� Instead of听resisting听the fall, as soon as you feel yourself tipping back, give in to it. Keep your feet on the downhill side of your body, and try to stop yourself with your skis and boots as soon as your butt hits the snow. If you鈥檙e on steep terrain, self arresting is more important鈥攁fter you go down on your butt, dig in your feet and elbows.
If you鈥檙e moving faster and find yourself falling headfirst downhill, or 鈥淪upermanning,鈥� Wauters says you need to pull your hands into your body so you鈥檙e not landing on your wrists. Then, as soon as you hit the snow, try to swing your feet below your body and self arrest. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not necessarily about the fall when you鈥檙e skiing,鈥� Wauters says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 what you do immediately after the fall. That鈥檚 what will prevent the most injuries.鈥�
Mountain Biking
Falling on a mountain bike听is inevitable, even as you progress and get more competent. 鈥淏ut the more you听crash, the better you get at it,鈥� says Lindsey Richter, a professional biker and founder of the . Richter, who has had her fair share of tumbles, coaches new riders over their initial fear of falling. She says the best way to prevent falls is to keep a positive attitude. 鈥淲e teach new bikers to keep their thoughts positive so that they鈥檙e not obsessing about crashing. Because when you think about crashing, it鈥檚 more likely to happen,鈥� Richter says.
When you do fall, Richter says your best strategy is to go limp. 鈥淭he worst thing you can do on a mountain bike is stiffen up. Riders get ejected, and they stick their arms out to catch themselves. That鈥檚 when things get broken,鈥� she says. Instead, try to relax if you鈥檙e going over the handlebars, Richter advises.听Pull your arms in, and try to protect your head, doing your best to tuck and roll. 鈥淔alling is part of biking, and it鈥檚 part of life. If you can get to the point where you鈥檙e crashing and not getting seriously injured, it鈥檚 actually kind of beautiful,鈥� she听says.听
Bouldering
鈥淐limbing is 10 percent听sending and 90 percent听falling,鈥� says Nina Williams, a professional climber who specializes in highball听boulder problems that are sometimes 50 feet tall. She鈥檚 also been coaching and teaching workshops for more than a decade. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e sending more than you鈥檙e falling, then you鈥檙e not trying hard enough.鈥�
Williams says that boulderers need to accept the fact that they听are going to fall and start treating it as another skill ripe for improvement. To learn to fall better, head to the gym and start off in a safe space with plenty of padding. Climb as high as you feel comfortable and take a fall backward. Keep your hands tight to your body鈥攄on鈥檛 try to break your fall with your hands鈥攆all onto your butt, and roll onto your back in one smooth motion. Keep climbing and falling, progressing to greater heights.
Once you move outside, Williams has a few key tips to keep you falling safely. First, when you鈥檙e on the rock, look down. Spot your landing on the crash pad so you know what obstacles are in your path when you do fall. Like in the gym, try to loosen up when you let go, keeping your hands and arms tucked in. Try to land on your feet, deeply bending your knees and relaxing your upper body, then fall backward on your butt. And finally, practice. While you鈥檙e warming up, jump down from the top of the boulders and practice your landing. 鈥淲hen you do it enough, falling becomes this slow-motion act where you realize how you鈥檙e going to land and you can prepare yourself for impact,鈥� Williams says.
Surfing
Tumbling while surfing may not be as daunting a prospect compared to other sports, but there are a few nuances that can keep you safe when things go south on a wave. 鈥淭he water will break your fall, so you need to use that advantage,鈥� says Izzy Tihanyi, cofounder of surf camps and clinics, where she鈥檚 been teaching new surfers for almost 25 years. Ideally, you want to fall back into a wave, extending your arms and legs away from your torso like an X,听so you鈥檙e听increasing the surface area of water听you hit. 鈥淭hink of a starfish,鈥� Tihanyi says. 鈥淭he goal is to land flat against the water and stay shallow, avoiding any kind of reef or rocks underneath.鈥�
If you鈥檙e going over the surfboard鈥檚 nose headfirst, cover your head, then hang out underwater for a few seconds to let the wave and your board pass over you. Let your hand break the surface first to make sure it鈥檚 clear. 鈥淲e encourage people to enjoy the wipeout,鈥� Tihanyi says. 鈥淒on鈥檛 panic. Don鈥檛 fight it. There鈥檚 a calming aspect to it if you have the right perspective.鈥�
Trail Running
The best way to avoid听falling while trail running听is to study听the trail for hazards well in advance, according to听King.听鈥淒on鈥檛 look at your feet. Scan the trail ten听meters ahead of you, and you鈥檒l be able to react to objects in time,鈥� he听says.听Shortening your stride, particularly while running through technical, rocky terrain, will give you better control and quicken your reaction time.
But if you run, you will fall. When you鈥檙e going down, throw your hands out to protect your head and face, but don鈥檛 stiffen your elbows. Think of your arms as shocks, absorbing the impact. If you鈥檙e moving at high speeds and falling headfirst, tuck your chin into your chest and try to roll over your shoulder to ease the impact. King says the more you practice, the better it will go in the wild. 鈥淕o back to what you would do as a kid, and work on your technique in a safe environment, like a grassy field or padded gym floor,鈥� King says. 听
Road Cycling
Is there anything scarier than eating it while clipped into a road bike? 鈥淕et your car going 25 or 30 miles per hour, and jump out of it while only wearing your underwear. That鈥檚 a visual of what鈥檚 happening when you fall off your road bike at speed,鈥� says John Humphries, owner of , which leads multi-day cycling tours all over the country.听Falling on a road bike is never an attractive proposition, but Humphries says there are a couple of ways to mitigate the damage.
If you鈥檙e moving at high speed and you go over the handlebars, the only thing you can do is try to relax and tuck and roll. And you don鈥檛 have to worry about being clipped into your pedals; your feet will unclip on their own. A more common scenario while road biking, though, is when a cyclist slides out while carrying too much speed through a corner. In this instance, you actually don鈥檛 want to break your feet free from the pedals. 鈥淪tay on your bike,鈥� Humphries says. 鈥淜eep your hands on the handlebars and your feet on your pedals so your bike (the outside of the bars and pedals) actually takes the worst of the skid. You鈥檒l still get road rash, but not as much.鈥�