The most underrated skill I wish everyone would learn

Most people go their whole lives never learning to fall.

Everyone takes a fall at some point.

Whether it’s a piece of ice, a root on a trail, a misstep off a curb, or just an unlucky moment, falls happen to all of us. And for many people, especially as they age, a single fall can be truly life-changing. Hip fractures alone carry a staggering mortality rate in older adults. About 20-30% do not survive the following year, not from the fall itself, but from the cascade of complications that follow.

So today, I want to introduce something that I think belongs in everyone’s physics tool kit: learn to fall safely. Or at least, learn to fall in a way that is “less bad”. 😅

Let’s bring out your inner ninja.

The Skill Progressions

The goal of these advances is simple: teach your body to round, absorb, and redirect the force.

Start on a soft surface. Carpet is fine, but if you have access to exercise mats or even a patch of soft grass outside (no hidden rocks or sticks) that’s GREAT.

First rule: always start low to the ground. The closer to the ground when you start the roll, the lower the forces involved.

Gain height gradually. Just like you learned to bench press before adding a kajillion pounds, you want to learn the technique before adding more height and intensity to your rolls!

PROGRESSION #1: The egg roll.

Performance Points

• Keep your knees close to your chest to create a gentle curve through your lower back
• Slowly shake from side to side
• Transition as smoothly across your back as possible (it’s good to leave your leg open to lead the way so you don’t get stuck!)

The goal here is just to get you comfortable on the ground as safely as possible and begin to feel what a “smooth transfer of force” feels like.

PROGRESSION #2: The Rolling Horse Roll.

Performance Points

• Keep your knees close to your chest to help maintain a gentle curve through your lower back
• Start in a sitting position
• Lean back and move smoothly along your lower back, avoiding any “jumps” or “hitches” in the movement.
• The rocks don’t have to be BIG. (If you feel your “thunking” part of your tail or back, go too big for now!)

Here, we learned to transfer momentum up and down the spine (rather than across). This is our final step before learning how to transfer force diagonally, which is actually the safest option in real-world situations!

PROGRESSION #3: The Half Roll.

Performance Points

• Start from a sitting position
• Lean to one side, then roll from that hip to the opposite shoulder (you want the contact to stop just below the shoulder blade)
• Reach with your hands forming a triangle over that shoulder
• Return smoothly to the starting position

This is where we really start to see the parkour roll come into shape. You can progress from a sitting to a standing position, but take your time! There is no rush, and high quality reps is how we really learn this skill.

PROGRESSION #4: The forward roll.

Performance Points

• Start from a kneeling position on a soft surface. Make sure you check the area so you don’t have anything hitting you, and give yourself plenty of space.
• Using the “triangle at the back“ method, reach the hands forward and to the side to drive the back of the shoulder to the ground, keeping the chin and head tucked down and to the side.
• Kick over the top to complete the roll and exit on the opposite hip.

This movement may take some time to become comfortable. If you feel stuck, go back and practice the earlier progressions again. Back to our bench press analogy, once you learn how to bench press with a heavier weight, don’t skip doing a set of lighter warm-ups!

Let’s be honest about limits:

While learning and practicing these techniques will definitely make you safer and more resilient, it is not a silver bullet.

Getting older makes it harder to react in time. The most dangerous falls are surprises, and your window to execute the technique can be a fraction of a second or less. Sometimes, you won’t be able to perform a perfect forward roll. Reaction speed decreases with age, and flexibility factors in there as well.

That’s why, too bone density and muscle mass matter a lot and why we sing the praises of strength training for people of all ages. Rolling technique and physical resistance are neither/or. They detach.

Eventually, we can start practicing rolling from different angles and different entry points so that the skill can be applied even more widely.
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You will not always have the perfect situation to roll, but becoming more comfortable with the distribution of force on the ground and the protection of the head and neck is something that is always really useful to learn.

When the practice

Rolling practice lends itself naturally to a dynamic warm-up, or it can be its own short session. One thing to note: Learn this when you’re fresh, not at the end of a workout. You are acquiring a motor skill, and tired nervous systems do not learn well. Give it the attention it deserves. ❤️ This is one of those things that may take a few weeks or a few months of practice to get, but once you get it, it doesn’t take much to keep.

You have this. 💪

– Matt

PS Looking for practical, real advice without all the BS? That’s exactly what ours coaching program is built on. 🔥