The Correct Way to Side Fall

Being able to safely fall is one of the most important things to learn in martial arts. Surprisingly many experienced martial artists do it incorrectly or never learned to do it at all. This is incredibly dangerous. In a conflict, nothing is more vital than the ability to hit the ground and bounce back up unharmed. Today I begin a series of articles on the proper way to fall. Today: Sideways Fall

The Hapkido Sideways Fall allows the martial artist to fly through the air sideways and land safely. This is handy if you are suddenly knocked down by anything from a person to a car. We will show you how to safely dissipate the forces of falling that would ordinarily injure a human body.

Prepare Your Arms
Start from a standing position. To fall sideways sweep one leg across your body and lean in the opposite direction. At the same time cross your arms in front of you with the hand on the same side as your sweeping leg closer to your face. You will use your hand to absorb most of the impact from your fall.

Turn Slightly Away from the Ground
As you are falling turn your body slightly away from the ground. When you fall you must protect the fragile parts of your body that can break. Bones like the hips will snap like twigs when impacting concrete. Turning slightly away from the ground moves your hip bone out of danger and lets the soft part of your rear end absorb much of the force. Don’t turn too much. You don’t want to expose your back or tail bone to injury. At the same time press your chin to your chest. You could suffer a fatal wound if your head bounces on the pavement. Tucking your chin keeps your head from wobbling around on impact.

Slap the Ground at a 45 Degree Angle
Your arm will save the rest of your body. I am not talking about your elbow, wrists or fingers. They will break just as easily as any other bone in your body. Landing safely requires that the force of your fall be dissipated by as wide a surface area as possible. If your entire body weight came down on your wrist it would probably shatter. However that same impact is harmless if spread out along your forearm, leg and rear end. If you followed the last tip then you are now falling sideways turning slightly away from the ground. This is protecting your hip bone. Reach out and simultaneously slap the floor with both the arm closer to the ground at a 45 degree angle from your body. Do NOT reach down and try to stop falling by holding your arm down straight. This will snap your forearm in two.

Slap the Ground with the Side of Your Leg and the Ball of Your Foot
At the same time your arm slaps the ground the side of your leg closer to the ground should also land. This should be the fleshy outside of the leg not the knee or ankle. Meanwhile the ball of your other foot should land as well. This is important for spreading out the force of the impact over as much safe body area as possible.

Brace for Impact
If you do not prepare yourself for the impact of the fall you will likely have the wind knocked out of you. This is a rather unpleasant experience. To avoid this you must tighten your abdomen and let the air out of your lungs. Martial artists will let out a yell called a “kyup.” This takes the jolt out of any impact.

Use Perfect Technique
Ultimately the Hapkido Sideways Fall is a timing move. Everything needs to happen at once. Remember, once you are falling sideways you must protect your vital regions and break your fall with your non vital regions. Let’s review. Sweep one leg across your body while crossing your arms and tucking your chin to your chest. Turn your body slightly away from the ground to protect your hip bone. Reach out and slap the ground with your arm closest to the floor at a 45 degree angle to your body. At the same time the fleshy side of your leg closest to the ground and the ball of the foot on your other leg land. Let out an abdomen tightening yell as you impact the floor. If you do it right you will bounce right back up without a scratch or bruise.

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The Hapkido Sideways Fall requires confidence. If you are afraid to fly through the air and land on your side then you will hesitate and hurt yourself. Commitment to the move is essential. Practice slowly at first with a partner on a soft surface. Once you realize that you wont be injured if you do it correctly you can move up to harder surfaces like grass. Take it slow. Martial artists practice years to perfect this technique.
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There is risk of injury with any martial arts technique. No move should be attempted without proper training and adequate supervision by a qualified professional. Always guard your head, neck and vital organs from injury. Take all reasonable precautions. Don't attempt any technique alone.