Falling With Style

[Berlin]

In the late 80's, I attended a race school and as part of the lessons we learnt how to fall off :)

Depending on what kind of crash we were facing we were given different methods of "Falling with Style" so that injuries were minimised and chances of getting clobbered by a following rider (or car coming the other way) were reduced.

I've done a bit of checking and can't find anywhere that still offers this kind of thing.

In a high side we were taught that we should not straighten out and roll upon landing. Keep arms in and don't lock your arms.

In a high speed wipe out (Like in losing the front end into a fast corner) we were told to get onto our backs and spread out so we didn't roll and just slid gracefully to a stop (and even when to get back up, whilst still sliding so we could run back to the bike)

In a regular off we were given a position like a Z shape body with Gloves (fisted hands) pressed against the visor and of we rolled the contact points were Knees, bum and forarms.

If sliding feet first down the track we were taught to roll as we slid away from the racing line so as we slid we moved sideways too. handy if you're sliding towards an oncoming car.

In a T bone Situation we were taught to jump up and off the bike so we flew over the obstacle we had just hit (gate, fence, car , barrier etc) as the most serious injuries come from an abupt stop. Sliding down the road on the other side of the obstacle is the safer option.

It took a while to get them ingrained but once learned they were a reflex action depending on situation. You just did them instinctively as soon as you leave the bike. Even now, I find myself priming my legs to jump if a car driver looks like pulling out.

You can see that the GP/Superbike racers have had these lessons when they come off.

Does anyone know if these courses are still available?

Cheers, Carl

[Captain Nemo]

sounds great in practice, .how many of these trainees actually got the chance to put the solutions into practice, id hazard to guess, that generally, youd be too busy concentrating on avoiding the problem than trying to remember the best way to bail.

IMHO they would have been better spending that extra hour or so teaching better observational skills or hazard avoidance..............................

[Berlin]

I agree but this was a race scool and if you're not falling off occasionally in racing, you're not close enough to the edge :)

I used this very valuable info on many, many occasions and (touching wood) was never seriously hurt on the track or indeed the road. (My fastest off was at the end of the staight at Knockhill at about 140mph and I walked away without even a bruise! I hit a tractor's roller at 90mph in the early 90's on the road after he decided to turn across me without indicating and I jumped over the top. And with many more.)

I know without having these lessons I probably would'nt be here writing this.

It's all well and good learning to control what happens up until the point where it all goes wrong but then what?

Car drivers go for Skid pan lessons so they know what to do when *they* lose it but for bikers, learning how to fall is the equivalent to skid pan training. And of course, you can never predict 100% what other people are going to do on the road. There's always going to be a numpty that doesn't look or a nice diesel slick/ Horse crap/ dead rabbit on the line you've taken through a particular corner.

I Just wondered if this kind of thing was stil available or not? I know you can get this type of thing in rollerblading and snowboarding lessons. But I can't find one for bikes.

cheers, Carl

[lukemillar]

I agree but this was a race scool and if you're not falling off occasionally in racing, you're not close enough to the edge :)

I used this very valuable info on many, many occasions and (touching wood......

and cloth :wink:

[northwind]

Sort of like most martial arts, which teach you how to land... That gets ingrained, it'd probably help bikers too since generally sticking out your arms or hands just gets them broken in either application :rolleyes: Personally, I always think soft thoughts, and flap my arms.

[sarah]

Sort of like most martial arts, which teach you how to land... That gets ingrained, it'd probably help bikers too since generally sticking out your arms or hands just gets them broken in either application :rolleyes: Personally, I always think soft thoughts, and flap my arms.

...and snowboarding. I'm wondering if my aptitude for falling over whilst attempting to snowboard helped when some bloke drove into us on the bike because my injuries suggest that i mostly landed on my left forearm rather than putting out my hands.

[Stu]

So how do they teach it?

[Wester]

So how do they teach it?

Now thats the good part.
Start at CBT level with all those snotty little chavs in their shorts and t-shirts and then KABLAMO! Ejector seat.

Good god that would be great.
I would coach them.

[Ed]

I lowsided 3 years ago. It happened so quick there wasn't time to think about what was happening let alone how to land. Perhaps if the actions had become automatic I wouldn't have been so badly hurt:confused:

[northwind]

...and snowboarding. I'm wondering if my aptitude for falling over whilst attempting to snowboard helped when some bloke drove into us on the bike because my injuries suggest that i mostly landed on my left forearm rather than putting out my hands.

For some reason, snowboarding switched all my good falling reflexes of completely, I was well up for some scaphoid breaks but I got away with it :rolleyes:

It's easier to teach stuff like this with martial arts or snowboarding, because no matter what you're going to spend a lot of time falling over... With biking, even the biggest eejit (me) doesn't fall off that much.

[tomjones2]

So how do they teach it?

The long straight at snetterton, throttle held open, no brakes.

Possibley a giant clay pigion machine?

very low flying plane and a runway.

[Stu]

Seriously?

The promotion vid for the airbag jacket i have shows it operating as people fall off horses because they can carry on without crashing, but the bikers just stand by there bike & acticvate them.

So who is going to intentionally trash their bike although I have heard that is part of Police bike training (dodgy source)

So how does it become ingrained unless you are properly practising it?

[Wester]

I daresay there is a way to simulate accidents.
throw them onto gym matts or whatever.

[Berlin]

On the course I did it was repetitive pratice. Once we'd learnt the positions and reactions the instructor would shout out the crash we were having and do this randomly until it was instantanious.

This took a whole morning to learn about 5 positions so as soon as he shouted the "crash" we were having we'd assume the position required. Its stayed with me ever since. I use it in snowboarding too.

The lowside mentioned a couple of post above this is the Z shaped, hands on visor position (low speed, because your higher and fall further) or slide on the back (High speed because your leant over more and fall less far).


Cheers,
Carl

[stuartyboy]

Gulp!