By Rowan O’Malley I love my life on the homestead: being outdoors and growing lots of food in the garden. Heck, even doing chores that most folks find tedious, like piling wood or organizing the shed, are enjoyable to me when I’m out getting some fresh air in the bargain. But let’s face it: what this lifestyle relies on is a lot of good, honest manual labor. If my ability to do that is jeopardized in any way, my ability to stay independently on my homestead is jeopardized as well. This brings me to the inspiration for my topic: Just in the past week, I have heard several stories of neighbors, friends, and friends of friends taking bad falls. One homesteader around my age (fifties) slipped on ice and broke her arm in two places. Her doctors are now contemplating rebreaking her healing arm to insert a plate. In the meantime, she is in considerable pain, and her husband is doing everything, as she is unable to do most of her chores. He works off the homestead, so this has put a strain on them. Like any good prepper, I always think about the “what ifs” in life. So, these days, I realize that my friend will get her surgery she needs for her arm and recover over time. Now, consider what might happen to her in a SHTF scenario? An injury like that could be life-threatening. There is the possibility of infection in a complex fracture, and where, exactly, are you going to get surgery? In your cousin Bob’s kitchen? Eeks! Would you ever regain the use of your arm if it is inexpertly/incorrectly splinted?  Being unable to perform chores in SHTF could jeopardize not only your survival but also that of your family or chosen survival group. Finally, being vulnerable in that way could make you a target for unsavory SHTF types. For all of these reasons, I’m going to share a portable prep that has already saved me once: learning how to fall properly and safely.  Is There a Wrong Way to Fall? Unfortunately, at least for us humans, falling is an accident waiting to happen. It turns out that the most common human instinct when falling is to try and break your fall with your hands. THIS IS THE WRONG WAY TO FALL! There’s even an acronym for it: FOOSH – Falling On Out-Stretched Hand. And it turns out that this is a very good way to break your hand, wrist, or upper arm.  Another common injury resulting from falls is head injuries. This is not something that you want to be dealing with in a SHTF scenario, trust me. And even worse, the ramifications could be long-term. Why and How I Learned to Fall Correctly I learned to fall in an unexpected way: a hard-core prepper friend of mine (ex-military) had recommended I take some self-defense lessons. I thought he was right, and signed up for some classes on a military base near where I was living at the time. What did we learn first? How to fall! Initially, I thought this was, well….pretty BORING until my sensei started sharing the stories of how helpful a skill this was in real life. I was hooked and had fun. Although I moved away and didn’t continue the lessons, the knowledge that falling was actually a SKILL stayed with me.  Where to Learn: In Person or Online If this idea of improving your ability to fall well has caught your interest, you may be wondering where you can learn. For those of you who are near enough, I really would recommend doing this in person with a local martial arts group. Many of the dojos in my area offer a series of free lessons before you need to join and pay a cent, either for the lessons or a proper uniform. Those of you who like efficiency might hire a sensei for private lessons on breakfalls. There are two reasons that I recommend learning with a qualified teacher. First, there’s no replacement for having a knowledgeable eye trained on you. Early on, I was sure I was falling well, but I needed repeated corrections from my sensei to get it right. Second, the dojo will have the proper mats. These are ideal for beginners to practice where the stakes are low: you will be cushioned when you fall the wrong way. You can learn to fall the right way and protect yourself when the stakes are much, much higher: on hard surfaces. The goal is to get the correct falling technique into your muscle memory. Unless you have a full set of mats, you might seek out a local gym to practice. In a pinch, I do think it would be better to practice on your bed than not practice at all. Or maybe a trampoline?  If you want to start learning online, I will share a few links. Keep in mind that you will see here are just introductions. In my group, we began with beginner-level breakfalls (from kneeling), and students would need to work up to full breakfalls from the standing position over a period of months. It takes time, practice and patience: This video gives a brief introduction to the types of falls (front, back, and side) and the different levels of difficulty to practice. Don’t worry about the rolls, though, unless you want to get into martial arts. Here’s another pair of intro videos: Part One Part Two  If you want to get the kids involved, there’s a delightful children’s book that teaches breakfalls and agility. If you would prefer to learn about this without the martial arts, I did find a series of nine videos from a website appropriately called The Science of Falling. Brent Pritt is a doctor of Physical Therapy and does a great job of explaining fall risks and how to avoid them. One of these videos, Stepping Strategies, is focussed on fall prevention by learning the edge of your body’s own balance point and practicing steps to recover yourself.  Not Just for Winter: How it Saved Me and My Sensei My own example of using this technique happened this past summer. I was organizing a bunch of stuff in my shed. I forgot where things were, and took a step backward onto something that took my feet out from under me. I fell on the concrete but used my backward breakfall technique, even though the last time I had been at the dojo was over two years ago. I was amazed to get up unhurt, even though I have a back problem. My sensei’s example was at his workplace, where he slipped on a wet floor, falling backward. He told us all how using his technique prevented his head from hitting the floor despite how quick and dramatic his fall was. Fall Right and Prevent a SHTF Catastrophe Learning how to fall safely could save your bones, your noggin, or even your life in SHTF. Have you learned this valuable skill already? Are you now interested in learning how? Do you have your own story of how falling safely prevented an injury? Please tell us in the comments section. About Rowan Rowan O’Malley is a fourth-generation Irish American who loves all things green: plants (especially shamrocks), trees, herbs, and weeds! She challenges herself daily to live her best life and to be as fit, healthy, and prepared as possible! The post Falling Correctly Isn’t Just Luck. It’s a Skill. appeared first on The Organic Prepper.