How to fall? This is not as common a beginner question as "What shoes do I buy?", "Am I ready to start leading?", or "I have been climbing for 2 weeks and climb V6, is that good?". But...it comes up every once in a while.

http://www.rockclimbing.com/...ost=2478526;#2478526

Is falling a skill? Yes, just like walking or skipping is. Most people can walk or skip down the street without tripping over themselves, but some of us (I mean you) have trouble with this relatively simple task.

In my experience, in both observation and instruction, most people "get it." I don't really have to go over "How to fall." But, every once in a while I witness someone who needs this instruction, and has what I like to call "Dead Fish Syndrome." This means when it comes time to fall, their body just goes limp and they do not actively try to keep themselves upright. This usually results in them flipping over. They ALWAYS look surprised. I have witnessed this a handful of times over the years and it's always pretty dramatic. It happened in the gym the other night. He knew he was going to fall, let go, flipped over, got a bad burn on his back, and squished his, um... business.

Why does this happen? Is is TOO much faith in the equipment? Being TOO top-heavy for their own good? Lack of awareness of gravity? Lack of coordination? Inner ear infection?

Sit harnesses that we all wear were designed to make climbing safer. I have never worn a swami belt and I am pretty sure that I would not want to take a fall in one. But, did you know that with a sit harness you are much more likely to flip over? You won't break any ribs or crush your spleen, but who wants to flip over and bash their head on the rock? Something to think about.

I teach Physical Education grades K-6. Usually by first, maybe 2nd grade(which is late), everyone can skip. Most get it by Kindergarten. When they can't it's a good sign of immature or inadequate overall motor ability. Are these the same kids that might start climbing later in life and are flipping over when taking a supposedly "normal", routine fall?

There has been a lot of talk about falling over the years, but it always centers around two things: Fear and Safety.

1. Fear - Is it irrational or justified. If it's irrational then how to I get over it? The Rock Warriors way books and forum have tons of info on this.

2. Safety - Is the rope behind my leg? How's my pro? Will I hit anything?

I propose to add a new discussion, for those of you who can't skip:

3. Mechanics - Keep body tension and balance in the right places to insure that your body stays upright. If you fall in a less than ideal position, then you must fight against gravity and momentum to get yourself upright. As you start to fall, you can also sometimes use the wall itself to get yourself to an upright position.

Now I have never skydived, but I know that you don't just fall. You need to get in the proper position to control your descent. When falling in climbing, it's the same, you just have a much smaller window to do it.

Once in an upright position, you should relax with your arms and legs bent to absorb any impact, should it come.

Discuss.

Josh

Nice post!

I'd just add that there is a correct and incorrect way to wear a harness. If you habitually refuse to wear your waist strap at your waist and just wrap it around your hips then you are much more unbalanced in the harness.

Discuss.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone fall in what I would call a "dead fish". Deer in headlights? Stone statue? Screaming Banshee? With the exception of someone completely busting their ass to the point of complete total body exhaustion (e.g. offwidth or other awkward tard climbing) and simply giving up, most people that I've seen fall poorly go stiff.

I propose to add a new discussion, for those of you who can't skip:

3. Mechanics - Keep body tension and balance in the right places to insure that your body stays upright. If you fall in a less than ideal position, then you must fight against gravity and momentum to get yourself upright.

As you start to fall, you can also sometimes use the wall itself to get yourself to an upright position.

Now I have never skydived, but I know that you don't just fall. You need to get in the proper position to control your descent. When falling in climbing, it's the same, you just have a much smaller window to do it.

Once in an upright position, you should relax with your arms and legs bent to absorb any impact, should it come.

You mean there is a group of people out there that purposely wear there harnesses too low? Is this like the kids that wear their pants low, showing off their nice undies?

I blame it on hip-hop.

Josh

I'm curious as to specifically how you can use body tension and balance to insure that your body stays upright in light of the law of conservation of angular momentum.


That at least doesn't violate any physical laws.


You can't compare the two. In skydiving, you push against air resistance to change the orientation of your body in space. In a rock climbing fall, you never build up enough speed to use air resistance to your advantage—or if you do I'd suggest your use the relative wind to flip over onto your back, so that at least you don't have to watch what's about to happen to you.


That much is true, but you have to explain how, once you lose contact with the rock, how you can do anything at all to stabilize your body position if you leave the wall with any rotational momentum.

Jay

That much is true, but you have to explain how, once you lose contact with the rock, how you can do anything at all to stabilize your body position if you leave the wall with any rotational momentum.

Jay

I know the longer amount of rope out lessens the fallfactor. Which if I understand correctly the definition of is

Fall factor: A measure of the severity of a fall, calculated by dividing the length of the fall by the length of the rope in the system; the greater the fall factor, the greater the impact force on the anchors, climber, and belayer.

So if you are trad climbing and you think that your nuts aren't sloid, but you have a few in there and close together they can be cliped to with a cordelette
(a multi piece connection). Which if used properly
would distribute the weight of a falling climber evenly
on all placements. One dicy placement might not hold. Three dicy placements equalized can provide a sugnifigantly larger ammount of safty when holding a falling climber.

I'm curious as to specifically how you can use body tension and balance to insure that your body stays upright in light of the law of conservation of angular momentum.
Jay

What does any of that have to do with anything in this thread?

Josh

I was trying to help.
Go ask Craig Luben what it has to do with it.
Ass hole.

I'm curious as to specifically how you can use body tension and balance to insure that your body stays upright in light of the law of conservation of angular momentum.


That at least doesn't violate any physical laws.


You can't compare the two. In skydiving, you push against air resistance to change the orientation of your body in space. In a rock climbing fall, you never build up enough speed to use air resistance to your advantage—or if you do I'd suggest your use the relative wind to flip over onto your back, so that at least you don't have to watch what's about to happen to you.


That much is true, but you have to explain how, once you lose contact with the rock, how you can do anything at all to stabilize your body position if you leave the wall with any rotational momentum.

Jay

Ask any cat how it flips around if it falls wrong.

In thinking more about this and awkward falls I have taken, it does take something to change the momentum like tapping the wall.

Josh

You can't do much about any rotational momentum you leave the wall with (except try to minimise it before you leave the wall) but you can substantially change the position of your centre of gravity relative to your tie-in point - which, when the rope comes taught, becomes your pivot point.

Want to flip over for sure? Pull your legs up and raise your arms so that your centre of gravity is well above the pivot point. Want to remain upright? Legs extended (slightly bent, of course, to absorb the impact), arms down by you side, and perhaps tuck your upper body forward. Everything to try to get your centre of gravity below your hips.

Your quoting me and leaving out half of my post.

Then let me guess your next step is to play your trump card?

Well I'll just play it like this....your not invited.

Similar to a cat, however, you can change your angular momentum by using body english, AKA "rolling down the windows".

Ask any cat how it flips around if it falls wrong.