LEt me put it as simply as possible, breakfalls are everything in Judo, if you cannot breakfall then you cannot do Judo. And this because is because if you cannot breakfall then you will get injured.
Beginners need to learn breakfalls but unfortunately many clubs skip over breakfalls so that the beginner can get into the fun stuff, like throwing people, and herein lies the problem.
As coaches we need to spend a decent amount of time teaching our students how to breakfall properly because if not we will create a judoka who is not only a bad partner, but also someone who can potentially hurt themselves.
Here are some things that can happen to you if you are not confident with falling:
1 – You will get hurt
2 – You will be a horrible training partner to work with
3 – You will get hurt
4 – You will get hurt
BUT if you practice your breakfalls (or ukemi in Japanese) and gain confidence then you will:
– Fall safely
– Not get injured
– Become a co-operative partner
– Will get better at Judo
Beginners need to learn breakfalls and they need to learn them well and by doing so they will be able to fall safely, not get hurt and enjoy the sport of Judo so much more.
If you are a beginner and you are reading this I encourage you to download my breakfall progressions DVD, practice your breakfalls at home and become get more confidence around falling. If you do this you will learn a lot faster than if you are stiff and scared of being thrown.
And practice your falls at home, when yo practice breakfalls you gain spatial awareness, confidence, security, co-ordination and so much more.
So start practicing your breakfalls so you can start enjoying all aspects of Judo.
One great questions I get asked is:
“How do I know if I am a bad partner?”
The answer is simple. “Do people throw you nicely and smoothly, or do you find that every time someone throws you, it is a bit off, a bit awkward and not quite right, even the higher grades?” If this is the case then chances are you are a bad partner.
But if every time someone throws you it feels crisp and nice and doesn’t hurt, then yes you are a good partner.
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