Ukemi

(breakfalls)

The art of falling is, in most cases, letting the broad expanse of the back take the shock of the fall. With this there are two important points to remember. The first and most important is keeping the head tucked in to avoid it banging the mat. The second is to not use the arms for saving one's position. For example, when a beginner takes up skating and his skates fly out from underneath he will drop down on his backside with both arms stretched out backwards to stop his upper body and head from hitting the ice. This is dangerous because if the fall is hard all the joints in the arm and shoulder could suffer injury. In this case it is better to keep the arms out of the way, with the chin tucked in and let the curve of the back take the impact.