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Safe Falling -- Anecdotes and Testimonials

The Fearless Falling program is too new to be "evidence-based" through repeated, controlled, and randomized clinical studies.  However, the basic techniques are well-known as prior art, and are scientifically based on human biomechanics, physics, and physiology.  The following anecdotal evidence is from and about seniors from our classes who were able to use their safe falling methods in real situations; sometimes years later.

D.A. 2023
I have taken 2 rounds of classes with Mike at Whetstone, and I have fallen a few times since my classes and can tell you they work.
Your body and mind just kick in when needed.

Thank you Mike,
S.B. 2023

After attending just three falling classes, she caught her foot on carpet when stepping back from a shop display. As she fell backward, she remembered to protect her head with an arm, then tucked and sat down on one side. She had serious bruising and some whiplash, but no concussion or need for emergency treatment.

J.D. 2022

 I last took your Fearless Falling class in the beginning of 2020, just as the Covid-19 pandemic was getting started. About midway through 2020 my wife Judy & I started playing a lot more pickleball, particularly outside, with a small bubble of friends where we could all have some control over our level of exposure.

Over the next year and a half I ended up falling 3 times while playing pickleball and each time I avoided injuring myself by using techniques I learned in your class. Each time I fell it was running to my right, while reaching out to the right, with the paddle in my right hand, low to the ground. I ended up dragging my right toe, tripping, and falling forward and to my right. Each time I ended up somewhere between the spin, sit down, roll from our butt to our shoulder and the forward roll using my right hand and arm to direct the fall past my head and over to my back side.

During the same period of time another member of our pickleball bubble fell similarly but stiff-armed with his left arm and ended up breaking both his radius and ulna near his wrist. 

S.B. 2022

As a wheelchair user S.B. had some head and arm injuries from falls while transferring from his bed to the chair. He had a another fall after several classes, and this time was able to completely protect himself with a slapping and rolling movement.
D.S. 2022

Slipped going up a carpeted flight of stairs -- "slapped the cheese" with no major injury. Had attended only three classes.
F.B. 2022

One of the earliest Fearless Falling students, F.B. showed up for another class ten years later! Still playing tennis at almost ninety years old, he had a fall on the court and was able to use the tuck-sit-roll method he had trained in a decade earlier. Although his injuries were minimal and his friends were amazed, he was not happy with his "awkward hand position" and decided he needed a "refresher course."

S.M. 2022

Hi Mike!

I just wanted to let you know your class really came through for me when I went roller skating yesterday.

Now, I'm usually really steady, but I came around a corner pretty fast when a small child was changing directions and moving out into my lane of travel so i stepped off the floor onto the carpet to avoid a collision. The new carpet was really grabby because my skates stopped way faster than expected and I flew face first to the ground. no time to think, but I "slapped the cheese" and got back up ready to go again.

Out on the floor again, I then managed to find a small wet spot someone had left when my wheel slid out and i did an unexpected shoot-the-duck and skidded a good 5 feet. But again, landed in perfect position with my head safely tucked and found an employee to help dry the spot so no one else would wipe out.

No broken wrists, no bruises, I finished the session and even did a few more shoot-the-ducks (no falling this time).

Thank you for all the practice! There really wasn't any time to think for either fall so the training really saved me a trip to the hospital.
D.N. -- June, 2022

Leaving the house, his wife had turned to lock the back door, and heard a thump.  D.N. had lost his balance (due to Parkinson's) and pitched forward off the sidewalk.  "I slapped the cheese!" he said.  Actually, he slapped the marigold plantings, but with only a minor scrape and no serious injury.  They had taken only half the Fearless Falling class sequence, over five years ago.
 
T.K --  May, 2022

Falling, Fearlessly (and with apparent grace)

Our daughter’s family keeps its house dark.  Lighting is low, even on winter nights.  Once the sun goes down, the common room that comprises the kitchen, a small dining area, and an alcove with bay windows, has the lighting of a cave.  To add to the darkness, the floor is a very dark brown-stained wood.  It hides dirt, but it also allows shoes and sports gear to disappear. 

The family also has two English Labrador Retrievers, the larger male is a yellow Lab, and his sister is so dark that she has the appearance of the kind of black that is the absence of light.  The big dog follows people around.  The smaller female greets her people and then lies down.  On that floor, even in daylight, she is almost invisible. 

One evening in April, while my wife and I were taking Fearless Falling, our dinner was self-serve tacos.  We all gathered around the kitchen island to collect the various elements and then moved to a table.  My turn.  Carrying an empty plate, I headed for the food and tripped – yes, the black dog. 
I heard gasps then cheers.  Fearlessly and instinctively, I held the plate high in my left hand, curled forward, wrapping my right arm around my head, and bounced back up.  I could have called, “Ta-da!”  But instead enjoyed my grandchildren and son-in-law cheering. 

Six months earlier, my wife stepped backwards and tripped over the same camouflaged dog, landed on her hip and broke a bone at the top of her right femur.  That compelled us to Fearless Falling when we learned about it.  And just recently, our daughter, who teaches Cross-Fit, was walking with that pup when it stopped in front of her, sending her to the ground. 

When she got up, her husband said, “Maybe you should take the old peoples’ falling class.”  Daughter was amused. 

H.P. -- May, 2019

I am currently taking the Fearless Falling class at the Clintonville Community Center.  After about 3 classes, I had an opportunity to test out the training. 

I was walking my dog with my niece along the Scioto River on a beautiful day when my dog pulled me off the road onto a gravel hill and my foot started slipping and I knew I was going down.  I heard in my head the instruction to sit down and as I did I tucked my chin and pulled in my arms and rolled on my left side.  Apart from bumping my elbow, I was completely unhurt.  My niece, who observed the fall, said that it was the most graceful fall she had ever seen!

This experience was very different from a fall I took before the class, where I was walking at Northwest Park on a day with a light coating of snow.  I was walking along and hit a patch of ice and went down hard on my wrists and tailbone...luckily I didn't break anything but I was very sore for several days!

The reason I took the class was my Dad (who lived to 103) told me that because he knew how to fall, he never hurt himself when he fell (and he fell often!)

I am so grateful for what I have learned in this class!
C.G -- June, 2018

Coming out of a store, tripped over a low parking berm, and fell flat forward.  "Slapped the cheese" without even thinking, and had no major injuries.  Had taken the Fearless Falling class six years ago!
J.B. -- February, 2018

I was walking along a street in Utila (an island off the coast of Honduras) that was concrete with gutters along each edge that dropped down perpendicular to the top surface when one foot stepped too close to that perpendicular edge and my ankle started to roll over. Not wanting to cause further injury to my ankle, I turned away from that side and did a modified fall; landing on one butt cheek while protecting my face with a "slap the cheese". My only injuries were a large bruise on my butt and a very small scrape near one elbow. Learning to fall does work!
R.B. -- January, 2018

Was walking after a snowstorm, and tripped/slipped on a sidewalk.  He turned, curled up, and sat down in the snowbank next to the walk. Completely unharmed, he was brushing off the snow when a bystander came rushing up to ask if he was hurt.  
"No, I'm fine," he said, "I knew what to do."
C.Y. -- 1-25-2018

I fell at the gas station today and used my forearms to “smack the cheese”! How about that?
-- student from 2014.
B.W. 2017

Mike,

I wanted to drop you a note to thank you again for my wonderful training in fearless falling classes. If you remember me I took 2 classes with you -- one at Whetstone and another at the Worthington Center.  I am so grateful as I have used the skills twice now.
Three years ago I was hit by a SUV walking in a crosswalk when I had the crossing  lights and it was very traumatic.  I had a L leg fracture and L arm fracture a R shoulder fracture. In addition there were 4 pelvic fractures.  Before I was hit I smelled the car motor and knew it was coming and turned and tucked my body and head.  The Doctors said this saved my internal organs and head from injury. I spent three months in the hospital and rehab and have worked hard to learn to walk again.  Now I am walking with a cane for outside mobility, but I am so grateful.

Today I was entering a store and there was a barrier at the front door I didn't see and I fell down in a second going forward but I instinctively bent my knees and slapped the cheese on the floor and pulled up my chin to protect my face.  How lucky I am!  Right now I am so sore, but all my limbs are intact. I knew I had to go home and write you to say thank you again for your devotion to helping others learn how to fall correctly to protect themselves.
A.J.:

AS AN OCTOGENARIAN I CAN ASSURE YOU THIS TRAINING  CAN PREVENT SERIOUS INJURY.  MY ONLY FALL, AT MY AGE, ON A SLIPPERY FLOOR IN A HARDWARE ENABLED ME BECAUSE OF THIS TRAINING TO BE COMPLETELY UNSCATHED.

Dear Mike,
Just wanted to thank you for teaching the “Fearless Falling” class and
share an experience that I believe, proves the value of the class.
I was delivering a basket of peaches to friends when I tripped on an
uneven part of their cement walk. My toe was stuck in a crack and I was
falling face down onto the concrete.

The next thing I was aware of was that my body’s muscle memory had
taken over and I landed in the ideal position for that fall. My chin was
tucked down and my arms were protecting my head. I had twisted onto
the side of my back in a curled-up position. My only injury was a small
scrape on the side of my knee. Even though I had practiced that fall
many, many, times I was amazed that it really worked! I wasn’t even sore
the next day!

At 68 years old, I hate to think what would have happened if I had not
taken your class and learned how to fall properly. I’ve encouraged all my
friends to take this class. It’s one of the most important things I’ve done
for myself. It’s good exercise and it’s fun!

Thanks again,
D.B.

I still recall that you were the one who taught me the basics of falling all those years ago in the old gymnastics room at Larkins, and I still use a lot of your lessons in my class.  People always ask me if I've ever had to use my martial arts training, and are really excited when I tell them, "Yeah, a couple times a year."

Then I tell them about falling, and while they are usually a little disappointed, it becomes an interesting discussion about all this (martial arts) being about more than kicking and punching (or grabbing and throwing as it were).

T.M. -- Black Belt Instructor

Thank you. The class has already saved me from two falls.

 B.CP.

This afternoon I was sitting at my desk in my home office/craft center. I was sitting on my old "kneeling chair" that I've used with my computer for DECADES!  It's one of those things where you kneel on a padded section and sit on a backless section and your weight is sent forward so you don't hurt your back.  I pushed back to grab a pair of scissors, and the main bolt slipped out and the seat suddenly flipped, sending me ass over teakettle, backwards, with my feet going straight up!  My training kicked in and I curled up and protected my head...landing hard on my butt.  My head never touched the ground!  Of course my butt will probably be black and blue for a week but I really wasn't hurt.  I had no time to think about what was happening so it's all due to my training!

Successfully yours,

S.RB.
I wanted to share my latest fall with you.  I was rushing about at the Las Vegas airport.  As I had not been outdoors all day and the sun was very bright when I stepped into it, I could not see a barrier across the street.  I walked full force into it and bounced backward into the street, falling on my back.  Thanks to the falling training, I tucked my arms, hands, and head and rolled enough to absorb the impact.  My fall could have resulted in great pain and injury, but it didn't.  I bruised my thumb when I was forced from my suitcase or roller bag, I am not sure which thing, probably my suitcase.  I also bruised my left knee from the impact with the barrier.

I braced my thumb over the weekend and the swelling went down.  My knee is tender, but recovering as well.     Thanks to the fall techniques, I did not hurt my wrists, arms, elbows, hips, tailbone, or head.  Considering the unforgiving nature of concrete, I would say I did very well.

B.F.
A.K. -- 90 years old:

Had a bad fall in her bathroom after only 3 classes. She was pulling down the shower curtain and the rod suddenly came loose; she fell backwards on to a hard floor.  She injured her right wrist - a serious sprain, but remembers tucking and curling up: no head-strike, no concussion, from what could have been a lethal fall.
J.H. -- 75 years old:

Her husband was backing the car out of the garage in the winter.  Standing in the driveway, she stepped back to get further out of the way, and both feet caught on a small decorative curb hidden under the snow, tripping her backwards.  She sat down quickly and rolled back in a couple inches of snow with no injury at all.
N.R. -- 73 years old:

Was coming out of a McDonald's on a morning after an ice storm. Carefully stepping off the sidewalk next to an iced handicap ramp, her left foot suddenly slipped across right in front of her. As she fell forward towards her left side she said that all she could think was, "SLAP THE CHEESE!!!" She did; hitting mostly with her left arm. Her arm was bruised from her little finger all the way to her upper arm, but nothing was broken or seriously injured, and her head did not hit the ground.
M.R. -- 64 years old:

Going to services at her church, she tripped on the last stair just in front of the main entrance. Fell straight forward, and was able to break her fall with the front slap technique. No major injury.
M.L. -- 76 years old:

Tripped and fell forward on concrete outside a voting location. Used the front slap technique. No facial contact or injury, but did strain one shoulder.
J.C.

Was at a bowling alley in the wintertime with friends. They were down by the alley seating, changing shoes, when he slipped on a wet spot and fell down backwards while holding his bowling ball. He managed to toss his ball to one side, and sit and roll back on the other!
No injuries, no head-strike.