The Most Important Ninja Skill? Learning How to Fall
The Grit Report · For Parents
Every kid falls. They fall off bikes, off playground equipment, on icy sidewalks and on the soccer field. A CDC report on children’s injuries found that falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries for children, accounting for about 2.8 million emergency room visits a year.
We can’t stop kids from falling. But we can teach them how to fall well. At Grit Club, that’s one of the very first things every ninja and parkour athlete learns.
Why falling is a skill
When most people lose their balance, they panic. They stiffen up and throw out a straight arm to catch themselves, which is how wrists and elbows get hurt. Kids who have practiced falling react differently. They tuck their chin, round their back, bend their arms and roll or spread out the impact.
That reaction has to be trained. It only becomes automatic through practice, over and over, in a safe setting.
How we teach it
In class, falling is a game, not a lecture. Athletes practice on soft mats, starting low and building up:
- Safe landings: landing a jump on the balls of the feet with soft, bent knees
- Tuck and roll: rolling over the shoulder instead of the head or neck
- Breakfalls: spreading out the force of a fall with the arms and body instead of one locked arm
- Bailing out: stepping or jumping off an obstacle safely when a move isn’t going to work
As kids get comfortable, coaches add these skills to obstacle runs, so a safe fall becomes the natural thing to do.
Confidence, not fear
Kids who know how to fall are less afraid of trying new things. The fear of getting hurt is one of the biggest things holding kids back. When they trust their bodies to handle a mistake, they’re more willing to climb a little higher, try a new obstacle and keep going after they slip.
Skills for life
The same instincts that protect a ninja on the mat protect your child on the playground, the ski slope and the icy driveway. It’s one of the most practical things they’ll ever learn, and it starts in their very first class.
