I’ve always thought that crashing was an instinctive thing that you just do without thinking. After this year and a couple of bad crashes, I am thinking a bit differently and am trying to learn how to crash better.

The times I have managed to roll out of a crash and stayed loose I have normally been ok. When I have tried to hang on to the bike or been stiff then I’ve got hurt.

Of course, sometimes you are going to eat it and it is going to hurt no matter what.

Have you learned how to crash and has it made a difference to how often you get injured?

I try to hang onto the grips so I roll off the bike and don’t be so tempted to put a hand/arm out…

im usually on the deck before i know it, probably because i delude myself that im going to ride it out…

Depends on the crash really, sometimes you can jump off roll aim for something soft other times there is no chance to do anything. It’s all a bit of luck.

I tend to bounce like a sack of spuds a couple of times , which hurts. I’m amazed by some of the riders I’ve seen, one on a night ride had the front slip out on a greasy rock and before I could do anything he had front flipped over the front, did two forward rolls and was up looking for his bike as if it was the most normal thing to do. I was and still am gob-smacked as to how he did it.

I’ve learned to wear knee pads, elbow pads and a helmet.

if I’m going to do any idiot shit that is..

ask your riding buddies not to ride too close behind you

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeF9ur5IirA[/video]

Years of riding BMX from dirt to park riding you do learn to fall off,
I like to get away from the bike and i always roll to the left.(don’t know why)
Stay loose, keep arms bent, and roll

I keep my arms and elbows tucked in and try and roll, as I have one shoulder which has dislocated numerous times, and the other has wobbled a few times as well!.

Do some martial arts. Breakfalls get ingrained into your “muscle memory” adn I find that still I tend to roll rather than splat when crashing. Not always But I am convinced it helps

Relax and try to make the impact area as big as poss. Always easier said than done of course. In my house every time Tyra says fierce or horatio puts his sunglasses on I take a tumble. Means ya sit watching telly in yer full facer but its a small price.

TJ +1

amt27 – Member

I was enjoying that video listening to Deep Purple when somebody make a plonker of themselves!

Might have a crack at some judo again or a bit of parkour.

That vid is awesome! I must get my ass there at some point. Hope no serious injuries!!

I played rugby as a kid, which seems to have stood me in good stead in the ‘how to hit the ground without spangling yourself’ stakes, tuck and roll is the way forward, as well as knowing when to throw the bike away from you 😉

I learned to roll like a doll, being relaxed tends to save you and bringing my arms to my chest to take the impact normally works althogh recently my left arm like going forward resulting in a fractured elbow which is frustrating as i know its happening but cant seem to stop it 🙄

But this sums it up for me.

I’m fully aware of how it might sound, but really there is an art to crashing. Other than bruises, cuts and scrapes, it’s not that often that an impact will break bones outright- it tends to be your muscles tightening up that make them vulnerable. Relaxing is the key- not panicking. Note that if a person trips over, they could hurt themselves fairly easily as they’re not expecting it- but if that same person is drunk he could fall down a flight of stairs and barely feel it. Because he’s relaxed.

Mountain biking is an extreme sport, which means from time to time, you will crash. If that doesn’t sound good to you, sell your bike and take up bowling. It’s inevitability; so the sooner you accept that fact and lock it away at the back of your mind the better. If you’re riding scared, and are afraid of crashing you’ll be shocked when you do.

Of course another factor is the type of crash- there are many different types, some of which you can see coming, and others where you are on the floor before you realise you’ve made a mistake. On occasion, you’ll find yourself going too fast, and will be on the edge of control, which is a real buzz, but can be dangerous territory. Before you know it you’ll be bucking around tank slapping and will be scanning for somewhere to get off- make sure it’s a decent bush or a bank before you hurl yourself off the bike, and don’t put your arms out in front of you. Tuck your head in and roll if you can. Sticking your arms out begs for broken wrists and collarbones.

The worst crashes are those when you’re so focussed and are in the zone that you don’t even see them coming. You’re slamming the bike through turns, your tyres are carving in to the dirt and you feel great. BANG! Your head hit the floor! Ground! Sky! Ground- and eventually you come to a halt. These are the ones that hurt- take your time getting up- mentally check yourself over before moving, and get up slowly. Stretch, and think yourself lucky if you’re walking away.

It’s all too easy to hurt yourself- but if you’re mentally prepared, you should expect the unexpected.
Sooner or later you will crash- hopefully yours won’t be a bad one, but take the necessary measures to protect yourself- physically and mentally, and hopefully you’ll walk away…

+1 for martial arts.

After doing Judo as a kid and then Combat Karate at Uni it has helped a lot with my falling technique (touch wood).

Also noticed I use the same technique when wake boarding as I drop a shoulder and tuck my head in when heading for the inevitable and then arrest the roll with my arm and outstretched hand.

It becomes instinctive. If you are thinking about it then you will probably do it too slowly and hurt yourself more.

Do some martial arts. Breakfalls get ingrained into your “muscle memory” adn I find that still I tend to roll rather than splat when crashing. Not always But I am convinced it helps

Another +1
I’m sure my habit of breakfalling off the bike has saved me from a few scrapes.

Marital arts???!!!!!

Oh.

😳

Anyway, I’ve done yoga on and off for years and I’m convinced that the added flexibility helps in crashes.

For a front wheel wash out I also hang on to the bars until I hit the deck. I find this makes me land first on the top of the shoulder and then roll onto my back which dissipates the fall quite well. Earlier in my MTB career I put my hands out to break my fall and only ended breaking my collar bone.

+1 for hanging on to bike. My bars and pedals take the shock. Over the bars keep tucked. Dont stick your arms out to save yourself.

I find three to four pints helps

tend to roll, not put my arms out, done quite a few elegant OTB dismount/step overs too, no martial arts but then again just occasionally I do hit the deck like a sack of shit

Muscle memory eh? would that be the reason why when I went go karting and the back end started to slide I would start sticking my foot out of the kart? Didn’t actually try touching the tarmac but every slide my leg would come off the pedal and wave about in the air till I got control of myself again 😳

Not sure we always have the luxury of actually thinking about how we are going to fall. I fell off 5 times yesterday, was clearly having a bad day and still suffering from extreme man flu. The 5th crash put me down on a steep section into a deep rut/channel and into a tree. Considering how I would land was not an option sadly. Thought I’d broken my collar bone but didn’t as an xray later told me.

Some crashes though I agree, the whole world seems to slow down and you have ages to ponder the inevitable pain of your landing…

Muscle memory eh? would that be the reason why when I went go karting and the back end started to slide I would start sticking my foot out of the kart? Didn’t actually try touching the tarmac but every slide my leg would come off the pedal and wave about in the air till I got control of myself again

I did the opposite, left hand corner, back steps out, weight the outside pedal (i.e. boot it!). Right hand corner, weightthe outide pedal (slam on the brake!)

Took a few laps to iron that one out!

Odly ont he MTB I have a magnetic attraction to trees whilst crashing. This cumulated in me dangling over a 20ft drop holding onto a tree after my front wheel washed out on a roll in/right hander in guisbrough. Lept off the bike and grabed the tree, momentum span me round the tree and I ended up dangling over the drop!

I did the opposite, left hand corner, back steps out, weight the outside pedal

can’t remember whether I did that too but I did get a lot of heckling from my fellow drivers, them seeing me cornering with my foot out.