Are there correct ways to fall?

I always hear (in this and other sports) "Oh, they're a pro, they know how to fall."...so how do you fall? I'm hoping to land attempt and land a 360, but its that whole fear backside digger that has kept me from attempting it. Is there way when doing the trick that I should fall so as to best avoid it?

Sometimes you just have to go all out and try with no good way to fall, right? Outside of using a skate, there's no way around the possible pain on a raley attempt, is there?

tuck and roll!

take it with your forehead!

when I read the thread title I knew you would post, but just tuck and roll. Gerald Joe is the guys who always say "oooo that hurt. that's cause he doesn't know how to fall" come on Joe what's the secret?

i never said that...ever!

i simply said, along w/ learning how to ride, one must learn how to fall as well. and it's no secret...everyone knows it's "tuck and roll."

Also, try to avoid direct face to water contact. I hear that tends to sting this time of year. If you know a big fall is coming, try to get away from doing a bellyflop by going to your side. BS 3's are not painful to fall on, unless you overrotate clip your toe edge in the water and basically get the worst faceplat and whiplash you could ever experience. Go big or go home. that's all there is to it.

True dat. When you know you're going down, dive into it!

haha. Thanks. Knew i'd get some helpful advice here. I tried a few ollie and w2w BS 180's with the boat speed real low, but the water wasnt solid enough to get much push off of. Was too chicken to go full speed. I was suprised how little tantrum falls hurt at 20mph though.

so you're trying tantrums before you're getting 180s? hmmm, I'd say get your 180s and 360s down before going bigger, because otherwise you'll just huck yourself and have no body control in the air. get your basics, then go big.

Hey Gerald -
http://www.wakepics.com/media/crash-lowres.wmv
Here's a few really great ways to fall (Buffalows' seems to be one of the least painful). Your gonna get yer bell rung, eye lids peeled back and nuts run into your belly from time to time... Just try not to let your thoughts on "bail'n out" overshadow your objective... I do Love this clip! Maintains my inspiration.

I mix it up. I still have the tendency to want to look down at the water too much on 180's so that's where my issue is. However, the tantrum only gives me the correct option as far as looking at the water, (and even then i think i still shut my eyes) so its a whole different section of my skill to work on.

I thought 360's were generally considered bigger than tantrums anyways.

Of course, all this is what i did 6 months. This year i'm gonna come out and nail them all by the end of May!!!

Eyes and mouth wide open. Works great.

Gerald, you just gotta learn to love to crash. Sooner or later you're gonna get worked, but it's all in fun. If it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger. Pain is just weakness leaving the body, my friend. If you learned a 3 and didn't take a couple really hard ones, that 3 wouldn't be all that special to you now would it?

"BS 3's are not painful to fall on"

Whatever... I broke my jaw in two places by under-rotating a HS BS 3. I still have amnesia for the impact, but the film shows me looking down at the water right before TS edge dug and knee smashed face.

Do not look down when attempting on-axis 3s. You should be following the horizon around with your eyes.

Try a TS FS 3 first if your TS pop is even halfway good (questionable if you don't do 180s). Otherwise, try a HS FS 3. The falls tend to be less brutal. The trick is to make sure you take your pop all the way up before you initiate the spin. Even now when I biff that trick, it is always because I lose concentration and initiate the spin too early, which is what most people tend to do. Make sure you can do your handle pass routinely on land against the pull of a fixed object before you try it on the water. A contraption like Schwenne's/Proflight's spin-o-matic thing-a-ma-jig will help.

Good luck.

Press the EJECT BUTTON on your Handle

oh shnikeys. Watched the video. Some painful falls. I like the idea of rolling and making sure the head is up and hits last.

My TS pop is decent (and more consistent than my heel side), but again, i look down too much so i dont get as much air as i could

Eject button? is what those little foam floaties are really for?

Have you tried bubble wrap?

Here's one way.....


And here's another....



Nacimiento 2005

OUCH! those look like they hurt real bad. especially that second one. I'm sure everyone's had a few falls that just ring your bell real good.

Here is a good laugh, my first ever 360 attempt.

http://home.comcast.net/~chris.sontag/360lol.MPG