We all fall. Whether you’ve been riding since birth or just started yesterday, it’s likely that you take a spill every now and then. Some of us, like me, freak out and flail like a fish out of water while falling. This, though a natural reaction, is a very bad idea.
There are, believe it or not, right ways to fall. Though this means we will have to actually “practice” crashing in order to land correctly, after a few attempts things get much easier. Obviously, you don’t want to practice these on the edge of the cliff you usually ride on. It’s best to go into a grassy field, do some stretches, and physically prepare to take a few spills.

Here are a few techniques that help riders minimize injury during the inevitable.

The Shoulder Roll

This is the process of practicing a sideways roll, but without all of the force present in a hard crash. Simply stand at a normal posture, bend your waist, and roll forward. The trick here is to use one of your hands to brace yourself while rolling (bent inward to minimize the risk for injury) while using enough force to return to your feet. Make sure to follow through with one hand, rolling onto your arm and eventually your shoulder and back. This exercise is meant to prepare us for those awkward sideways falls, in which you fly off the bike in an unusual fashion. After a few tries, you may be ready to move on to something more interesting, like the forward roll.

The Forward Roll

This is basically preparation for the ominous endo. Some people fall with grace and almost enjoy these accidents, others land like Fat Albert belly flopping at a swimming pool. I won’t tell you which one I am. At any rate, the forward roll is a great way to practice for the many over-the-handlebar experiences we all have. This is very similar to the shoulder roll, except instead of using one shoulder, you use both. Start as you would when practicing for the shoulder roll, just make sure to brace for impact with both hands before rolling smoothly onto your shoulders and eventually your back. Obviously, the goal is to emerge triumphant and pop back up on your feet as if you’d planned it all along. Trust me; some people I know are so good at this they actually look like they might have done it on purpose.

The Forward Dive

This is where you actually use momentum to execute these rolls. In order to do a forward dive, put something on the ground that you want to jump over. Then go back 10 or 15 feet, walk quickly toward the object, and dive over it. The forward dive is nice because you can practice for both endo’s and other crashes. Once you get good at doing a dive onto both shoulders, alternate. Once you practice these and finally have an actual accident, odds are you’ll be much better prepared.

I scream. You scream. We all scream. Well, when we crash that is. However, we don’t have to. Get outside once a week and practice these “maneuvers” and after a month you’ll be landing like a gymnast.