Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)
I wrote an article recently on gravity in self-defense/martial arts but one aspect that is of importance not just in those arena’s but in the arena’s of health, well-being and most important of all, “Longevity,” came to mind. As coincidence (co-incide) there was an article I read early this morning on the dangers of falling after reaching into the, “Winter Years (> 60 years),” regarding loss of balance, etc. resulting in one “Falling.”
Note: Personally, I have to add in the ramifications and obstacles that come from suffering a major “Vertigo” incident.
As a martial artists who has a modicum of inexperience in judo it occurred to me that it might just be possible and beneficial to use, “Falls from martial teachings,” to combat falling. Falling means gravity and as many of us in martial arts as well as in self-defense know gravity is a major player especially when fighting and/or defense results in deaths, usually from falling and hitting head against very hard objects.
I don’t have the skill sets to teach but I have come to consider strongly learning how to fall again and to practice falling so that both my age and my vertigo, if that causes me to fall, can be mitigated as to injuries, etc. by proper falling through lessons, in falling properly. I would ask the many Judo and Jujitsu practitioners out there reading this to test this theory out and post as to how it may or may not actually work.
When I read the article on falling it provided many reasons as to why falling occurs. The mainstay of why tends to be the fitness and movement agility levels of those who pass into those winter years. For instance, as a sufferer of polio my legs lean toward certain obstacles and difficulties resulting in my making a concerted effort to walk, climb and work out certain ways. The methods I use help keep my hips, legs, knees, ankles and feet a bit more flexible and in the process contribute toward maintaining balance even under the issues from having vertigo, i.e., vertigo leaves the brain to reprogram and that takes time and concerted effort - the effort is the brain having to make a more conscious effort to maintain balance and as we age that makes the effort more taxing, i.e., you get tired mentally and that mental fatigue can cause the vertigo to disrupt balance resulting in a fall.
As we martial artists age we benefit from a life time of training and practice as it applies to balance, structure and movement. Those are traits that will benefit us when we begin to reach higher age in those winter years. Even with vertigo I find my training actually made a huge difference, in my mind, in my overcoming the effects of vertigo. I still swerve and stagger when the day is long and fatigue increases but if not for my efforts in physical fitness, through martial arts, etc., I suspect my mobility and stability would be much worse.
As I consider this aspect of life I consider how I can once again make use of controlled falling, not falling as if thrown or taken down in a fight or for self-defense but simply falling properly when balance is disrupted, regardless of the reason, so that I can personally avoid or at least lesson possible injuries from, “Falling.”
Bibliography (Click the link)
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