Presentation: The Missing Link of Fall Prevention
Updated: 5.16.26
The Missing Link of Fall Prevention is a presentation I originally made for Doctorate level Physical Therapy programs that delves into the thesis and science behind Science of Falling and falling techniques. Because of my firm belief that all people should learn proper falling techniques, I have made a recording of this presentation to share with everyone academic and non-academic.
In this presentation I discuss why I started Science of Falling, falling statistics, the research that supports falling techniques, basic beginner techniques, and finally analyzation of falls.
I hope you enjoy this presentation! If you are interested in having a similar presentation given to your class or clients feel free to message me via any of my social media pages or on scienceoffalling.com through the “contact” page.
Enjoy!
Key Takeaways
Fall prevention is incomplete without fall training itself.
The “falling continuum” is: balance → falling → getting back up.
Most healthcare systems teach balance and recovery, but skip the actual fall.
Proper falling techniques can reduce injury risk, improve confidence, and even improve athletic performance.
Learning how to fall is useful for older adults, children, athletes, and everyday people.
Fall techniques can be learned surprisingly quickly — even 30 minutes of practice may reduce impact forces.
Good falling principles include protecting the head, spreading force over time, relaxing the body, and using soft tissue instead of rigid joints.
Falling is a trainable movement skill, not just an accident.
What This Talk Is About
In this presentation, Brent Pritt lays out the core thesis behind Science of Falling:
Modern fall prevention is missing a major piece.
Most rehab and fitness systems teach:
How to improve balance
How to get up after a fall
…but very few teach what happens in the middle:
how to actually fall safely.
This talk argues that falling itself is a trainable movement skill — one that can reduce injuries, improve movement confidence, and even enhance athletic performance.
The Falling Continuum
One of the central ideas in the presentation is the “falling continuum”: Balance → Falling → Ground Recovery
Most fall prevention programs focus heavily on the first and third steps.
The middle stage — the actual fall — is often ignored.
The problem is that many injuries happen during that middle phase:
Hip fractures
Wrist fractures
Concussions
ACL injuries
Traumatic brain injuries
The argument here is simple: If people are going to fall anyway, they should know how to do it safely.
Why Fall Training Matters
Older Adults
The talk highlights how common and serious falls are in older populations:
Falls are extremely common after age 65
Many falls lead to hospitalization
Hip fractures and head injuries can permanently reduce independence
Fear of falling can actually increase future fall risk
A major theme throughout the presentation is that: confidence changes movement behavior.
People who feel safer moving tend to move better, react better, and often fall less.
Children
Children naturally spend a huge amount of time:
on the ground
experimenting with movement
falling repeatedly while learning motor skills
The presentation argues this may be the perfect time to:
introduce safe falling habits
normalize ground movement
build lifelong movement patterns early
Instead of treating falling as purely negative, the talk reframes it as part of human movement development.
Athletes
The presentation also argues that fall training is not just about injury prevention.
It can improve:
movement options
recovery speed
reaction ability
fluidity under pressure
Examples discussed include:
football players rolling through tackles
volleyball players diving safely
parkour athletes redirecting momentum
martial artists dissipating force
baseball players diving and recovering quickly
The key idea: A person who can fall efficiently can often move more aggressively and confidently.
Core Principles of Safe Falling
The talk repeatedly returns to a few foundational ideas:
Protect the Head
The head is the priority in almost every fall scenario.
Avoiding direct head impact is one of the biggest goals of proper fall mechanics.
Spread Force Over Time
Instead of stopping suddenly with rigid limbs, safer falls:
roll
redirect momentum
increase contact time with the ground
This reduces peak impact forces.
The presentation compares this to:
a cube hitting the ground abruptly
vs.a ball rolling and dissipating force gradually
Use “Meaty” Contact Areas
Instead of landing on:
wrists
elbows
knees
spine
…the body should ideally use:
glutes
back musculature
shoulders
palms strategically
This helps distribute force through stronger, softer tissue.
Stay Relaxed
Rigid bodies absorb force poorly.
A slightly relaxed body can:
roll
adapt
redirect momentum
avoid locking joints into damaging positions
This concept appears repeatedly in:
martial arts
parkour
athletic movement systems
Get Closer to the Ground
When a fall becomes unavoidable:
lowering the body
squatting
bending the knees
shortening the distance to impact
…can significantly reduce force.
Beginner Fall Techniques Discussed
The presentation introduces several entry-level techniques.
Stepping Reactions
These are the first line of defense.
Instead of immediately collapsing, the body:
steps outward
widens the base of support
attempts to regain balance
This can either:
prevent the fall entirely
ortransition into a safer controlled fall.
Butt Fall
A beginner backward falling strategy:
lower into a crouch
land on the glutes
roll backward like a “roly-poly”
The goal is reducing force concentration.
This is presented as an ideal starting point for many older adults.
Half Back Shoulder Roll
A more advanced progression.
The body rolls:
from one hip
diagonally across the back
toward the opposite shoulder
This avoids rolling directly over the spine and helps spread force more efficiently.
Half Forward Shoulder Roll
Used for forward momentum situations.
Instead of:
stiff-arming the ground
falling onto outstretched wrists
…the body redirects force diagonally through the torso and shoulder pathway.
This is presented as:
safer
more efficient
more athletic
than traditional “catch yourself” mechanics.
Real-World Fall Analysis
One of the strongest parts of the presentation is the analysis of real falls.
The talk examines:
gymnasts
older adults
football players
children
everyday accidents
The focus is not on mocking the falls.
Instead, the analysis asks:
What caused the loss of balance?
What movement options existed?
How could force have been managed better?
What techniques helped?
What made the fall worse?
This turns falling into something observable and trainable rather than random.
Parkour and Modern Falling
A major influence throughout the presentation is parkour-based movement training.
The talk references Amos Rendao and the idea of adapting traditional martial arts falling to:
concrete
stairs
urban environments
real-world movement situations
This becomes an important distinction: many traditional breakfall systems evolved on padded mats, not hard modern environments.
The presentation argues for real-world falling strategies for real-world surfaces.
Bigger Themes Behind the Presentation
Underneath all the statistics and techniques, this talk is really about changing perspective.
The presentation reframes falling as:
a movement skill
a trainable reaction
a missing healthcare component
a confidence builder
a lifelong athletic quality
Rather than viewing falling only as failure, the talk presents it as something humans can learn to navigate more intelligently.
Final Message
The core message of this presentation is straightforward:
People will fall. Children fall. Athletes fall. Older adults fall.
Everyone eventually loses balance.
So instead of pretending falls can be eliminated entirely, the better strategy may be:
improving balance
improving strength
improving recovery
and improving the fall itself
That is the central idea behind Science of Falling and the “missing link” thesis presented in this talk.
