The effects of time pressure and experience on the performance of fall techniques during a fall.

Although the practice of fall techniques has been introduced in fall prevention programs, it is not clear whether people can apply acquired techniques during a real-life fall. It would be helpful to know the time it takes to initiate and to successfully execute such techniques, as well as the effect of experience on the execution of these techniques. In this study we investigated the neuromuscular control of voluntary fall techniques in five seasoned judokas and nine non-judokas. After they had started falling from a kneeling position, they received an auditory cue prompting either a lateral natural fall arrest (block) or a martial arts (MA) fall. EMG data of shoulder and trunk muscles were collected. The requested technique was successfully applied in 85% of the falls. Following the cue, EMG amplitudes of the fall techniques started to diverge after 180-190 ms. EMG amplitudes were generally similar in both groups, but experience-related differences could be demonstrated in the pectoralis and trapezius. In conclusion, voluntary motor control is possible within the duration of a fall, even in inexperienced fallers. Differences in EMG activity might suggest that experienced fallers changed their reaction to possible falls from a preparation for arm abduction into a preparation for trunk rotation.

Martial arts fall techniques reduce hip impact forces in naive subjects after a brief period of training.

Hip fractures are among the most serious consequences of falls in the elderly. Martial arts (MA) fall techniques may reduce hip fracture risk, as they are known to reduce hip impact forces by approximately 30% in experienced fallers. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether hip impact forces and velocities in MA falls would be smaller than in a 'natural' fall arrest strategy (Block) in young adults (without any prior experience) after a 30-min training session in sideways MA fall techniques. Ten subjects fell sideways from kneeling height. In order to identify experience-related differences, additional EMG data of both fall types were collected in inexperienced (n=10) and experienced fallers (n=5). Compared to Block falls, MA falls had significantly smaller hip impact forces (-17%) and velocities (-7%). EMG results revealed experience-related differences in the execution of the MA fall, indicative of less pronounced trunk rotation in the inexperienced fallers. This may explain their smaller reduction of impact forces compared to experienced fallers. In conclusion, the finding that a substantial reduction in impact forces can be achieved after a short training in MA techniques is very promising with respect to their use in interventions to prevent fall injuries.