In derby, it is incredibly important to fall small, meaning when you get knocked down or fall on your own accord, you don't take out anyone else on the way down. We practice a series of falls (single knee, baseball, and double knee) in order to keep from doing so.
Although we practice falling, there are times when it is near impossible to fall small - when girls trip you, when girls fall directly in front on you, when your feet are knocked out from under you, etc. The lovely Mainegler brought to my attention that I manage to fall in such a way - even in those impossible situations - that is safe and does not put anyone else in harms way.
I contemplated this one for some time before I realized it's a mental thing - being able to fall properly. Things kind of slow down for me in a moment of crisis, almost like slo-motion cinematography. This allows me to think about what do in the mili-second I have to take action. I realize this impulse doesn't happen for everyone and a lot of people just panic and allow anything to happen rather than taking control.
In almost any situation (derby or non-derby), panicking makes everything worse. In a derby situation you usually have at least a second of realization that a fall is happening and you may or may not become involved. Panicking usually means you are about to be involved. If possible, you need to use that second to assess the situation and move accordingly. For example, Goldie Headlocks was knocked down directly in front of me while I was skating at a fast pace. Because her fall was surprising I didn't have time to skate or leap out of the way. My only option to avoid falling directly on top of our skinniest and miniest player was to dive over her. This inevitably knocked the wind out of me, but kept Goldie from getting crushed.
If you fear falling, then panic will always happen. It is impossible for our brains to operate rationally when a very strong emotion occurs - which is why I never make decisions when I'm feeling passionate about anything (those decisions are almost always regretable). If you can keep from panicking your brain can think about how to react when you are about to fall.

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