Team England athlete teaches the art of falling over

A Team England athlete has been leading a judo session in Lichfield, teaching people with mobility issues the art of falling over safely.

Judo champion Kelly Petersen-Pollard hosted a class at MoveMojo's Centre in Lichfield, Staffordshire, on Tuesday.

About a third of people aged 65 and over, and about half of people aged 80 and over, fall at least once per year, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Petersen-Pollard said: "We're basically going around and teaching people to fall so that when falls do happen, you can land a lot better to prevent injuries - especially when you're getting older and stuff like that."

Petersen-Pollard said people had to learn to "fall well" in judo and they were taught techniques to make it less painful – including both forwards and backwards break falls.

"I guess if you learn how to do it the judo way - which you might not think you're going to do that as you're mid-fall, but it might come back in your memory and you will put your arm out or something like that," she said.

"You kind of use the softer side of your arm to hit the ground – so if you're going backwards, you'll smack the floor which will then take the pressure off where you're going to fall, so straight onto your back otherwise."

Tracy Rhodes is waiting for a knee replacement operation. She took part in the session and said it will help build her confidence.

She added: "I'm prone to falls at the moment, so starting to learn how to fall is really good. [It's] stuff I can practice at home."

As well as sessions to teach older people how to fall, there were other sessions being organised for children who have learning disabilities.

"It's all about bringing different people from the community all together with Team England athletes, and letting them see what judo is all about," Petersen-Pollard said.

She added judo was a sport "anyone can do" and was fun to join in with.

"I think some people haven't heard of judo, or if they have they think 'oh, I can't do that, that's too hard'," she said.

"There's so many things in judo that aren't just the competitive, elite side."

She added that it also helps to bring shy people out of their shell and helped them to meet new people.

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