Early loss in ontogeny of the ability to protect the head and hands during a fall – nature did not fail, but coordinators and education

Abstract: The title of this paper is the most general conclusion from our research and co-authorship of the phenomenon of susceptibility to the body injuries during the fall (SFI). When Ewaryst Jaskólski (1932-2007), one of the forerunners in Poland of promoting judo in the academic community, but the absolute leader of teaching safe fall to the blind, published together with Zbigniew Nowacki the theory of safe fall (1972), Artur was born, the first author of this scientific essay. At that time, his father, Roman, inspired by his own judo skills (and importantly - unaware of the existence of both the theory of safe fall and its authors) taught commandos safe falls during various motor simulations of military operations with high dynamics and the risk of bodily injury. Artur participated from early childhood as a spontaneous observer in judo military cadets trainings and out of his own curiosity or encouraged by adult judo practitioners, he undertook fun forms of combat with them that are difficult to define today, and at the age of eight he began professional judo training. This was the time of creation of the multi-generational, conventionally called Polish School of Safe, where the motor prototype was ukemi waza (falling techniques) from Japanese judo. This paradigm dominated for over half a century in research also outside Poland. Our original and co-authored research on the SFI phenomenon led us to breakthrough discoveries (after the death of the creators of the theory of safe fall). Up to the age of two, a healthy child protects its head and hands from hitting the ground, when during daily activity it repeatedly loses its vertical position. This ability is retained by only about 3% of the population starting from the age of 3 and the analogy applies to adults. The SFI phenomenon is the least documented in the final period of life. However, it is certain that even a person over 80 years of age can effectively reduce the errors of collision with the ground with distal parts of the body during a fall. Not only this empirical argument provides justification for necessary systemic solutions: provide a three-year-old child with stimuli that stimulate the lost ability to protect the head and hands during an unintentional fall backwards; teach the techniques of falling forward and sideways before starting school; develop these skills and methodological competences in schools of all types from the perspective of fulfilling the mission of a family coordinator; promote the cushioning of falls with the ‘cradle’ technique as a universal way of protecting the body regardless of the direction of the lost balance.

Keywords: INNOAGON, theory of safe fall, Polish School of Safe Falling

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1006479

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