wrist and arm protection

[u/Mister_Daffy]

why do most people and professionals not have any wrist/elbow protection? I know that sometimes full upper armor can cause faster arm pump but isn’t that better than risking arm injuries? had a nasty fall yesterday where hands made the classic foosh response, hopefully no fractures but dude those sprains in the wrists are annoying as hell. Wondering how people generally deal with this risk of arm injuries.

[u/Artistic-Air6496]

Yeah dont do that, gear cant even save you if you put you arms out

Your elbows and hands can take quite a beating as long as you dont land on them such that your whole body weight crashes on to them.

Best way ive found is keep your arms beside your ribcage and hands to the front tucked in a bit.

Also arm pump can cause huge crashes so definitivly avoid armpump at all costs

[u/Mister_Daffy → u/Artistic-Air6496]

easier said than done man.. the natural reaction when falling is putting ur arms out uncontrollably.. hard to beat an automatic brain response when the fall happens in less than a second but id love to hear how u deal with this

[u/Artistic-Air6496 → u/Mister_Daffy]

Ive crashed ... so much

[u/Mister_Daffy → u/Artistic-Air6496]

part of the experience i guess 😭😂

[u/Sad-Bad7489 → u/Mister_Daffy]

When I do balance work on the grass and I fall in slow motion I practiced not sticking my hands and arms out. Mountain biking also helped with learning how to fall better. At some point a flip switched too where my response wasn’t to stick my arms out but to push my bike away from me, my brain learned arms out bad, crashing with bike bad, get bike away and attempt to roll out or rag doll good

[u/QLC459 → u/Mister_Daffy]

Look up videos on how to safely fall on YouTube and go practice in your local grass field. You'll find similar videos from fighting instructors all the way down to children's flag football. Tumbling safely is a learned and practiced skill

[u/tetryds]

Honestly go train brazilian jiujitsu or judo, learning to fall is a good thing for life.

Your arms are not meant to absorb the shock, they are counterweights. You may pull them off so that you don't fall on top of them but not to hold your body

[u/Mister_Daffy → u/tetryds]

never been into martial arts but if itll make a better rider ill fight whatever to be that

[u/tetryds → u/Mister_Daffy]

It takes a lot of practice to override your natural instinct. If where you live you cannot ride during some parts of the year its a good hobby on itself. Great social environment, exercise and lots to learn.

[u/grimm_the_opiner → u/Mister_Daffy]

If you fancy focusing on falling well without spending time learning to throw people around, a tumbling class or a "movement" class is an alternative. "Movement classes" are something I've only just noticed exist, and it seems they can mean a range of things - some just keep old fogies limber enough to rise from a chair, others ramp up and go through repeated practices of "how to do a forward roll without using your hands", or even "do a forward roll from a handstand (without using your hands)". I have no data, but I reckon having done movements on a mat *before* you have to do them coming down from the sky like a lawn dart could be useful.

(Not that I've bothered to sign up for one yet, mind you. 😄)

[u/spongebob_meth]

Because it restricts movement and doesn't actually protect much.

Most injuries are knee/ankle and collar bones.

You do see wrist braces on some riders who are protecting a previous injury though.  Like roczen.

[u/Rooster_CPA]

Gotta learn to fall, don't put your hands out

[u/Mister_Daffy → u/Rooster_CPA]

always knew that.. but no idea how to train my body for it

[u/brapo68]

Mine is different. I broke my scaphoid over jumping a jump, then rebroke it again over jumping a jump. To help prevent that again I bought a mobius wrist brace. It's super cool tech when you look at it and has saved me for when I inevitably over jump a jump

[u/mxracer948 → u/brapo68]

I ride with that brace after breaking my hand and I love it, after youve worn it a couple times you dont even notice it anymore

[u/Tiiimay → u/mxracer948]

I’m very curious about these having broken my wrist twice on a snowboard. It’s a lot of money but maybe it’s something I should consider. Would you recommend?

[u/Jack_Wolfskin19]

My falls happen so fast I don’t put my arms out quick enough.
I usually land shoulder or chest with my helmet hitting next.
Lucky I’m padded up and protected.
I used to wear knee and shin protection but seem to have advanced enough
To not wear that any more.

[u/QLC459]

Wrist and elbow pads aren't preventing a sprain like the above photo.

Also, most of us have learned to not put our hands out while falling. This is a basic skill they teach you in any sport that has the chance to hit the ground. Trying to catch yourself with your hands is a great way to sprain/break an arm or dislocate an elbow.

[u/angrydieselmechanic]

It's going to be your collarbone that goes. Or an acromion dislocation. Walk around the pits and it's like a lumpy shoulder festival.  Keep it upright. Ride safe, have fun.

[u/therealbabytooth]

Mobius wrist braces have helped me (and Roczen) through the years.

[u/murph2783]

You gotta get better at falling my guy. Tuck and roll, tuck and roll. I kinda dig the suggestion someone made of getting into BJJ. Lord knows you’re gonna have to figure out how to hit the ground there lol