Kelly Petersen-Pollard teaches people with mobility issues to fall safely

The Birmingham judo champion and Team England athlete hosted a session in Lichfield on Tuesday. About a third of people aged 65 and over fall at least once a year, according to NICE.

Team England judo athlete Kelly Petersen-Pollard has been showing people with mobility issues how to hit the ground without hurting themselves, hosting a class at MoveMojo's Centre in Lichfield, Staffordshire, on Tuesday.

Falls are common in later life. About a third of people aged 65 and over, and about half of those aged 80 and over, fall at least once a year, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Petersen-Pollard, from Birmingham, 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.” She said learning to fall well is a basic part of judo, and the session covered both forwards and backwards break falls. The technique uses the softer side of the arm to meet the ground and, when falling backwards, slapping the floor to take pressure off the back. She said the movement might come back to people mid-fall even if they did not expect it to.

Tracy Rhodes, who is waiting for a knee replacement operation, took part and said the class would help build her confidence. She said: “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.” Other sessions were being organised for children with learning disabilities. Petersen-Pollard said the aim was to bring different parts of the community together with Team England athletes and show them what judo involves. She described it as a fun sport that anyone can take part in, saying it helps shy people come out of their shell and meet new people.

She said many people have either never heard of judo or assume it is too hard, adding: “There's so many things in judo that aren't just the competitive, elite side.”

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