Safety first: use a crash mat

The bruise on my shoulder, resulting from the fall

I am going to sound like a nagging mom in this post, and I suppose I am nagging a bit, but I am very serious when I talk about this topic. I have had several discussion with polers about crash mats, and a lot of people seem hesitant to purchase one because of cost. That is what prompted this post.

Buying a crash mat is a big expense. I understand that it is hard to budget $200-$300 for something, especially after you just spent a lot of money to get your pole. That being said, pole has it's hazards, and falling is one of them. I am going to tell you an experience that I had that forever changed my perspective on poling and safety.

Back in August of 2012, I was starting my practice on a bow and arrow. If you do not know what that move is, you can see it here. I had done it before no problem, and I wanted to try it again. I got into the position just fine. The problem came in my dismount. I lowered my extended leg towards the ground and released my hooked leg down to get into the iguana prep position. Before my feet reached the ground, my gloves, which I was wearing at the time, lost their grip on the pole completely, and down I went. My head hit the base of my pole and my shoulder hit the ground. Luckily I did not get knocked out. I was more surprised than anything. It sure hurt like the dickens, and scared the hell out of my friend, who was poling with me. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to tuck and roll out of it. I was about 1 foot off the ground. Due to some brain related illnesses that I have, I decided to go to urgent care. They said I seemed okay, just had a goose-egg on my head, where it hit the base of the pole. I was told I was to be woken up every few hours that night and asked basic questions like "what day is it?" "who's president?" etc. That went all well and good. The thing that freaked me out, and still does to this day is this. I sleep in my room, with a air purifier. There is a blue light on it that gives the room a slight blue glow, at night. When I open my eyes, after several hours of sleep, I see a weird stringy ball in the middle of my vision, while my eyes try to adjust. The blind spot eventually fades to normal vision as my eyes adjust to the light. I asked my neurologist about this and he said I landed on the vision center of my head, and I probably have a slight concussion there.

Let me tell you guys, I had a crash mat, and I always used it. This was the ONE TIME I didn't use it, and the one time I had a bad spill. I had been poling for 4 years, with no issues, when this happened. 

The moral of my story is, safety first, ALWAYS. It doesn't matter how long you've been poling or how comfortable you feel in a move. It only takes an instant to lose grip and fall. I'm lucky in that I only have a mild concussion. It could have been much more tragic. There have been girls who have been paralyzed after falling out of moves. 

Isn't your safety and peace of mind worth more than a few hundred dollars? 

If you are in the market for a crash mat, go for a 4-6" mat. You don't want to feel the floor when you hop on it. If its anything under 4", you will likely feel the floor if you fall, and that somewhat defeats the purpose of having a mat to begin with. Yoga direct has a nice 5" mat, which is what I have, and I don't feel the floor if I fall on it. 

If you absolutely cannot afford a crash mat right now, take your couch cushions and place them around your pole. They are a nice temporary solution. Have a baby mattress? Use that! Whatever you can to make the ground safer, in case an accident happens. 

Here are some links to crash mats, to help you guys out:

Yoga Direct (I have the 5". You can also buy a carrying case and durable cover separately. You can also purchase this one on Amazon)

Mighty Grip (can also be purchased on Amazon)

I'm sure there are a million other mats out there, just poke around the internet a bit and I'm sure you'll find some worthy contenders. Anyone have a pole mat they love?

Remember everyone, safety first!