Trust Falls

From CadetStuffWiki

For a unit to be able to reach its true potential, it's individual members need to trust one another. Trust Falls are a great exercise to build trust as well as Esprit de Corps. There are two levels of trust falls.

The Partner Fall

This requires no equipment. Start by having the cadets pair up and have one stand in front of the other. Cadets should be paired so that they are similar in size and fitness. Two staff members demonstrate the fall before having cadets attempt it.

The cadet in front crosses their arms on their chest, closes their eyes, and simply falls back. They must keep their legs and body straight without any attmept at breaking their fall. If they step back (showing they didn't trust their partner to catch them), they must do it again.

The "catcher" must make sure they catch their partner by the underarms. After they do it once or twice (with the catcher moving farther and farther back), have the partners switch.

The Fall of Death

This exercise is named as such just for effect. It is done after the cadet have mastered the Partner Fall. You will need a sturdy table that you can stand on. 6-8 cadets will act as catchers. They will line up at the end of the table in 3-4 pairs. They stand shoulder to shoulder in two ranks that face each other. The smaller, weaker cadets should be closer to the table since they will be catching legs. The pair at the other end should be the strongest since they are catching the torso.

Each cadet reaches over to the other rank and grasps their partner's right wrist with their right hand (kind of a handshake that missed). Then they grasp each other's left wrist in their left hand. Each cadet should have one palm up and one palm down.

The leader stands at the end of the "Basket of Death" opposite from the table. The leader controls everything and is responsible for gently catching the head. The leader ensures that every one is as tightly packed as possible and then orders the "victim" to climb up onto the table.

The "victim" stands at the edge of the table facing away from the "Basket of Death". Their heels should be hanging off the edge of the table. They then cross there arms and grab their shoulders with their hands. This is very important because if they start to flail about with their arms, they could hurt someone or worse, disrupt the Basket of Death and hit the ground.

A safety man (usually a senior member) stands on the table in front of the victim and grabs the material of their shirt at the shoulder. This ensures the victim will not fall until the leader gives the order and the safety man releases. The safety man also ensures that the cadet has their arms securely crossed and reminds them to keep themselves as straight as possible.

This last part is important. If a cadet loses faith in their comrades, they may bend at the waist. This is bad because they could fold up and fall between the arms of the Basket of Death. If they keep themselves as stiff as a board, they will land comfortably in the arms of their squadron mates.

The leader then begins the process by asking several questions.

• "Is the Basket of Death Ready?"

"Yes SIR!"

• "Is the victim ready?"

"Yes SIR!"

• Prepare to Drop...DROP!"

At the command DROP, the victim leans back and falls into the Basket of Death. Because there are 6-8 cadets (depending on how tall the cadet is) catching the cadet, they should have no problem catching the victim. They then lower the victim's feet so they can stand up.

If the cadet tries to break their fall in any way, they have to do it again.

It is usually best to use a senior member as the first victim. Not only does this prove that the cadets can catch someone heavier than most of the cadets, but it shows that the senior trusts the cadets.

While this activty is very scary the first time you do it, most cadets want to do it again after their first time.