I did some sky diving, just 4 jumps, in college and they trained us to hit the ground a certain way to minimize injury because even with a parachute you’re still hitting the ground hard and fast. And I only gave quick glance at the article @Cruiser but in article they say:
)”.... a 1963 report by the Federal Aviation Agency argued that shifting into the classic sky diver’s landing stance—feet together, heels up, flexed knees and hips—best increases survivability. So I’m going with the classic sky diver’s landing. Also we were trained to land that way and then kind of ball up and roll, as @ucme talks about, in sort of one continuous, fluid motion. ” Assume the position, hit the ground, ball up and roll.
It seems like the best way to go. And you can practice it without a plane or a parachute or anything. Before we went for our actual jumps the folks from the flight school came a tall platform and we did practice jumps.
The only problem with that is that you are making a conscious, deliberate choice to jump and because you intend to jump you’re ready and able to hit the ground in a conscious deliberate way. And there’s a fairly long way down so you can prepare yourself. Accidental falls are something all together different. If you fall from a latter, you don’t have any time to prepare and your instincts and reflexes kick in I think.
What you really need to do, in my opinion, is take better safety precautions when you are in circumstances where you might fall. Really, falls can almost always be prevented with basic, pretty well established procedures and precautions. If you’re unwilling to do these activities in a safer way, then I suggest you spend some time and practice falling and practice the landing and hope that your “training” kicks in next time you tumble off a roof or a ladder. And try not to land on your head.