break (one's) fall
To interrupt, prevent, or soften one's fall, either physically or figuratively. She stumbled off the balcony, but luckily, a hedge below her broke her fall. Be careful not to alienate your friends as you climb to the top of the company, because if things don't work out, you'll have no one there to break your fall.
break someone's fall
to cushion a falling person; to lessen the impact of a falling person. When the little boy fell out of the window, the bushes broke his fall. The old lady slipped on the ice, but a snowbank broke her fall.