So I'm at class on Saturday and the instructor calls me up to take ukemi for him.

He starts doing a regular throw, no problem. He wants me to hold to take the fall instead of roll out, no problem.

Then he starts throwing me out instead of down. Ow. I'm literally bouncing off the mat.

So I ask him "How do I take ukemi for that one?" and he replies "You were doing ok".

Ow.

Pierre

Originally posted by Rubber Ducky
Then he starts throwing me out instead of down. Ow. I'm literally bouncing off the mat.

So I ask him "How do I take ukemi for that one?" and he replies "You were doing ok".


Breakfalls are great but there's a limit on what they can do! Was it something that at a slower speed you could have adjusted to and worked your body into a breakfalling position or was it just an awkward body position?

It was the airtime.

You get used to falling a certain way and it becomes automatic. So when your partner puts a little extra "oomph" into it and you go a little further, your timing is off. Not to mention the extra acceleration from gravity.

It wasn't the speed that was the problem, but the sheer power of the throw.

The ukemi just requires more sensitivity on my part and less anticipation. Like any Aikido technique :)

Pierre

Ukemi is always hard to grasp. In many dojos they translate Ukemi as 'falling', which is far from correct. Ukemi means receiving, understood as receiving energy after giving energy. Therefore it is imperative that an Uke does not decide on the fall but instead try to feel the energy of the movement and thereby let the fall, or whatever comes next, be a natural part of the Ukemi.

:)

Kimura...

Gotta agree on what Kimura said, but then again kimura knows I agree with him on this :)

If you are in your own thoughts when doing Martial Arts, your going to get "hurt". MA demands 100%.