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Ukemi

Ukemi (受身)

Most Aikido teachers only teach Ukemi for practising Aikido in the Dojo. This is not very useful in the real life and also not a good method of teaching Ukemi.  


You have to first practise Ukemi which is useful in the real life and then practise Ukemi for Aikido.


8. April 2020


Questions & Anwers:

Question:


Even with years of practise, there is people who is afraid of falling down, they found zenpo ukemi difficult overall. How can we help them?


20/4/2020

Answer:


Please look at the video in Ukemi.


20/4/2020

Question:


If I'm not wrong ukemi means "to receive on the body". So I think it's not only a matter of falling down, but also of protecting the body while receiving the "acts" of nage. For example understanding when it's appropriate to follow the movement or to resist it.


But, except being attacked, in what other specific real life cases it is possible to use this physical ability of ukemi?


11/4/2020

Answer:


The literal meaning of Ukemi is "to receive on the body". So it means the ability of Uke to receive the technique of Nage without getting damaged.


We have to understand that the original techniques practised by Samurais were fighting techniques. So they damage the body of Uke. So Uke must train himself to develop the ability of receiving Nage's technique without getting seriously damaged.


There is a story of a student of Ueshiba Morihei who did Uke for the demonstration of Aiki Jujutsu (name Ueshiba used in that period) in front of the emperor. Ueshiba performed the techniques so strongly that his Uke was in bed for one week after that.


Since Aikido became non-fighting after the second world war, Nage did not perform techniques very strongly so Ukemi became more protecting Uke's body when he falls down on the tatami,


In the real life Ukemi also means to protect one's body when one was hit or kicked. It is not easy to deal with an attack without receiving a little bit of hitting or kicking.

Ukemi in this situation is to make your body change so that you do not get much damage from the hit or kick.


It also means that you minimise the damage if you are in a vehicle which has traffic accident. Your body get hit by the inside of the car, bus, train, airplane, etc but you act so that you get minimum damage.


11/4/2020

Question:


Most injuries I hear about in real life occur when one falls with an outstretched arm and damage the arm, wrist or knee as they try to stop their head hitting the ground.  


Is there any ukemi one can practise to help protect oneself against this type of fall?


10/4/2020

Answer:


In real life one falls back or forward.


When one falls back, the danger is hitting the head. So one should develop a reflex of turning the body to fall on one side. This is the first Ukemi I  showed in the video.


When one falls forward, one tries to protect one's head with one's hand and damages the arm or shoulder. So one must develop a reflex of turning the body and roll on one side. This is the next exercise I showed in the video.


10/4/2020