Aikido Ukemi

 

    The uke has a special role in Aikido practice and must develop the skills and mental attitudes that enable the interaction of attacker and defender to be “real” within the circumscribed parameters of the aikido practice ritual.  The goal is for each partner to experience something in the encounter which teaches them, whether consciously or unconsciously, about matters which are the primary concern of the way of Aiki.

The first task of the uke is to master the falls and rolls.  This is mostlya matter of getting good instruction in the basic techniques and practicing ukemi with a variety of partners so that the uke learns how to perform the rolls and falls in response to a wide range of body types, personal styles, training attitudes and most of all the vast number of aikido techniques and their even far greater number of variations.  Since there is space built into the aikido model for the ‘spontaneous generation of new techniques”(in fact this is considered the ultimate goal of the art) the uke must become fully adept at responding to an infinite variety of situations.

    A full, skillful response to the nage’s response to his attack consists of the following.

Falling (including rolling, high falls and being immobilized) in such a way that he does not endanger the safety of or cause injury (or undue pain) to himself or his nage.

    Allowing himself to fall precisely as he is thrown.  This means he does not have preconceived idea of how he will fall and goes with the flow of the technique wherever it may take him.

    At the same time, he does not take a fall unless the nage actually throws him.  He does not take the fall “for” the nage but because the nage’s technique is fully effective. That means the nage blends with his attack, links the uke to him, takes and keeps the uke’s balance, makes the uke move around the nage’s center, maintains contact and proper leverage throughout the technique, and throws or pins him in a way that is irresistible.

    If the nage does not fulfill the above requirements, the uke must not respond to the throw as if he had.  For example, if he is still sufficiently balanced to be able to resist, he must do so. This is instant and essential feedback to the nage that his technique is lacking and he needs to correct it.  A skillful and mindful uke is the most effective teacher of how to apply techniques.

    There is, however, a fine line between the true, honest and ego free ukemi described above and ukemi where the uke actively looks for chances to thwart the nage’s intent for motives other than helping the nage to perform more effectively.  The nage may, for example, feel a rivalry with the uke and want to show him up.  Or he may have a mean streak and enjoy frustrating novice students. Or he may not want to fall out of tiredness, soreness, injury, fear, laziness, stubbornness, etc. In any case, if the uke subverts the completion of the technique for any reason other than showing the nage where his technique is falling short, he is obviating the meaning and purpose of the aikido exercise.  The uke must fall when he is honestly thrown, just as he must keep the nage honest by only falling when the technique is executed properly, or at least effectively enough to cause the uke to fall or be pinned.

    But there is no need for the uke to take a graceful fall if the technique left something to be desired.  Taking a somewhat awkward fall which mirrors whatever awkwardness there was in the throw, is also useful as a teaching moment.

    In some cases, the reason that a technique did not work as it should can be explained by the uke to the nage.  This is true if the nage asks the question, or if the uke feels that it is important that the nage correct his method before taking another throw for reasons of safety, etc.  But most often the nage just tries again until the desired effect is achieved, making the point self-explanatory.

I    n general, the more seniority an uke has vis a vis the nage, the more he is at liberty to instruct him either verbally or by declining to fall in response to an unskillful rendering of the technique being practiced.

Another requisite for the uke is the ability to keep his balance until the moment when it is physically unfeasible to maintain it any further.  This involves a high degree of limberness and flexibility, both physical and psychological to enable the uke to respond to the movements of the nage in a sensitive, supple and responsive manner.  For example, when he is thrown by shiho-nage, at the last moment before he takes a fall (especially in a slower, static version of the technique) he should arch his back and remain upright as long as possible so that the nage can experience a full extension. This method is in contrast to the case where the uke goes from standing upright to flat on his back in the manner of a (non-willow) tree being felled.

    With regard to the initial “attack” the uke must strike or grab with positive energy, with elan, with a certain gusto, perhaps adding a kiai and an expression of focused determination.  It is this energy that the nage required to utilize, guide, channel, this being the point of the technique.  Without this initial outflow of energy the technique is lifeless, routine, a matter of going through the motions rather than practicing dealing with an actual confrontation. The uke should strike shomen uchi as if he intended to bifurcate his partner. He should strike yokomen like he wanted to decapitate him. He punches as if determined to open a hole in his opponent’s abdomen. The key is a sense of commitment to the attack and striking where the nage is at the time the strike is initiated. And all of this in a generous spirit of goodwill and bonhomie. Generous means he is not stingy with his energy, he gives of it freely and invites the nage to do with it as he will. This is also an instance of the sword which gives life (katsu-jin-ken).

    Basically, the same goes for techniques which involve the  uke grabbing (or attempting to grab) the nage on a limb or some part of his costume. If it is a static technique he must grab with at least 70-80 percent of his strength.  He should grab in the recommended aikidoist manner, with the grip strongest at the little finger and gradually attenuating up through the ring and middle fingers. This is because the natural course of energy is along the hand blade and the lower arc of the arm to the flank. Grabbing this way actually produces a charge of energy that adds to the intensity of the attack.

    Of course the uke should moderate his grip to conform to the ability of his partner, especially novices, so that the degree of constriction is challenging for him but not beyond his ability.

    After the initial grip the uke must strive to hold on and must move his body in a way that allows him to retain his grip as far as possible. If the nage moves in a way that snaps the kimusubi (the tying together of the two) then the uke is forced to let go prematurely, breaking the connection and allowing his hand to be free to do potential damage to the nage.

    Learning how to perform ukemi proficiently is as important as learning throwing and pinning techniques.  It teaches you the life lesson of fully committing yourself to an action while holding no attachment to any particular result and staying in the moment as the event unfolds. The confidence to do this only comes from mastering falls and rolls thoroughly enough that you can nimbly and safely respond to anything the nage does.

 

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