Poll: If you had to choose between being either only nage or only uke for the rest of your aikido ca

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AikiWeb Poll for the week of April 20, 2003:

If you had to choose between being either only nage or only uke for the rest of your aikido career, which would you choose?

I don't do aikido
Nage
Uke


Here are the current results (http://www.aikiweb.com/polls/results.html?poll_id=162).

[jimvance]

If you had to choose between being either only nage or only uke for the rest of your aikido career, which would you choose?I would choose nuke (sounds like "nookay"). Okay I know it's a bad joke....

I would have to say uke. If people happen to fall down because they tripped over some part of my body, that doesn't count as being "nage" does it? :D

Besides ukemi is more fun, or should I say "tastes great" (or was it "less filling"). All the wannabe nage will be saying "less falling".

Okay, bad jokes over. Sorry. Don't hate me.

Jim Vance

[MikeE]

As long as I could choose who was my nage, I would gladly be uke for the rest of my life. It would be amazing to take ukemi from the wonderful Aikidoka around the world. I'm sure I would learn volumes.

[Choku Tsuki]

I would choose "I don't do aikido." I mean, that's not much of a choice, even as a hypothetical.

--Chuck

[Hanna B]

For the next five years or so, I'd say uke. I voted nage, though. Being uke is great when you body allows you to do what you want with it. If you have injuries, are pregnant or simply getting older I believe being nage is easier and takes less adaptation to the circumstance.

[Bogeyman]

Uke definately. If I could be a good uke then I would understand my relationship with nage and be in good shape on the streets.

E

[PeterR]

Nage - I'ld rather be the doer than the doee.

[Karen Wolek]

Well right now, I'm not allowed to take ukemi due to a &%$*&$# knee injury. So right now, I'd HAVE to pick nage because it's a lot more fun than not falling. Sigh. But normally, I kinda enjoy being uke. I just learned how to roll RIGHT before I hurt my knee and I was really enjoying myself! :(

[n0mad]

Being uke on the street would certainly not help against an attacker; as they wouldn't be throwing you, they'd be striking. It would increase the time a fight takes and you'd be very tired at the end if you kept on trying to roll. It much be much easier and a lot less time to slam an opponent to the ground and pin them and be done with it.

As far as learning 'volumes' from nage by being uke, it wouldn't matter since you'd be uke for the rest of your life, you'd never use the knowledge.

So, I'd take the nage route.

[Roger C. Marks]

I would choose "I don't do aikido." I mean, that's not much of a choice, even as a hypothetical.

--Chuck
I didn't vote because there was not the choice of 'I do Aikido'

Experience as Tori without being Uke is one hand clapping.

[Ta Kung]

If you had a really great car, what defect would you prefer: It could only turn left, or it could only turn right... ?

The coin has two sides, you can't separate them. If you could, you'd end up with nothing.

/Patrik (who vaules both sides of Aikido, nage AND uke)

[Bronson]

Kinda like asking if you'd rather lose your sight or your hearing.

Bronson

[Ron Tisdale]

This is a tough one. I pretty much agree with those who said the two things make one whole. But to be honest, I get so much pleasure from both that I'd really miss either. I had some physicall problems not too long ago where the doc said lay off the ukemi for a while. I think I held out three weeks...but I did take it easy (mostly ushiro ukemi) for a while longer.

I also spent a lot of time working on improving my ukemi so my 41 year old body could deal with the keiko better. Seems to be working for now, so I don't have to make that choice yet. I hope I never do have to choose. That would stink. My thanks to Ellis Amdur and Gary Ohama on the help they gave me.

Ron Tisdale

[Andrew Wilson]

I think that if you did uke for the rest of your aiki career, you are bound to be one of the best aikidoka around.

If you spend 10 years falling, and you cant feel and understand everything that tori is doing to you than you have some serious problems I would imagine.

as for self defense, what better thing can you take from aikido than falling? if someone pushes you down and you fall perfectly... so what? yeah yeah, if there is more than one person blalbhabl, but the question asked in my "aikido career" not, if you had to save your wife could would you rather be uke or tori.

I chose uke, I learn more about whats going on that way.

- a

[otto]

Couldnt agree more with Andrew..

the basics self-preserving reflexes you develop by being uke sink deeply in your system faster than the ones asociated with doing proper technique and since you're statiscally more susceptible to die falling from your bike than being attacked in the street , i would favor my ability to do safe ukemi over my developing of technique if i had to make the choice. (my background in aikido is 3+ years only , so it's gonna be a long time ukeing :) )

Fall nine times , rise ten , they say...

It only matter that you stand again.

[Bussho]

I would want to be nage.

/Bussho

[acot]

On Monday being Uke isn't too bad, but by Wednesday Nage is preferred. :o

[jss]

I chose to be uke.

Somehow I get the feeling I deserve the right of being nage only by being uke. (If you're physically not able to be uke, it's a different matter of course.)

But everyone seems to be talking about what would be the most fun, the most endurable, the most practicle, etc. but isn't there some ethical (lacking a better word) side to this question?

[Amelia Smith]

Finally, it's letting me post.

So, my first impulse was to say uke, which is what I chose, because ukemi is so much fun. It's also, I think, more practical (as noted above by Otta and Andrew). Ukemi can save your life, literally. I know someone who was hit by a car. Bystanders said she went 2 stories high. She landed in a breakfall, and yes, she had some serious injuries, but she recovered (and came back to practice).

Then I thought, gee, I dunno, it depends on who's throwing me, and as I get older maybe I'd rather throw more. I most like to take ukemi from people who are really good, generally higher ranked than me. As you practices more, the proportions shift, you moves up in the ranks, etc, until suddenly one day you're not a beginner, then you're a relatively senior student, and so on..... in light of all that, and aging, maybe nage would be better.

[Kelly Allen]

Kinda like asking if you'd rather lose your sight or your hearing.

Bronson
Eh!?

[mike lee]

Nage is where it's at, but uke is where the action is!