eyrie

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I just got my hot little hands on Vlad's (of Systema fame) book "Let Every Breath". Interestingly, "rolling" is prescribed and recommended BUT as a way to work the breath. So, on the one hand I can understand Dave's perspective regarding the ura of ukemi, I think it's not so much the act of falling over and rolling, but working more on whole body connection, leg strength and breath control - what they call Breath Independence. That you do a roll in the process in by the by.... that can be done without rolling too.