Thread: Ukemi 101
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Old 09-06-2014, 05:55 PM   #24
Janet Rosen
 
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Location: Left Coast
Join Date: May 2002
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Re: Ukemi 101

I do not believe relying on beginner's "unbendable arm" is at all helpful. Beginners cannot maintain unbendable arm reliably, leading to the too-damn-common newbie injury, shoulder separation at the acromioclavicular joint. Some of us are permanently in pain or impinged function. Others simply disappear.
I second the endorsement for Ellis Amdur's method and also the use of large balls or cylindrical rolling tools. If somebody is scared, the teacher can hold on to control the speed of the turning of the ball or cylinder.
In my Falling class, for non-martial artists, we do a very slow 6 session progression that never uses unbendable arm; it would be easy to teach it afterward. It is documented here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...jVVAgi6a5zq9Jz

Janet Rosen
http://www.zanshinart.com
"peace will enter when hate is gone"--percy mayfield
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