Re: Confused... Uke Ready to Jump?
There is a great reason to gain wrist control. This reason has to do with controlling what is in the hand of the wrist you are holding. If you are attacking someone with a weapon in their hand and you attack only the centerline with no regard for the weapon hand, your attack will be short lived. Aikido techniques come from much older techniques that are focused on the necessity of weapon hand control, and the need to quickly free your weapon hand.
Why do Aikido practitioners grab the wrist when there is nothing in the hand? Well most of our techniques start from the wrist grab, so an uke wanting to facilitate nage's ability to perform Aikido techniques will often go for the wrist. If you want to train Aikido mostly for unarmed martial arts (like mma) then this doesn't seem to make much sense. However if you are training to keep your weapon hand free, it's ideal training.
Why do Aikido uke's "jump"? Well there are a number of reasons for this. First of all it's polite to "jump" when taking ukemi for a high ranking instructor, and it makes demonstrations look more exciting. There is an element of self protection in the high fall or "jump". Sometimes it's the safest way to fall, it protects the joint, and enables you to land safely when otherwise it might not be possible. The high fall is a part of Aikido training, both aesthetically and practically.
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