Thread: Ukemi
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Old 08-30-2004, 06:00 PM   #9
MaryKaye
Dojo: Seattle Ki Society
Location: Seattle
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 522
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Re: Ukemi

One thing I think Ki Society gets out of the practice of taigi (competitive pair work, where the pair is judged as a unit) is that you realize how important uke is throughout the technique. A pair with a skilled nage and weak uke has little chance in taigi competition, because it's very hard to produce the desired smoothness, grace and timing with an uke who is giving weak attacks, dragging through the movements, or stiffening up.

I think people often feel uneasy about teaching the lead-following parts of ukemi (as opposed to the falling parts) because a street attacker wouldn't be getting coaching on making a better attack.... Taigi gives you a way around this argument, and to my mind a beneficial one. There are a lot of throws I understand much better for having done them with a skilled partner who can help me feel the flow.

One thing teachers can do to encourage good form from uke is to be uke themselves. I think we lose out if sensei are always nage, both because we don't get to see how they'd handle uke, and because it sends an implicit message that being nage is more prestigious. My favorite teachers are willing to take ukemi even for very junior students, and you can sure learn a lot by throwing them. They model making a good attack, following the lead cleanly (or refusing it if it's not adequate), and taking the fall well. They also show how much fun it is to work with a really good uke, which in turn inspires people to polish their own ukemi skillls.

If you aren't afraid of encouraging competitiveness, you can also attach some bragging rights to being asked to take ukemi from the teacher or for tests. I know I worked harder on polishing my shomenuchi attack because I wanted my partner to be pleased with me on the test.

Mary Kaye
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