Quote:
Matthew Gano wrote:
Hi Graham,
One thing is certain, I'll be paying more attention to it in the near future! 
I can't think of too many times that I've rolled forward to avoid something, but I can't think of too many times I've rolled backwards to avoid something either. I've rolled usually as a response to tripping on something (mostly someone's foot in soccer). Trying to avoid things usually causes me to use some kind of suriashi movement (probably more often backward than forward). When I've slipped and fallen it definately tended to be backwards. Last year in fact I had a bad fall in a soccer game where I landed all my weight on the left rear corner of my hip. Bad ukemi! It was bruised fairly deeply and it limited my play for a couple weeks. I definately didn't harmonize with the ground on my own terms!  Practice makes perfect (or as my drivers' ed. teacher said: "proper practice prevents poor performance") and my lack of practice has made a definate lack of perfect.
Do you have your students practice ukemi movements apart from waza? One of the things I found useful for myself was to really focus on gradual increases of height, starting without even leaving the ground. Just moving around in different ways and seeing how my body feels flipping/rolling this way or that. Then trying to all but leave the ground, maintaining one solid point of contact with it; then leaving the ground a little, but staying close to it; and then finally trying to launch myself (with different degrees of lateral movement).
Different surfaces too: I used to practice rolls on concrete once I could roll on soft surfaces pretty easily. The "launching" rolls really forced me to learn how to have a strong round shape...to round my corners. Having some sense of hard surfaces is invaluable for good ukemi skills. Slapping the mat hard, for example, can be a great way to break your hand/wrist if you're too used to plush mats and you find yourself on concrete instead.
Take care,
Matt |
I teach ukemi as rolls foreward and backward on their own yes. However I teach mainly to non-resist the mat or ground as I describe from falls which are not rolls. In other words if they fall sidewards, flat forewards face down, flat on their back, down on their knees, no difference, they are all breakfalls.
So the standard foreward and backward ukemis as rolls are secondary for me.
When teaching forward ukemi I introduce them into aikitaiso. First from the knees so low ones. Then from standing projecting yourself. Backward ones from standing first as an exercise down and up continuously.
How much depends solely on how good they are getting at it.
For forward ones I then teach how to come up facing forward or to come up facing the way you came from. That would be my next step on the process. Backward ones would be going all the way over and up.
Next for foreward would be over things or across distances. This I would call advanced and not super necessary.
When I was much younger ha,ha, we were taught many high and many long foreward breakfalls and some sideways ones the likes of which I've never seen elsewhere. Anyway, for the high ones we would start with someone laying down and breaking over them. Then on up to them being on their knees crouching. When the limits of height by that method was reached we would move on to someone holding a jo out like a bar which you had to breakfall over so the height could go up to whatever.
The long ones were done by placing two jo's on the mat a distance apart from each other and you had to clear them.
I agree with your view of eventual forming a 'strong' round shape for I would say that comes when you are now confident that the circular shape protects. For me it also equals turning around your own center.
As far as hard surfaces goes yes I remember that being a challenge. I started on grass then anywhere. I remember having a similar debate with two Aikidoka a few years ago outside a row of garages near a car park. I was telling them their aikido breakfalls were the reason for their damage and it was the second time they had come to argue the point. A bit like on here I said my piece and told them if they don't believe me then they****** well you get the picture. In the end they said prove it.
We were on knobbley concrete so I just suddenly launched into a foreward breakfall. The only funny bit was that loose change came flying out of my pockets all over the floor.
I then told one to push me and I went back flat on my back to show them. I then said how I'm not muscley or young but neither am I hurt. That's when they got the reality.
The slapping the hand as you put it is not as easy as it looks. I call this a springing one rather than the flat out dispersal one where you stay where you are, not getting straight back up.
That one takes more work and more understanding to perfect.
Just to add, in aikitaiso I do tests during the exercises. For instance, when doing backward ukemi ie: down, roll back, roll foreward and up. On the up I wil meet them by pushing down on their shoulders as they are coming up. They are to ignore the pressure and carry on up 'through' my push down. Things like this to develope center.
O.k. enough from me.
Regards.G.