Thread: soft breakfalls
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Old 07-26-2009, 10:43 PM   #137
Nafis Zahir
 
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Dojo: Bucks County Aikido
Location: Pennsylvania
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 425
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Re: soft breakfalls

Both Jun & Ron are correct. Most people do the ukemi they are taught for the way they are thrown at their dojo. However, it is best to learn other forms of ukemi. I have learned 3 different forms of ukemi. I trained with Waite Shihan for 3 years and I must say that his system of ukemi, IMHO, is the best one for dealing with any kind of throw you receive. Even if you are locked up tight, if you lead with your hip and do his ukemi, you will come out soft or softer than you would have doing something else. But again, you should study other ways of ukemi. Some people not only throw hard, but they throw downward, which doesn't give you much time to reach for the mat like you would in a high fall. So you should be able to deal with those moments. At times like that, which is most of the time for me now, I do Chiba Shihan's ukemi which is harder, but it absorbs the impact so that I really don't feel it. Always keep an open mind, give a good attack, and the rest will happen naturally.

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