Quote:
Benjamin Edelen wrote:
I think it is safe to say that high level Aikido ukemi absolutely does not serve the same purpose as judo ukemi. Depending on your judo goals, good judo ukemi is designed to either provide crisp punctuation during ju no kata, OR keep you from being injured during regular judo training, OR make your partner's throw look worse so that they do not get a full point for their effort. These are the realities of modern judo training. Aikido ukemi does intersect with judo ukemi in the area of keeping you safe during training, but it furthermore provides a vehicle for the artistic realization of human movement. In some ways Aikido ukemi is its own purpose, lending strange and wonderful faculties to its adepts.
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The basic reasons for ALL budo ukemi, both tai jitsu and buki jitsu (and that doesn't just mean "falling down safely") are: safety, so that training can take place, ultimately, at the highest levels possible of speed, force, and intent; while keeping as safe as possible (survival), uke is also learning both sides of the waza by overcoming fear of falling, losing, being injured so that very high levels of sensitivity are developed by both tori and uke; as this sensitivity and knowledge base develops, uke also learns the second primary reason for good ukemi is learning how and when kaeshi waza and counters are possible... on the other side, tori is also learning these lessons; another reason is high quality ukemi is as necessary as high level performance of waza in preserving, demonstrating, and passing on the very nature and substance of the art; finally, movement arts can reach profound levels of artistic experience; this should come from the elegance, efficiancy, simplicity, intent, connection, and energy flow that develops from all of the above. It should not stem from a desire to be "artistic"... the beauty, elegance, and art will appear appropriately. I agree that there are wonderful lessons to be learned about far more than budo waza by this practice. They are powerful lessons that may develop our character and spirit that often might not make sense unless you've traveled that path or been close to those that have.
These are lessons I have learned from my teachers. The way I have described it is mine and I take full responsibility. After the last fifty-four years of budo training, I am still willing and hungry for learning more.
Best regards,