ian

I hate to join this rapidly growing thread but...

IMO, the whole uke/nage thing in aikido is just another training method which is different to other martial arts. All martial arts have flaws in their training method. Judo took out dangerous techniques to allow more spontaneous response, karate had kata (which resulted in many techniques being completely lost or misunderstood!).

Aikido did something in the middle i.e. uke could attack at full force and nage could throw them. However, it's still a bl**dy simulation! If you think otherwise, how do you get around the paradox of aikido being 'a gentle art in which you don't have to harm the attacker' yet, 'we can't have proper competitions because it's too dangerous'.

Aikido was an improvement on traditional methods of training (which was almost like a fixed, paired kata), allowing more spontaneity. However modern methods (modern Judo, and esp. BJJ) have gone even further in that direction.

Taking ukemi can maybe toughen up your body, but as (Dan?) said balance is the most important thing. Indeed the last time I got in an altercation, I didn't actually throw the person at all; I just moved and maintained good balance and they went flying. I find it quite amusing and ironic now, that probably the most important practical skill in aikido is to be able to stand upright!