View Single Post
Old 05-11-2008, 08:56 PM   #6
Chuck Clark
 
Chuck Clark's Avatar
Dojo: Jiyushinkan
Location: Monroe, Washington
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,134
United_States
Offline
Re: Who "invented" aikido's ukemi

Ukemi isn't just about falling... it means to "receive with your body", input that is received as sensory stimuli ... force that is received which affects our structure for example and we adjust and/or recover our structural integrity. If that necessitates falling then we should do that in as natural and efficient way as possible so that we can survive and recover our ability to continue. When we learn ukemi properly it leads to learning kaeshi principles.

I have seen only a few teachers that teach this sort of ukemi as a skill set that is included as a tool for learning budo. Most people see ukemi as falling only which leads to many people seeing it as "losing" or "taking" a certain type of fall that should fit a specific waza. It is much more.

Chuck Clark
Jiyushinkai Aikibudo
www.jiyushinkai.org
  Reply With Quote