Don Williams

Scott,

As long as your attack is appropriate to the situation and the amount of force used is a mutual, agreement, then the response will be as honest as the attack. When you attack, do you lose your balance with little help from Nage? Do you continue your motion as if to prepare for another attack or get into a safe position? This movement is part of your training as Uke also. An honest attack is one that has a goal and if you can not achieve that goal with that attack, you should be preparing for safety or the next attack. Only by doing this will you complete the circle of an honest attack. When some people attack, they try and lock you down, but there is no follow up attack, so that is just locking someone down but it has no meaning. Some people attack with no energy "wet noodle", this too is meaning less. A true attack will track a person as it tries to accomplish its goal. For the purpose of training, there should be good constant energy that Nage can use to practice.

Think of your training and your relationship as Uke to varying types of Nage as a relationship between a Father and Son. If you were going to teach your son about martial arts, you would give him Honest attacks, but they would be more than he could handle because you wouldn't want to hurt him (until he gets to be 17 years old and wants to try and beat you, then you need to nock him upside the head -- but I digress). Likewise, if you were the son, you would try to give your father everything you got, just to see if he could deal with what you gave him. It's all honest attacks, but it depends on the Nage's (experience, height, weight etc….). The hardest type of training is when you have two people of equal ability and you as Uke have to be a very quick and receptive Uke. This is your balance.

Don