Thread: The Big Falls
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Old 09-13-2000, 01:59 PM   #14
Magma
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 168
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I enjoy taking the big falls. I think it's because as I get more and more comfortable taking those falls I know that my sempai can throw me with more vigor and through more complicated (sometimes) techniques. And since being thrown through a technique is often one of the most beneficial ways to learn, I get a bonus on both ends of my training. As far as how much breakfalling we do in our dojo, the original question, it is as has been mentioned above, whenever the energy calls for it. Because, let's face it, a jujinage or kotegaeshi where the hand continues to be held throughout the technique, or a big koshinage where the body is pulled through a larger circle for ukemi are techniques that simply preclude the use of a basic roll to save the uke. In these cases, if you can't take that breakfall, then you can't really be thrown in the technique; and if you can't be thrown, then you aren't going to learn as well.

Personally, I try to understand that if the nage's purpose is to throw with energy and/or then continue into some sort of osae waza, then I should take the higher fall if the energy and position are at all there to do so safely. This is because as the nage gets better, I need to be ready to receive the greater energy of the throw, and he/she needs to be able to reference a familiar position in their uke (me) to apply the pin. If I take one ukemi as they are learning and building the energy, and then another when they've better learned the throw, it's as if they have to relearn the pin and their movements. Now, I know that it is a good learning opportunity in itself for them to see that different energies from different throws produce different responses from their uke. So I'm not out there breakfalling from every kotegaeshi - especially if the nage is still learning it - but when I feel them actually taking my balance and throwing from their center, even if it is slight, then I'll take the fall to help them continue to learn as they move on to concentrate on the pinning, etc.

That's my thinking, anyway.

M.

Tim
It's a sad irony: In U's satori, he forgot every technique he ever knew; since then, generations of doka have spent their whole careers trying to remember.
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