Aikido Techniques: Ukemi – To Master Throwing is to Master Falling

Aikido Techniques: Ukemi – To Master Throwing is to Master Falling

Aikido Techniques: Kokyu Nage (2)

Aikido Techniques: Kokyu Nage (2)

Ukemi is the art of falling and is fundamental to Aikido Techniques as well as those of other arts such as BJJ and Judo.  Three points are key to this concept:

Ukemi is an essential element of training
-Learning to fall correctly minimizes the chance for injury
-Learning to fall can help you throw more effectively

Most individuals new to Aikido, BJJ, or Judo have seen exciting throws and want to immediately learn to pound others into the ground. Throws are an important aspect of these arts so, it may surprise many that taking ukemi (falls) is  central to becoming proficient at throwing.

Aikido Techniques: Judo was the Beginning of My Aikido Training

Ukemi is an essential element of training.  My early training as a teenager was in Judo taught in “old school” style, which is characterized by the teacher providing a demo, and then turning you loose to practice what you “thought you saw”.   “Old school” also meant that new student got their baptism in fire (being thrown constantly by senior students). So, before learning a single throw, I became proficient at being thrown – something that many new students would just as soon avoid.  The student that does not “pay dues” in this way misses out on the kinesthetic learning of having your balance swept away.

So it is with Aikido techniques that one of the most effective ways to learn how to take one’s balance is to have your own balance taken from you (learning from the University of Hard Knocks).  One of the most popular hip throws is called uchi mata (inner thigh throw) in which the balance is broken by positioning the hip below the opponent’s center, floating the hips and following through with a reaping thigh motion between the legs.  Effective execution of this technique requires speed, precise body position and movement.  Although one can learn the mechanics of the throw verbal instruction and demonstration it is often the kinesthetic learning that provides the subconscious insight to move you to the next level.

Aikido Techniques: Even High Level Instructors Continue Their Ukemi Practice

In the video below Harry Ishisaka Sensei, founder of Orange County Aikido School (Aiki Kai), demostrates that even a Chief Instructor of an Aikido School is willing to take ukemi (falls) for one of his student taking the Shodan (First Degree) Black Belt Exam.

Learning to fall correctly minimizes the likelihood of injury.  Landing badly leaves you open to injury.  This may entail an uneven distribution of weight in one area such as the shoulder.  In Aikido, the rolls are normally performed “over one shoulder” making the likelihood of this even greater.  Minimization of injury is why ukemi is part of the warm-up routine at Aikido dojos.  It is through this repetition that we develop the kinesthetic sense to know where our body is at all times and to make the tiny corrections necessary to land properly.

Learning to fall can help you throw more effectively.  Get thrown by an advanced practitioner enough times and you will learn about the subtle movements that unbalanced you in the first place, opening the way for an effortless throw.  Religious ukemi practice gives us the sense of body position and movement that creates effective Aikido techniques.

We take the old axiom “those who lead must first serve”, apply it to the current context, “those who would throw must first fall”.  If your goal is the execution of effective Aikido techniques, you must first pay your dues.

Dan Kudo Sensei trains and teaches in Santa Ana, California, located in Orange County, and holds the rank of Yondan (fourth degree black belt).  Click here to read about and view an exciting demonstration of ukemi in the form of koshi nage (hip throws).

About admin

Dan Kudo Sensei is a healthcare professional and holds the rank of Yondan (fourth degree black belt in the martial art of Aikido. He currently trains and instructs Aikido Techniques at Orange County Aiki Kai in Santa Ana, California. His passions include sports - particularly the martial art of Aikido in which he has trained and taught for almost forty years. An outdoor enthusiast, Dan loves to spend time skiing, camping, flyfishing, and surfing. He listens to and plays music, and enjoys photography and videography.