Disclaimer
As is my custom, I will lay a caveat that these are my thoughts and opinions about ukemi. I have asked around for others’ input as I feel that this is a broad and complex area of inquiry, however it will have all been tied together by my brain so will have my own bias attached to it.
As aikido is my main martial art, this article will also be heavily influenced by that despite the fact that the role of uke and ukemi are present in essentially all arts, even if labelled as something else.
Introduction
In the last article, I tried to define ukemi and it became apparent that it was difficult to pull apart the simplistic words from a more meaningful philosophy (well, for me at least). I hope you will continue down this same journey of discovery and reflection with me as I try to look at the creation of “ukemi”.
Thought Exercise
This article I imagine will largely seem redundant, but as I mentioned in my first article on this site (shameless plug) we have to know the context from which someone is speaking in order to be able to understand one another. Therefore, I want to try and work through a logical step by step process to understand how we have arrived at the ukemi we see today.
Much of the inspiration for this has been drawn from a conversation that I have had with a martial arts friend, you know who you are, so a big thank you to them. I was so caught up in looking at the spiritual and psychological aspect of ukemi that practicality seemed to slip by me.
Let us start at the beginning with a story. Ug is a caveman. Ug lives a pleasant life, he has a great cave with perfect foraging and hunting ground around. It is well sheltered from the wind and near the campfire so he and his family stay warm at night. Terry (who knows what cavemen called each other) has a cave that faces into the most common wind direction and is distant from the campfire, he is often cold and lives alone as none of the other cave people want to share his cold cave. Sad and alone Terry issues a challenge to Ug. The collective gathered around to witness the spectacle. Terry kills Ug and claims his cave. Terry has learned something of fighting whilst Ug has learned something of dying. Is their society richer for having a member killed? Has their knowledge of how to survive in the world increased? I would argue no to both these points.
Although I have painted a somewhat crude picture I think this highlights the essential need for ukemi. People cannot learn if they are killed or injured to the point where they cannot train. Equally people cannot truly learn with others to help them and offer them resistance. Learning is a two way street in martial arts.
So we fast forward a few thousand years. There are two people and they want to fight, but neither wants to die or to kill. They make a social contract not to use weapons. Here we start to see the impact of placing limitations on a combative situation. Sadly one of them chokes and kills the other. One is dead and the other is going to prison.
A revision of the rules is needed. How about if one of them submits the other is declared the winner, but you have to leave eyes alone and add a list of things to make things safe here? Now we are in a world governed by rules to protect those within the system but this is still a combative situation so there is not really any need for ukemi.
Person A has been shown a new lock that they think will improve their chances of winning but they have only observed it done by their teacher a few times. How can they practice? They need to find someone willing to let their body be put in that position. They need to respect that person lending them their body, the vessel through which they experience and influence the world.
It is here that ukemi is born. Uke has to offer the right level of resistance to allow tori to train. At first this will be little to none, tori needs to learn not only how they move but how they move in relation to another. The tempo and resistance can build as tori grows in ability. Ukemi is not a fixed level of resistance, it is a constant change driven by the need of tori.
Yes, ukemi is about uke being able to stay safe in a technique but it is also about being the appropriate tool for each tori at any given moment. It is like a weightlifter, I would not expect a person who has never lifted to walk into a gym and lift 300lbs. They will get hurt and injure themselves. Equally someone who is fit and lifts regularly is not going to get much with 3lbs of resistance. Uke therefore has to be the perfect weight to help tori build.
Equally, ukemi is a skill that takes time and training to develop so sometimes tori is responsible for building uke. People aren’t born with the innate ability to take big falls, it is something we are taught and learn, and people must be given the correct teaching, time, space and respect to build these skills. Everyone is different and learns different things at different paces. Be kind to each other.
Conclusion
I guess the point of all this rambling was to say that ukemi lets us practice martial arts in as safe a way as we can, whilst being as close to the actuality of application as possible.
Does this mean we are done with the discussion of ukemi? For me, we are not. This is a small piece of the larger picture which I hope to keep exploring.
He has in the past tried over styles and systems but this is the style that he loves and always comes back to.
Since the start of 2020 and lock down he has begun a journey in Lee style tai chi as well as the kung fu that goes with this.
Although not working in this area Dane has done a degree in oriental medicine and acupuncture and has an interest in the health benefits of martial arts as well as the philosophy behind oriental medicine.
- Ukemi — What is it good for? (Part 2) - October 12, 2021
- Ukemi What is it Good For? - September 29, 2021
- Representation in Martial Arts Media - August 17, 2021
Leave a Reply