Ukemi: by Duncan Stewart-Shihan

Duncan Stewart-Shihan, 2007 What is ukemi? The definition is receiving, ut it goes much dee!er then that" The im!ortance of ukemi cannot e over#ooked$ Without sincere stud% and !ractice of ukemi, %ou wi## e una #e to endure #ong !eriods of training$ &kemi has man% guises, it's not (ust a out ro##ing, ut a sor ing attacks !h%sica##%, !s%cho#ogica#, and s!iritua##%$ To c#assif% ukemi is ver% difficu#t as ukemi is k%o(utsu )truth and fa#sehood*$ &kemi is martia# arts"
Ashi Sabaki (leg evasion) is Ukemi Wh% is it the !h%sica# training of most r%uha and the +u(inkan Ten,hi-in commence with ukemi and gaeshi wa.a? Those who neg#ect, or do not think ukemi training is im!ortant/ 0 urge %ou to reconsider %our thinking$ The conce!t of true ukemi is to remain a#anced and aware in ever% moment$ When taking ukemi, !eo!#e e#ieve it is ecause one has #ost their a#ance$ This is incorrect" 0f %ou do not #oose hei(oshin )one's !resence of mind*, then %ou are sti## in a#ance$ 0t's on#% the !h%sica# rea#m that #ooks un a#anced$ There are man% as!ects and #eve#s to ukemi/ it is an area of stud% unrestricted % time and form$ &kemi is !resent in a## as!ects of #ife, !h%sica##%, menta##%, and s!iritua##%$ This !age ut hints a out it's man% #eve#s/ the rest is for %ou to discover$ 1ncient man used a form of ukemi in the manner of creating fires to !rotect themse#ves from !redators$ Women cross their #egs and fo#d their arms in the !resence of men the% don't know$ 1#so, man% househo#ds around the wor#d #ock their doors and windows to avoid unwanted visitors$ 0s this not ukemi? Takamatsu 2sensei a!!arent#% was watching Soke !erform ukemi and said it was getting etter$ 3e #ater stated that ecause his ukemi was im!roving, he was starting to understand the martia# arts$ Without understanding ukemi, %ou ma% not e a #e to tru#% gras! udo$ Takamatsu 2sensei received hard training initia##% in Toda Sensei's do(o$ 4or one %ear he was thrown in a## directions and struck % the senior students of the do(o unti# he cou#d take ukemi from an% circumstance$ 0t was on#% when he gained this a i#it% was he instructed in wa.a$

0t goes without sa%ing that the 5in(a were renowned for their advanced #eve# of ukemi$ 0t can e read that the% somersau#ted through the air and trees #ike monke%s and were as #im er and agi#e as cats$ 3owever, one thing must e understood$ &kemi is not (ust the !erformance of g%mnastics" True ukemi is understanding the kukan$ 0f one !erforms ukemi for the sake of (ust f#i!!ing or #ooking good, then this wi## o!en suki )weak-!oints*$ &kemi is taihen(utsu ) od% changing movements* !erformed natura##% for the sake of !rotecting #ife$ 0t is im!ortant to know these distinguishing !oints" We must therefore #earn to gras! the essence of #ife !reserving ukemi vs ukemi for !ure showmanshi!$ 0f we o serve 6a unaka San as uke for Soke, we can see real ukemi" 6a unaka San does not tr% to !erform ukemi/ he is forced too$ There is a difference/ ukemi u#timate#% is to maintain #ife" The forms taught within the Tenchi-in are guides to teach us the variant !ositions our od% ma% encounter during training$ 0t is our res!onsi i#it% to stud% ukemi unti# it ecomes second nature$ When we are a #e to reach this #eve#, we have natura##% discarded the form$ 2ur consciousness is now on a different !#ain$ The transition of form into form#essness is a natura# !rogression$ 2n#% after training in the form can %ou e7!erience the !rocess of #etting go$ 0f %ou don't have an% form or asic kihon training in the eginning, %ou cannot tru#% understand true ukemi$ 6our form#essness wi## e ased on form#essness$ Therefore, it wi## have no su stance$ 4orm#essness ac8uired through form wi## e7!ress true a i#it% with one and structure now trans!arent and invisi #e$ 4rom this !oint we're a #e to c#ear#% rotate our odies into a different form to maintain our a#ance$ During this time, we are a #e to fee# for counters, e it !icking u! something to throw, using a wea!on, or directing our od% to an esca!e !oint$ We are no #onger re8uired to think a out how our od% shou#d e, ecause our od% knows$ We no #onger are concerned with hurting ourse#ves whi#e ro##ing or doing a reak-fa##$ We are (ust surviving" We a#so need to understand that doing ukemi natura##% can a#so in(ure us$ This is #ife" There are no guarantees$ 0 wi## 8uote something Soke once said$ Many people have misconceptions about ukemi. You should not think ukemi is a safe thing. Many times, it is a very dangerous thing, you may land on glass, or on a twig and really hurt yourself. There have been times when people have taken ukemi to safe themselves, only to kill themselves in the process. You must be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Duncan-Stewart-Shihan, 2007 The #ast forms of ukemi and kaiten %ou #earn natura##% end with using no hands. 0n -a!anese, this is referred to Mu kaiten$ 5ow, the kan(i for Mu is a#so used in 9ushin for no mind$ :o##ing in the kukan free from thinking is in fact maintaining once a#ance$ The conce!t of removing ones hands a#so re#ates to eing free and not eing restricted in ones

#ife$ 1t this #eve# of no handed ukemi, the e7!onent of udo can then come to understand and fee# the s!ace to a!!#% wea!ons$ 1gain, this is a !rocess of #earning$ 1s 0 have stated efore, there are no short cuts to #earning these secrets$ The secrets to ukemi are gained from sincere training and eing a #e to a##ow %our ego to e thrown from %ou without tr%ing to catch it$ 0n order to understand ukemi, one must re#in8uish the se#f$ 0f %ou cannot do this, %ou are in %our ego and wi## never understand ukemi and therefore udo$ 1#so, % ho#ding onto %our ego, %our od% fo##ows and ecomes stiff$ The ina i#it% to change or mou#d onese#f to one's environment is a hindrance and ver% dangerous$ 0 e#ieve the avatars of ukemi are a ies$ 0n an e7treme e7am!#e, we occasiona##% hear )thank ;od* of a a % who has fa##en from a great height, on#% to #and unharmed$ +a ies do not know fear$ 4ear is something that is #arge#% introduced from !arenting$ 1s a resu#t, a ies are re#a7ed, and nim #e$ <s!ecia##% as their ones are sti## soft and growing$ The% often fa##, ut to our sur!rise, ounce ack )#itera##%* with a smi#e on their face$ 0 think there are some secrets to the art of ukemi hidden in the rea#m of chi#dhood$ Therefore, we have a #ot to #earn from chi#dren$ 6ou must fa## in #ove with ukemi$ 4rom there, %ou wi## not e afraid of fa##ing )in #ove* ecause %ou know that %ou wi## a#wa%s end u! on %our feet again$ With using this ana#og%, we can see that ukemi is indeed a wa% to understand #ife and it's hardshi!s, ut with a## things there is no a so#ute$ Whi#e writing here a out ukemi, 0 rea#i.e even with m% frai# know#edge ased on actua# e7!erience 0 cannot easi#% e7!ressed it into words$ 0n fact, 0 am ut skimming the surface a out ukemi$ &kemi is an art in itse#f" 0 e#ieve the words from 5agato Sensei e7!resses this$ If all you ever are is uke in your martial arts training, and survive. You have succeeded as a martial artist 0 e#ieve a !age on eing uke is a#so re#evant here, so kee! an e%e out for it in the future$ 0n c#osing, 0 #ike to consider ukemi as an as!ect of fudoushin$ Think a out this in con(unction with 5agato Sensei's !revious words$ 9a% e %ou cou#d consider %ourse#f a ro##ing stone?