A good uke

Posted by: Cato

A good uke - 04/17/03 06:34 AM

From a training point of view, what makes a good uke? And, can you learn anything from being uke?
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: A good uke - 04/17/03 10:37 AM

I think a good uke has to have complete trust in the person demonstrating an attack and is therefore not afraid of being hurt more than necesary. I used to train under a Sensei who would deliberately hurt students who had displeased him in some (real or imagined way).

One thing that I have learnt from being an uke is which techniques cause pain or restriction of movement and which ones just look good.
Sharon
Posted by: senseilou

Re: A good uke - 04/17/03 02:20 PM

Good ukes make great Nage's This is a principle that we use. Uke needs to play a role in this and is not a dummy for Nage. Uke needs to feel what Nage does, and feedback to him, what worked what didn't/ Uke also needs to learn from being uke. Could I reverse the technique, what is open on Nage when he does this or that.Early on, I don't allow any resisting or reversing, however at a given time I allow uke to be somewhat resistive, then later on, try to reverse or counter Nages action. We do this in karate as well. Start with a one step and let Nage do his thing, then, the next time, pari and counter Nage's attack, which actually makes uke, Nage, and the roles are switched.So I make Uke learn as he takes technique from Nage, not a lifeless form just stiking his arm out and taking a beating.
Posted by: Cato

Re: A good uke - 06/25/03 05:49 AM

When teaching a technique, do you always use the same students, or do you use whoever happens to be nearest at the time, or perhaps another sensei?
Posted by: kempo_jujitsu

Re: A good uke - 06/25/03 05:44 PM

i love being uke for people!! you feel the technique applied on you you know more about what to expect when applying it to others.
and whether or not you want to put a person through the torture or not.
what makes a good uke, someone who knows when to grab you, when to strike at you, how hard and fast, and who will actually strike at you not a few inches away...why block an attack that wont hit you anyway? but the key i think is the feedback they give you as was stated before. i dont like ukes who go down just cuz they are supposed to....i like them to make me take them down so i get a real feel for the technique. and a person who realized that everyone is in the dojo to learn, not beat people up, or get beat up, or be a smartass or a showoff, but who will work for the benefit and learning of everyone in the dojo.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: A good uke - 12/30/04 07:38 PM

Uke literally means "to receive" and ukemi literally means "the receiving body". In order to throw well, your ukemi must be equally good - the principles and feeling of both uke and nage are one and the same (two sides of the same coin).

In order to properly "receive" ukemi, uke must "give" - after all it is better to give than to receive :-). Nage is simply a "mirror" to reflect/deflect uke's energy.

So what makes a good uke? Someone who gives of themselves. But giving in a way that nage can feel the technique. Not just throw away your center, nor to resist being thrown. just enough for nage to return the favour.

What is "just enough"? That, my friend is the whole point of training.....
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: A good uke - 01/05/05 07:47 AM

There are a couple things that need to happen when you consider the role of the uke. One is that for a certain time uke needs to be patient and go with the technique and allow nage to develop a certain amount of muscle memory. Because remember if we catch an attacker completely off guard and our technique is proper and good the attacker will be like clay in the hands of a sculptor. The other thing to think about once a good amount of muscle memory is developed is that resistance will help the nage learn the intricacies of the technique. Also, using as many different uke as possible will give nage an idea of the range of motion that different body types can handle.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: A good uke - 01/05/05 08:19 PM

Before you can run, you must learn to crawl.

Learning aikido may appear slow and visually ineffective. But a lot of aikido (learning) happens "internally".

Just coz it looks like uke is falling over by themselves, doesn't mean that uke or nage isn't learning....well, one would hope!