Ukemi
(Extracted from Aikido-L)
Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 09:02:02 +1200
From: feliks_chase
Subject: Newbie in pain.
Hi All,
New to the list, and a genuine Kiwi (as in New Zealander), and firstly,
thanks - so far I'm fascinated by the depth of knowledge and information
offered on this list.
Just a quick question - I've only been practicing Aikido for 3 months or so,
and forward Ukemi is the one thing I have absolutely no confidence
attempting, especially when trying to clear an object (such as another
person, never mind 3).
Currently when I fall on my left, (every time) I do roll, but after ten
minutes I have a nice collection of bruises on the back of my shoulder.
This does not seem to be improving, despite practice. On my right, I do not
so much Ukemi, as Splatemi, but that's another story.
Is this a common problem for newbies, and if so, can anyone suggest a way to
stop blending my shoulder with the mat quite so hard?
Thanks,
Feliks.
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Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 14:53:36 +1200
From: feliks_chase
Subject: Re: Newbie in pain
- Feliks.
> feliks_chase wrote:
> > Thanks! Please tell me no one ever broke an arm doing forward Ukemi...?
>
> I wouldn't be surprised. I've been on the mat when people suffered
> serious shoulder injuries just from front rolls including a third
> degree shoulder separation.
>
> Jun
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Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 22:06:28 -0500
From: "Bosman, Paul J"
Subject: Newbie in pain.
>Currently when I fall on my left, (every time) I do roll, but after ten
>minutes I have a nice collection of bruises on the back of my shoulder.
>This does not seem to be improving, despite practice. On my right, I do not
>so much Ukemi, as Splatemi, but that's another story.
>
>Feliks.
1. Welcome. I have found this list to be very welcoming to newbies.
I personally have only been practicing for 10 months, so I am qualified
to say that. I'm thus less qualified to give quality ukemi advise, but
am more familiar with the problem than some of my list sempai, so...
2. a. Think of yourself as a hoop. Stay round; don't collapse.
b. Use extension in your arm to avoid collapsing. Unbendable arm.
Ask about it. Go ahead.
c. Don't throw yourself at the ground. You dissipate the energy
of being thrown by rolling; this is difficult if you are trying
to roll below mat level. (I may have been guilty of this while
practicing breakfalls recently.)
3. Finally, I love the word "Splatemi."
Hopefully, my advice will allow you to avoid the shoulder bruises, so you
can move them elsewhere on your body. Listening to Jun, the keeper of
the list, makes me look forward to ukemi as a lifetime pursuit. Again,
welcome.
Paul J. Bosman
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Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 15:01:43 +1200
From: feliks_chase
Subject: Re: Newbie in pain.
Cindy Wrote:
> In my experience, thumping the shoulder in mai ukemi is due to letting
> the elbow bend. Do you do the "unbreakable arm" thing? That should
> be applied when rolling forward. Make your arm round and extend and
> don't let the elbow collapse. ALso make sure you're rolling
> diagonally from one shoulder to the opposite hip, and not too straight
> (ie, from the side of the neck to the small of the back instead).
>
> It's a pretty common problem, IME. Practice, practice, practice.
It makes me feel better to know I'm not the only totally uncoordinated
beginner. Thanks for all the helpful tips.
- Feliks.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 15:27:57 +1200
From: feliks_chase
Subject: Re: Newbie in pain.
Paul wrote:
> Hopefully, my advice will allow you to avoid the shoulder bruises, so you
> can move them elsewhere on your body.
Ah, you DO understand. ;-) Yes, aiming below the mat is how it feels at
present.
>Listening to Jun, the keeper of
> the list, makes me look forward to ukemi as a lifetime pursuit. Again,
> welcome.
Thanks Paul, it is a fantastically helpful list. On the topic above - I
love when my sensei says to us 'this is a ten year technique' or 'this is a
lifetime technique', because it gives a realistic expectation that once you
think you have learned a technique, you then must learn a new level of
detail about that technique. Such as how to do it without kneeing uke in
the groin, or how to avoid breaking his arm. Such things must come with
time, I feel. I hope. ;-)
- Feliks.
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Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 12:23:39 +0200
From: Christian Reiniger
Subject: Re: Newbie in pain.
On Wednesday 2002-05-01 23:47, Scot Reed wrote:
> RE: Newbie in pain.I'm a newbie as well, I've been practicing for only
> a couple weeks and forward ukemi is getting me also. One thing that
> seems to help is to keep my eyes on my front foot. My problem is that
> I have a tough time focusing on anything once I start falling. I just
> kinda faze everything out until... THUMP
Little note on that: Here we're specifically taught *not* to look downward
during forward rolls, as that way you'll more likely roll over your neck,
which is dangerous. Getting your head/neck out of the way is safer
(Sensei actually suggested biting into the dogi on the "back shoulder"
side as an aid to learning this :)
Another thing that helped for me is doing *backward* rolls. With these I
got the knack of how to make my back really "round", which made forward
rolling much more pleasant :)
--
Christian Reiniger
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Date: Mon, 6 May 2002 09:35:13 +1200
From: feliks_chase
Subject: Newbie in pain
David wrote:
>Arm? I don't know. Collarbone... yes.
>David "feeling better everyday" M-L
I feel comforted now David, I really do. ;-)
- Feliks.
PS: Ukemi is already improving, thanks to all the helpful suggestions.
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Last updated on 13 Sep 2002