Just want to know what people think of Ukemi being in Aikido grading?

It needs to be there, especially in the first rank. Ukemi skills are not so much for you, per se (although it literally saves your neck in some cases), but for your training partners. There is nothing worse than having a bad uke for your rank test.





I do aiki and karate, and some of our karate ranks involve learning some basic aiki techniques. However, the kids who do karate and not aiki are the worst ukes possible. They have no concept of punching properly (they will either stop 10 feet from me and expect me to block it, or try to takemy head off) or of proper speed. I%26#039;m so worried I%26#039;m going to break them in half that I botch the technique to make it work.





You can%26#039;t do a technique properly on someone who doesn%26#039;t know how to fall, roll out of it, or give you a proper attack. All three are parts of ukemi, and all are essential in establishing good relationships with the other aikidoka in class with you.|||In my view, Ukemi is one of if not the most important thing that a beginning Aikidoist can learn. It is, in my view, what defines a good or above avg. Aikidoist. Without Ukemi, to me, it wouldn%26#039;t be Aikido. When I run classes I focus more time than does the head instructor on falling and rolling. We have a small class of about 10 or so and even the higher ranked, in my view, tend to lack in the area of falling. As a ending to this ramble I say that falling and rolling is a MUST in Aikido grading, at any level. No one can ever get too skilled in such a skill. For me I enjoy being throw much more than doing the throwing. When anyone needs a Uki they gravitate my way, because they know that I love to be thrown and everyone says they like watching my Ukemi.|||obviously it is an important part of the art of Aikido,lots of throws ,therefore Ukemi very important .|||It%26#039;s an essential part of Aikido.





Learning to throw others is certainly more glamorous, but you must learn to land when you fall as well.





Today, a lot of Aikido schools don%26#039;t pay much attention to what the Uke does and don%26#039;t really teach good ukemi anymore. But Uke is training as much as Nage is.





First, Uke is responsible for his/her own safety, so uke%26#039;s mind can%26#039;t go wandering about.


Second, Uke learns from receiving the technique and should be paying attention to how it feels on one%26#039;s body. That way, you will understand quicker what the techniques are all about (or rather your body will understand) and you%26#039;ll be that much faster at learning it.





Some other general rules regarding the role of Uke. Not all schools insist on those anymore, but I%26#039;m convinced they%26#039;re necessary for good Aikido:





1- Don%26#039;t forget to maintain a proper stance. You%26#039;re not just hanging around waiting for the technique. Kamae remains your basic stance and you should learn to make it second nature. (Sometimes, of course, you%26#039;ll adopt weaker stances for the sake of some exercises, but generally speaking).


2- Moving is the same whether you%26#039;re Nage or Uke. Just because you%26#039;re the %26quot;passive%26quot; partner, doesn%26#039;t mean you forget irimi and tenkan.


3- In Aikido, the feet don%26#039;t leave the ground until you%26#039;re thrown and your stance remains straight (but not rigid). This applies to a good Uke as well.


4- Finally, don%26#039;t forget to resist. You don%26#039;t have to allow Nage to perform the technique. If it%26#039;s not done right, you shouldn%26#039;t have to move. This doesn%26#039;t mean you should resist excruciating pain (this would result in injury, sometimes serious). You can resist some pain, but that%26#039;s a question of experience. What I%26#039;m trying to say is, if you feel something in your body is about to give, by all means, this is the time to let go. Remember: As Uke, you%26#039;re responsible for your own safety first and foremost. But if the pain%26#039;s not there, you have no reason to move.|||It is essential in grading since the ukemi is a very important part of the training while being thrown and falling.