Two helpful handfuls; To fall or not to fall...

Photo courtesy of Knutgj

It is common for aikido instructors to tell students, "take the fall - don't resist..." This gets to be almost a mantra- take the fall...don't resist...take the fall...don't resist...

.

Well, falling is important as a skill for uke, and as a cooperative practice between uke and tori, but it can also be appropriate to not fall for a given technique. Students actually learn different types of lessons when their practice includes falling for every technique and when it doesn't. Following are two helpful handfuls of hints - five ways falling is good and five ways that not falling is also good.

.

By not having uke fall every time tori tries a throw...

• tori learns when he has truly taken uke's balance and when he hasn't
• tori learns how to move with a guy he hasn't controlled
• tori learns to move from technique to technique appropriately and safely
• tori learns that it is possible to do successful aikido without the goal being to sail uke a particular way
• uke learns a different form of ukemi - how to walk out of a bad situation without falling

By having uke fall every time tori practices a throw...

• uke learns to save himself by relaxing and submitting when he's been had
• uke learns to do a safe fall before he is taken by surprise by a throw and forced to fall awkwardly
• tori learns how to control his own body when uke suddenly drops out from the relationship
• uke learns how to retain some control of the relationship all the way to the point of no return in the fall
• tori learns how to continue the technique into the ground into a lock or control

So, practicing aikido without falling every time is not necessarily bad aikido or non-aikido. It's just a different sort of aikido lesson. The falling practice basically promotes continuity between standing and groundwork, while the non-falling practice promotes continuity from one standing relationship to the next.

____________

Patrick Parker is a Christian, husband, father, martial arts teacher, Program Director for a Cardiac Rehab, and a Ph.D. Contact: mokurendojo@gmail.com or phone 601.248.7282

____________

Suggested great books on aikido, judo, and strategy.

____________

Subscribe now for free updates from the Mokuren Dojo blog