Aikido Ukemi Roll

There are basically two types of fall:

1. against your will, you could stumble and fall off or when you are being thrown by your partner and not ready in the mind (off guard). Resisting the fall most times it will leave you a little sore, God willing no major injury.

2. or at your will. Willing to fall, enjoying it without worries and free from corruption.

As a practitioner of Christian Aikido, being guided by the Holy Spirit. Sincere fall, relaxed, composed.

Do you hit the mat? or do you absorb the mat? On break-fall, yes, you hit the mat so you can absorb the shock of the high fall. Still composed in the mind.

As Shihan, to describe this motion I use the term heart-felt, sincere, beautiful to see in the eye of the spectator, to see the gentle and grace of the fall. When falling, most feel embarrassed. Some people think that falling in daily life is a defeat. In Aikido, you fall to save yourself; when and if you fall, relax, breath, go with it, protect your head. The tension and hard resistance does the damage. Basically it is fear, very common to feel. Falling is a practice we prefer not to do in daily life.

In Aikido you have to love it. Understand this. Get formal instruction before you begin the practice of falling; in time you will improve. To understand, we must go back to our childhood, run and roll on the ground. It might be considered immature, however, if the mind and body absorb that relaxed fun feeling and dynamics, it will be able to respond when you actually fall.

In Aikido we love the fall or roll because it has been repeated many times. The practice of rolling is no joke, if you injure yourself, stop. If you just get a little sore, it’s ok; stay with the practice of Ukemi, the art of Aikido rolling.