You walk into the dojo (judo classroom) and watch as people fly through the air and then just get up as if nothing happened. There is a lot of confusing action and people are moving and falling all over the mat so much that you constantly switch from one pair of judoka (judo practitioners) to another. It's exciting and you are itching to get into one of the judogis (uniforms) and try your hand at throwing techniques. So you sign up and the first thing you are doing is lying down on the mat and slapping it with your hands. You wonder is this Judo? What happened to all that action? You are learning ukemi (falling techniques).
The art and sport of Judo involves a lot of throwing techniques which means someone is doing a lot of falling. This means as a beginner it will most definitely be you. Usually in America students are taught one throw and a little ukemi and perhaps one hold down (newaza) technique in their first few lessons. Now some instructors teach a lot more than that but believe me they aren't doing you any favors by exposing you to so much before you get better at ukemi. You have to concentrate on learning the very basic principles of judo before you move on. It's just like any other sport or art. Judo is probably the best way to learn about balance, control and respect and it is expected and natural that you will carry that over to other areas of your life.
It's natural, people just want to throw other people and practicing falling can be boring in comparison to throwing. What would you rather be doing falling or making other people fall? I know I would rather throw you then have you throw me around. However breaking your fall is an integral part of Judo and you learn to control your body as you move through the air. Gymnasts and divers learn this skill too. It will improve your balance which can't hurt right? If you become proficient at ukemi then you won't mind the falls and believe me in order to get good at judo you will take many, many falls.
If you trip or have an accident and fall you will automatically assume the best position to take that fall if you master this unpopular skill. I have been saved from many twisted ankles and more serious injuries in my 44+ years since I began Judo by ukemi. I consider ukemi to be the most important thing to learn first. You can practice by yourself to improve and then with a partner for a more realistic experience.
One reason ukemi is not stressed so much in today's Judo is beginners quit once they discover that Judo is a rough martial art. And falling is rather awkward at first. Judo is physically one of the most demanding arts/sports in martial arts. And falling is no fun until you become good at it. It is not very hard to become proficient at ukemi, it just takes practice, and it is far more difficult and takes more time and practice to master a throw. The standard class begins with a short warm-up that includes ukemi. So even if your instructor does not stress ukemi, you will get to practice it every class. You should concentrate on doing it correctly every time you take a fall.
So approach your first lessons with an open mind and practice your ukemi, it will make your judo experience much more pleasant.
By Sam Hashimoto
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/706216
**Thank you for reading this article :)
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