In this article, I would like to express the deeper meaning to the concept of Ukemi, the skillset of safe-falling. I would also like to open your mind to how much more this is than simply "safe-falling", and how it extends to your very relationship with movement, mobility, and quality of life. It is my mission to free this skillset from it's tether to martial arts, and popularize a system that allows every body to adopt this practice as a foundation to their relationship with physicality.
I believe that everyone can benefit from learning how to fall safely, but also, the body awareness, mobility, stability, and balance that comes naturally from refining these skills is life-changing, and there's no need to be interested in martial arts to learn them. That said, this article will spend some time exploring the insights of Ukemi from a martial arts perspective in order to express the understanding of how that relates to the importance of Ukemi in the practice of any sport, physical activity, and in daily life in general.
Ukemi is a Japanese word that means "to receive the self". The root of the word Ukemi is the verb Ukeru, which means "to receive". the suffix mi means the "self", or the "body". It is a common oversimplification in Japanese martial arts to translate Uke as "block", but it actually means receiving. "Blocking" is very specific, and indicates a very adversarial and one-dimensional interpretation. It suggests that we are forcefully stopping an attack, but "receiving" can take many forms, and indicates a more harmonious and adaptable way of thinking.
This is interesting because, similarly, people often think of Ukemi as "breaking/stopping a fall" which gives the impression that we are striking back against the fall. Considering Ukemi as "receiving our own body", this conveys the image of falling into an embrace, or finding where we fit in our environment. The "stopping" mind indicates a mindset of not accepting the change that is happening, and the "receiving" mind indicates a mindset of being ever-ready to change with the reality of each moment. This is the contrast between the mind of "fixation/stagnation" and the mind of "presence/adaptability".
"Receiving" is infinitely more adaptable than "stopping" and transcends the context of a fall. We receive our bodies when we jump and land, in every step we take when we run or even walk, when we throw and catch something, when we push or pull open a door, as well as when we sit down or even lay in bed. When we lift weights, or carry heavy objects, when our dog pulls on the leash, and so much more. These are all actions where our Ukemi is expressed, and by adopting Ukemi as a foundation to our physicality and fitness practice, we transform everything we do, and bring life to the most basic of basics that are often glossed over by other physical practices.
Judo is a sport and system of physical education based on the martial art of Jujutsu. It was developed by Jigoro Kano Sensei and based on the martial art of Jujutsu. Judo mostly involves two standing competitors trying to throw each other to the ground. As a result, Ukemi is deeply connected to Judo, and practitioners of this sport have developed the skill of falling to a very deep level. We can learn a lot from observing their thoughts on the practice of Ukemi.
In Kano Sensei's book, Kodokan Judo, he states that: "before practicing throwing techniques or engaging in randori (a kind of sparring), it is imperative to master ukemi, the technique of falling safely."
We can extend this insight to so many different physical activities, even daily life in general. Developing a solid foundation in Ukemi should be a prerequisite for movement in every human being, at any age. There is nothing more disempowering that the uncertainty of whether or not you will be okay if you fall, and if you are not confident in your ability to receive the ground safely, how can you really move freely? Stiffness in the body as a result of this fear is one of the major elements that leads to chronic pain, unnatural tension, and the growing feeling that your body is a prison, rather than the vehicle of your soul and means of interfacing with nature.
If you are a runner, or do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), or use weights in the gym, or play any sport, go hiking, biking, etc... an unexpected fall can happen at any moment. Even worse, a near-fall where you attempt to catch yourself from falling can result in some pretty serious ligament injuries that you may never fully recover from, if your body is not prepared for it. most injuries happen during deceleration, meaning when you are trying to stop your momentum or fight against the force of gravity.
Even in non-athletic, mundane daily life activities, you'll most definitely lose balance and fall at some point in your life. Do you want that fall to be a gamble, or do you want to know with certainty that you will bounce right back up unharmed. Is the ground a dear friend who will catch you when you fall, or do you see it as a threat, waiting to strike? Is falling just a transition to lying down to a moment, or do you see it as losing a fight with gravity as it forces you into submission? Ukemi transforms our relationship with gravity; our relationship with the earth. It is a loving teacher that guides us to better understand our body mechanics, and reveals our weaknesses and limitations to us. When we explore the techniques of rolling and falling, we grow to understand where our restrictions in mobility need to be addressed, where our bodies lack stability, and where our balance is not supporting us.
The tools that I provide in my Ukemi Foundations Program give us the means to overcome those imbalances while unlocking the skills we have challenges with. We not only build our ability to fall safely, but we unravel the restrictions in our mobility, restore our natural strength, and build the body awareness and balance to avoid falling in the first place.