Angry People

Testing appears to be focused on the candidate performing techniques however, it seems to me that a greater emphasis is often placed on the art of ukemi in regular training.

As far as I am concerned, when taking ukemi for someone who is grading, one should make every effort to give the candidate as much to work with as possible (as is appropriate to their grade) and give the best ukemi you can manage. A grading is an opportunity for them to showcase their techniques.

In truth, unless you are practising for some other specific outcome, I think this should also apply to regular training.

My definition of a poor uke is someone who meets some or all of the following criteria:

Does not continue to give (makes attack then becomes static)
Is rigid rather than alive/springy
Does not move out of the way of atemi
Does not roll/fall unless they absolutely have to then complains

Now, all of the above is variable with grade and you would not expect a beginner to be able to have any greater skill at ukemi than you would technique. The point is that they should develop together.

What happens is, those people that are poor uke’s train with and take grading’s with people that are good uke’s and so advance in grade however, in my experience (15 years) someone’s ukemi that has reached a plateau and not developed for some time… probably wont.

It may be that this will ultimately prevent their ability to advance their technique but it seems to me that a larger component of achieving grades in aikido is time served, rather than technical ability.

You may be thinking, “ah! This guy has people that he cannot move and he is blaming them for his poor technique.” And you are, in part, correct - but, this is not my point.

My point is whether ukemi should be tested, as part of a grading, in the same way Ki style clubs have separate Ki gradings and some clubs have separate instructor gradings. The same people with poor ukemi skills that have achieved sempai grades are usually the first to try and ‘teach’ you how to perform a technique like them, whilst forgetting that it is your good ukemi that allows them to get away with their poor technique.

So my second point is relating to ukemi: by performing ukemi correctly are we deceiving our partners? Should one perform ukemi for a poor uke in the same way they do it for you?

In conclusion, I think Ueshiba was ahead of his time and humanity is not yet ready for Ueshiba’s aikido, which was intended as much more than a purely physical art. The spiritual side I am currently struggling with as much as the physical side - as perhaps this post demonstrates.
Part of the problem is that there is no sparring in conventional aikido so there is no way for a poor uke to discover their failings. I would also suggest that many teachers are afraid of correcting students, that have achieved a certain grade, for fear that they leave.

Should ukemi be tested?

Perhaps grades should be awarded on ability rather than tested for?

Gradings are a modern convention created in response to the militarization of the martial arts and their teaching methologies, which for some reason have mostly been maintained. Why is that? Oh yes… ka-ching! The militarized model is the same as the commercial model (but that’s another discussion). Also, there is an element of “that’s just how it’s done” - but if Ueshiba had thought like that he never would have created Aikido.

This brings us back to the ever present “What is Aikido?” and I really hate the word is!

Added: I’ve just been reading an excellent article on Aikido Journal titled: The Virtues of Aikido