Aikido Ukemi: Meeting the Mat

[KnownTK]

This is very solid ukemi.

[Collete13]

Don't know why, but I always hit a little bit with the shoulder in mae kaiten. If I do it from the floor is easly, but in uchi kaiten nage or soto kaiten nage... I just can't, I'm afraid from falling or something. I've done the 6th kyu... but I want to learn it for the 5th -.-'

[Junjokar]

@Collete13 I had the same feeling: The one thing I did wrong was neglect touching my actual hand on the ground. I got close to the ground same way he said, positioned my hands. But then I would always skip touching my hands on the floor and put my forearms instantly. Made a huge difference.

[sakura0jp0aikidodesu]

とてもわかりやすいです。ありがとうございます！ Donovan sensei's teaching is very helpful, thank you!! from Japan.

[mickparly]

And he is also instrukting in such a good way, that you will understand very easy why it is good for your body to do the ukemi in the way he is instructing. And then he seems to be very good himself at what he is doing.

[mickparly]

very nice explanation in such a controlled and quiet way, that would make a aikido

beginner pupil feel safe and in good hands by the instructor

[KingDavidANC]

Capoeira! Brazil!

[Raffee28]

Thank you very much for this!

[FlyingCarpet000]

somehow he reminds me of the RZA

[TheBazzywazzy]

Thank you, domo arigato

[britneypinkerella]

im a yellow belt!

[tehf00n]

I have had problems with ushiro kaiten. I hope when I get back on the mat your help will enhance my skill in this area. Thank you.

[nuj69]

i'm new to aikido this will help me a lot thanks

[MNAikidoka]

Thank you for sharing your instruction on ukemi :-)

[canajaneh]

I'll never be able to do mai kaiten properly because of back and hip problems. Waite Sensei has tried (whenever I attend one of his seminars) to help me but it's purely mechanical issues (skeletal rather than muscular) so I've developed my own rather clunky way of meeting the mat safely.

[aikido1952]

merci beaucoup ! c'est très pédagogique ! vraiment un grand Maître technicien supérieur ! thanks!

[gutar2]

Great instruction

[tishigtuoi]

thanks a lot :D

[adenet]

Thanks for this great video!

[HibikiMedia]

Thank you Donovan-Shihan. Very Beautiful video, very precise instruction. I trained with Nakazono-Sensei when I was 19-21. I love the old-style aikido.

[sungmoo52]

Excellent teacher!

[saideljibahi]

the ushiro kaiten is so difficult ..

[turrican1900]

An excellent roll tutorial, thanks for making this.

[0196601930]

Incredible instructor, thank you !

[tocororomacho]

Excellent. I did finally understood what is it all about. Now, there is a long way from understanding it and executing it. ;)

Thanks for taking the time to teach us the process.

[47wma]

Good instructions come from good instructors and that is the case in this video. Thank you so much.

[meulitk2]

This is the best video that really explains the ukemi process from start to finish, great stuff!

[TheSouth0713]

これは良い

とてもわかりやすい

[theowlspirit]

OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! I finally after 5 months of doing Aikido was able to do a forward roll without any pain in my shoulder arm and actually do it in a straight line! IN MY BEDROOM! I'm soooo stoked! Now I'm gonna show my sensei that I can do it now that I'm 7th Kyu and then maybe he will pick me to throw around. SOOOO EXCITED! I was positioning the hands incorrectly. Thank you so much!. I was sooo frustrated!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[uriangatobataclan]

@theowlspirit YEah this video really saved my shoulders too!!

[99XM]

@theowlspirit exited??, are you a woman?. so your teatcher dont teatche you this???

this is the basement of any martial art. You dont know this you dont know a shit.

Learn with a sensei, you go to commercialdoges your just fuked up. it would be better not to go there, because one day in case of you fell confidant someone ll kick ass you.

[theowlspirit]

@99XM I think you need to take an english class.

[Sanyika750]

@theowlspirit waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[99XM]

@theowlspirit Thanks i prefer japaneses. English is shit.

[VVayVVard]

@99XM

It's not the basis of any martial art---you never do ukemis in boxing, for example. It's still a vital move in falling situations in and out of fighting, though.

[VVayVVard]

@99XM

And yeah, I'd say she's a woman lol. It's pretty obvious from her way of writing.

[kroq2]

Very good Video. Im doing Krav Maga, most stuff is of course stand fight, but i need to learn rolling in all variations to get up the ranks. This video helped me alot, thx for posting it on YT and greetings from Germany :)

[threat645]

Thanks so much. But what is the purpus of this? Is it for when your oppent try's to hyper exstend you?

[killarse]

@threat645 purpose: when you are getting thrown, it's a way to protect yourself. If the technique translate into a hyper extension on your elbow and doing this can prevent it from being snapped, do it.

[jimckd104]

Excellent demo Sir,

Do you ever teach in the UK ?

[domusicman]

thank you sensei, now i know how to practice with falling down!!

[bonnetsipka]

One of the best video explanation I've ever seen on ukemi. I wish I had it earlier...:D

[bxborijew]

A truly fantastic video. Great instruction and detailed. God Bless.

[Duda7]

Wonderful way of teaching the techniques. Thank you very much for posting this video !!!!!

[TheRogueMonk]

lol nothing seems to help me afer all these years.. i don tknow why and what i am doing wrong

[1defaye]

i wouldn't say you need the left hand at all. if anything that will confuse the subconcious. commit one side or the other (i.e. left front foot left leading arm, right f.f. right l.a) and don't confuse the body when learning. that's just what i think, never seen 前方回転うけみ in this way

[Tullius]

Hallo there, Mr Waite,

would you please let me know how to purchase an aikido dvd of yours for complete beginners, if there is one?

Thanks a lot and best wishes

Marcus Tullius

[Zoranmat]

Thank you for all this details.:)

[iBlobs23]

You could buy sensei's 3D aikido here akido3d.com he's the nage

[hongfog]

Please do neither China nor Korea we with Japanese.

[111jude]

Thank you for creating this video. I am just beginning Ki Aikido and I am struggling with ukemi, so I am really grateful for your excellent explanation.

[Pedrokirk24]

This is the best demostration of mae and ushiro ukemi in the net. Waite sensei is really great. Best regard from Chile

[eteune]

I know it's traditional garb, but it would be much better to not wear the black skirt thingy so we could see where your legs are :)

I notice you keep hiking up the skirt to show us your feet and ankle position, why not just dispense with it so we can see leg position clearly?

just a though

[MrDtacoomber]

i have had trouble with ukemi, but watching this video it now makes it a lot more easy thank you sensie

[03sankyu]

Allen Iverson.!

[ericn9vjg]

Will this ever be available on DVD or on-Demand? I see used VHS versions on Amazon.

[michaelm2fscopm95]

Beautiful instruction, the way you move your head with your hand. Bravo and thank-you. Best regards from Montreal, Canada.

[Cypher25z]

This guys cool!!

[Planetgift]

I think Snackalak was trying to say is name "Waite Sensei" only - respect is Budo philosophy!

[erikthered11]

My daughter seems to do back rolls very naturally. I look like an elephant in season. This video has helped me immensly. Thank you very much.

[TheRogueMonk]

he does a strange ukemi .. 

[2Kortoso]

He looks like a good teacher.

[Aristes]

This helped a lot more than some of the other things I'd looked at. I try to practice when I'm not in class, but it's so difficult without somebody there showing you what went wrong. I love this.

[soonaiki]

Hey That's Neilu, hope she's doing well. Was this filmed in Brooklyn?

[AikiCam]

Excellent study material...There's more at aikicam ... check them out :)

[HansumRob100]

That was pretty cool. The simplicity of the roll is pretty amazing to me at the moment. My girlfriend tripped one time, she drove her face into the ground. I think i should teach her how to roll now. Amazing tutorial Mister. . .

[carlmills100]

relaxing and flowing is very important-when your stiff and not relaxed you will know it when you land--very good insructor to show you properly

[dalampiras]

very nice ukemi practice. thanks for the advice they helped me doing better ukemi ;)

[mrsranand]

Very good basics and equally well and patiently explained. Domo Arigato- Sunil

[viddydude]

Excellent, completely detailed instruction. Everything about it, film quality, color scheme, set design, the very calm, clear, interesting timbre and accent of the instructor's voice enhanced my learning experience. Each time I review I am impressed with its sense of calm and grace.

[MangoParrots]

Thanks this will help lots :]

[allscifirocks]

Wow, great vid, wonderful attention to detail! Thank you Waite Shihan! These videos make my practice much easier to understand.

[velosoje]

I've seen this video a lot of times and have learned diferent tips in every play. Thanks Waite Sansei for sharing your knowledge.

[raulochar]

Excelente esplicacion, principalmente para pricipiantes como yo...

[noesis790]

awesome--helped me a lot.

[WorldEnder]

Donovan Waite Sensei will be in Romania - Arad, teaching aikido and training beside you on 30 April to 2 May 2010, send me a message if you`re curious about it

[gn120760]

Waite Sensei, Great Video!!

Thank You. I keep collapsing my lead arm.

[mucker61]

Very good video, nice and clear for the beginner. Some slo-mo might have been nice, I found myself hitting the pause button a fair bit!

[FinalKenny2]

This is a very good video.

It often is difficult for some to explain Ukemi, but your way is very understandable.

Thank you, I polished my back-roll thanks to you.

[carlmills100]

Very nice DoJo

[carlmills100]

I should have watched this video more before doing break falls-when you hit wrong and go splat it's not good--lol

[btweens]

Would you recommend that a man 64 years old start Aikido training? I need to lose about 35 pounds and get into much better shape. What type of exercises would you advise for me. Thanks.

[FinalKenny2]

It is never too late.

And intense Ukemi-training can be quite a workout.^^

[amauryaracena]

@btweens I think yoga or pilate stretch is the best to lose weight

[viddydude]

@btweens I am 55 and planning to resume aikido from when I left off, still a rank beginner, at age 33. I also need to lose weight, at leat 60 pounds. I,m starting with treadmill walking, stretches and LOTS of ukemi practice.

[KristianRoberto]

Just great and very good explaining the teqn. I`ve been practice Aikido for only 6 mnt now, and falling forw/backw, and rolling backwards is NOT easy.. This video certanly helps a LOT.. Thanks

[unbc100]

Clean and simple explanation and execution. Great Vid. Thank you.

[Snackalak]

great instruction ; the details are wonderful. Thank you Waite shihan.

[maddog0408]

falling and rolling are two different things, for a casting throw or a push you would roll,using kaiten waza or methods of rolling, and when you're falling straight to the ground you breakfall, using ukemi waza, or methods of breakfalling, aikido is good for self defense, but some things are lost in translation when americans teach a japanese art

[plunker49]

@maddog0408 I'm glad you explained that. I was really confused by ralling and folling. So tell me, what makes you feel qualified to comment on the instruction of a 7th dan with 40 years experience? Do you hold 8th dan? Did you sleep in a Holiday Inn last night?

[bombshellblonde544]

I am taking an Aikido class for a P.E. credit in college, and if he happened to come into town to teach a class, maybe not specifically in my Aikido course, it would be very cool. I really like his style of explaining the details of the roll and demonstrating both how to do it and how NOT to do it. I also like the emphasis on making it natural, rather than being picky, because pickiness is not realistic for an actual fight

[kgar120]

I am a new student and have a hard time seeing what I'm doing wrong. Thank you for a good explanation.

[timothyoo7]

Very well done. Great job of verbal explanation fallowed by the physical example.

[MrGadni]

Great tutorial video! It gave me another way of explanation how to fall and I'll try it when working with children! Thank you!!!

[MissEnglishButterfly]

sono italiana e scrivo italiano; devo dire che è molto chiaro,ottimo!

[leonelotroleon]

Me encantó lo calmado de la demostración, muuy util. Pero tengo algo de duda, porque he visto que ese movimiento se hace menos de lado... Esta bien cualquier versión?

[klover424]

that was a great demonstration

[Orangetree991]

thanks...this rly helps my with BJJ throws

[groundpounder35]

Its good to see Waite Sensei has a video series. Long over due.

[TaipanNic1971]

Great explanation!

Thanks!

[DrinkingStar]

Excellent instruction on those rolling techniques. I wish that the camera had a few shots directly in front and behind as the rolls were being performed. It would give a better visual of what Donovan was trying to illustrate. I loved how clear his instructions were in performing those rolls. If he does more videos, hopefully some of the moves could be presented in slow motion( maybe via an video editing program) to better 'catch' the technique demonstrated. ....5* to Sensei Donovan Waite.

[Ichuuun]

Very good explain..try me to understand being ukemi

[OfficialJonRomano]

Excelllllent job. Great video. Verrrry helpful. Excellent job!!!

[ticosexy22]

Ukemi its always hard!!

[DarkOnTheWorld]

Great ! you can learn it from this ! :)

[MissEnglishButterfly]

sono italiana e scrivo in italiano...molto interessante ho le idee più chiare,adesso!

[MrJoseantonio36]

VERY NICE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chaedhin]

This is a beautiful and brilliant video of Ukemi. I have a lot of trouble with the falling aspects of my game in bjj and really don't like the feel of the rolls (They kind of freak me out) This is the best instruction I've seen on Ukemi to date. Well done!

[Racefreak1976]

Thank you for this video. I just started Aikido and ukemi seems to be the most difficult thing to do for me.

[mirrabo2]

a wonderful video...it's easy to undersatand

[tenkan180]

His ukemi is so great - the longer you train the more important will be your ukemi to prevent injury. Also without strong ukemi, uke can never truly feel the power of a technique. When you train with higher ranked sensei feeling the true power of a techique will only make your training easier and your art better.

[ijparky]

Ukemi is the easiest in Aikido for me any way hope you all get good will bring your Aikido on more

[gowdaflow]

Best ukemi intructional video I ever saw.

Thanks much for posting!

[canajaneh]

Learning to fall in this way isn't just useful in aikido class. I tripped over a curb one day and instinctively went into a roll. I was over and up before I'd even realized I'd done anything. This was a real life situation, outside of a fight, obviously, but as an older person, I saved myself a world of hurt by knowing how to roll properly.

[Aur0rah]

ukemi is very hard

[bbroegger]

You're right, it does look very much like the front roll is "sideways", the trick to front rolls is to not allow your head to touch the ground...its like that with all the rolls actually. never let the head touch ground. Also this sideways kinda roll makes it ALOT easier for beginners to learn this.

And Practising on hard ground isnt a bad idea.

Lets you know where youre rough spots are :-)

but as for me personally..soft surfaces are easier with alittle more speed to the fall

[Aur0rah]

i hae done this for 2 years and its not been any easier and i really not good at it , it feels unnatural to me. alwyas.

[Aur0rah]

is it me or doesnt he role right over his arm but on the side.. its very strange , atleast thats what it seems in the slomotion.

shouldt we ukemi over right over and not on the side?

i still strugle even after 1 half year to ukemi , i am stilff and on the left still very tacky.

[lenalucy]

whatever man

[lenalucy]

The idea is to practice until u can do it well enough to do it in a car park, but ofc ur not gonna roll all over the place, you can use it if you're thrown to regain the state in which u can fight again (the standing position per say)

As u should imagine, it's not rly wise to tell ur students to go on a parking lot and scrub their skin off, it takes time to learn it, that's why u don't see people rolling on the street ;)

[Aur0rah]

sometimes its harder to ukemi on soft surface infact .

i would even go so far as to say its easier to do it on hard ground. i cant explain correctly why.

i still wonder how they used to do ukemi before the time when they changed it because of introduction of mats.

[gowdaflow]

Could you do a video on how to take advanced ukemi, for example taking a full breakfall for a kote gaeshi, iri nage or shijo-nage, specially the last one..I find it a difficult on how to approach this ukemi since one ends up almost on his back..

btw..thanks for such great video!

[ajisakti]

we young people tend to learn how to fall correctly... :) to respect others....

[cookiedude6]

BEST Ukemi tutorial I have ever seen

[Sharin2]

jeje, as you can see in the vid, to fall correctly it's not so easy. However you are right, it's also quite important to be able to stand :)

[Sharin2]

Well, maybe, but as I was saying, it's important to know how to fall ( and it's better to fall like that rather than fall over your own leg)

[toltekatl]

beautiful!!! thank you...

[Sharin2]

You do ukemi so when being  the attacker you don't break a leg. In the car park an Aikido practicer won't be the attacker.

[Cheriec11]

Really like this especially how you took time to explain the common mistakes and how to avoid them. This one will go into my study collection.

[teacher7619]

Excellent, this helped me a lot.

[edupmf]

Excellent ! Very instructive . How to get more of this?

[aikiwim19]

Go to a seminar from him...

[rucu8]

excellent !!!

[kickboxerzkick]

my instructor in shin gi tai told me he is like a brickwall

[gowdaflow]

Great ukemi explanations. Thanks for posting, this helped a lot!

[Aur0rah]

why is it so unnatural to do it specially with left hand

[Shadymeister]

Very helpful easy to understand and nice and slow throughout the emonstration

cheers

[reginagoulartsantos]

Very helpful video. Thanks a lot.

regina goulart santos

[aikidet2008]

good ukemi is good aikidoka...

yes, this video is a treasure!

[smrki1]

This is excellent! Thank you a lot, I have learned something new.

[Cheriec11]

Thank you for this vid! It clarifies things for me a whole lot and helps me see where I was going wrong. You make it look easy.

[mplv333]

Superbly paced video. Excellent attention to detail and safety points.  Very timely prompt to correct my errors. Thank you.

[tati8100]

muy, muy bueno!! realmente didáctico, se ve que es un excelente docente, xD! gracias por compartirlo!

[ChadMaestro]

This art is not for ignorant racists such as yourself. Please go away and use your keyboard powers somewhere else.

[MacUser135]

@ChadMaestro I take aikido in the youth class and i am learning adult techniques already. Most of them are simple when you get to know them. thanks for speaking on behalf of us students. Aikido is a lot less energy intensive compared to other martial arts and that's why i like it.

[furaburishiosama]

muy buen video instructivo

[tjhaz]

Excellent. Very helpful. Also, a delightfully calm and systematic presentation without hocus-pocus or hype. When I relocate to Philly in Feb 2010, I'll look for your dojo.

[Puddleglum94]

darn it, he's like a river flowing down a mountain-it's so smooth..

[cavasakid]

exellent demo

[Jatrochemist]

Thank You!Bravo! Excellent.

[SusovanGhosh]

Excellent vid. I do Krav Maga and even we have front and back roll. Great how he points out all the mistakes that I have been making till date

[murathal]

Perfect training.

[aikidoTicks]

Great basic and very useful!

respect, peace & love

[cetrullo]

congratulation for your 30th year of aiki budo

i hope to see more ukemi and other basic technic

cause i've just started aikido 5th kyu very biginnins so your explanation is been more than helpfull

[sevenstars64]

Exelent video! Thank you very much.

[McCaler]

If you have a high degree or dan in Aikido then you must be a child prodigy.

[dandikportakal]

Domo Arigato Gozaimashita!

[RobinTeuwens]

perfectly explained, well demonstrated. Incredible teaching!

[MacCoinneach]

This is very well explained and done! Thank you for sharing.

[estragia]

he resently visited my alternative art of peace-school in norway. He leaded our class for 6 days^^

[vas3000]

thank you!

[teraiko]

Outstanding! Excellent teaching. Thank you taking the time to post.

[trelolog1]

at least excellent!!!bravo

[kart640]

Em minha opinião, vc é uma das maiores autoridades em ukemi, mestre aprendo com vc todos os dias e me espelho muito em seu trabalho, sou faixa branca há dois anos e não quero mudar por enquanto de faixa pois estou me dedicando muito e aprimorando as técnicas de ukemi e as técnicas básicas, meu sensei fala muito da sua pessoa. Espero quando vir ao Brasil eu possa assistir seu seminário. Vc é o sensei de todos que querem aprender o que é aikido. Um grande abraço

[takeshi420]

とても丁寧ですばらしい解説です。誰にでもわかりやすく説明して­くれてありがとうございます。

[theuglyninja]

many thanks please make some more vid

[tenkankaiten]

Thank you for your kindness! I understand!

thanks!

[rkeil2]

great explanation and demonstrations. Thank you, Waite Sensei!

[shaw0032]

Excellent.

[Chigura78]

Excellent. It's as good as a lesson until I can find a local Dojo.

Domo Arigato.

[MOUNTAINOUS]

great. so many kids watch my rolling video and dont finish on the toes. the top of the foot is on the mat and i tell them that is not right. i do it like you. you come up on toes you can spin or roll again or stand up. great work and if anyone questions why to do this i will send them my vid and yours so they see how that foot should be. 5 stars

[aikidotunisie]

Guzel !!!

[hapuzi]

nice

[kenshin715]

Excellent vid!5 stars

[iggy27707]

Extremely useful video. Thanks for sharing it!

[TerreCiel13]

Très important de bien savoir maîtriser les chutes !

Le rôle de Uke est aussi important que Tori pour progresser...

Donovan Waite Sensei a l'air d'un très bon enseignant avec beaucoup de précision et de patience...

J'ajoute que ce dojo est magnifique !

Merci beaucoup Aikikai

[dminhdaude]

hi AikikaiAikido,

Can you post the entire of this video. I want to learn more about ushiro otoshi. Thanks for your help.

[voske44]

euhm it's very good  for begiinner who can't rool an wanna practice it at home and stuff but maybe you could show a little it more techniches ( sorry i can't write it :d) like ayami or kotogashi

[dminhdaude]

This is reallly what I'm looking for. Thanks a lot!