Benefits of Tuesday evening Ukemi class

Benefits of Tuesday evening Ukemi class

Originally it didn’t even occur to me to come to that class, I was more concerned with being recovered in between classes, so I opted for Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. While practicing with Brent-san he made the comment “Tuesday’s would be really good for you”. So I changed up my schedule and here’s what I’ve found: aikido-ukemi

• The simple act of rehearsing fundamentals as your skill progresses will make you better. Another way of saying it is if Ukemi class is good enough for Black belts like Sergey-san and
Richard-san then it’s plenty good enough for me.
• I’ve learned how to feel Tai no henko more deeply – by bringing my hand to my hip before the Tenkan the energy transfer is much higher but the effort is a lot lower.
• My falls (front, back, back yoko and front yoko) get A LOT of rehersal. Doing the falls statically is one thing but being thrown at various speeds and angles is the key to getting better.
• Due to the class size being smaller alot of times we practice moves in a Randori format which once again changes the dynamic. You have to move, think and act versus going from a static state.

The only warning I offer is this: recover well or you won’t be able to sustain the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (3 day in a row) cycle for long. The upside is you’ll get fit. Fast.

Zahid Buttar
Zahid Buttar
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