Ukemi Waza - Breakfalls
One of the first things that must be learned is also one the things students want to practice the least - ukemi waza (break falls. However, if you want someone to volunteer to let you throw them, you're going to have to allow them to throw you too. So it behooves you to make that relationship as pain-free as possible!
Breakfalls will not only allow you to minimize damage during practice, but it may keep you from being maimed or even killed in a real fight! Later in your career, breakfalls can actually become a part of your offensive strategy. Last year I allowed a guy to begin throwing me, only to hook my legs onto him and turning my demise into an extremely painful lesson for him. An integral part of that move is the breakfall. Take kani basami for instance. That's a very powerful and potentially deadly move; but unless you have an excellent breakfall, I wouldn't recommend it.
So study your breakfalls. Practice your breakfalls. It's not just about getting the technique right - it's also about conditioning and toughening your body! Make sure you understand the following principles:
Breakfalls will not only allow you to minimize damage during practice, but it may keep you from being maimed or even killed in a real fight! Later in your career, breakfalls can actually become a part of your offensive strategy. Last year I allowed a guy to begin throwing me, only to hook my legs onto him and turning my demise into an extremely painful lesson for him. An integral part of that move is the breakfall. Take kani basami for instance. That's a very powerful and potentially deadly move; but unless you have an excellent breakfall, I wouldn't recommend it.
So study your breakfalls. Practice your breakfalls. It's not just about getting the technique right - it's also about conditioning and toughening your body! Make sure you understand the following principles:
- Make it meat. Don't fall on your elbow or knees. They'll chip or break. You'll get huge swollen knots that will stay there for weeks!
- Spread it out. If you weigh 170 pounds and you drop 5 feet (even with no extra force from your opponent) when you land you will hit with about 378 pounds of pressure. If you tighten up into a ball or allow your hip to hit first, all that force will be applied to about 6 square inches. Ouch! But if you relax and spread your body out, the amount of force remains the same but gets spread out over 4 or 5 times as much area. That's much better!
- Slap it! Focus on slapping the ground with your palm, especially on the side and back breakfalls. First, it gets you spread out and in a better position. Second, it keeps you from folding your arm and landing on your elbows. Third, it creates a shock wave that counteracts the pressure of the landing. It cancels out a lot of the force.
- Protect your spine! As you do back breakfalls, make sure you arc your back and land on your upper shoulders, keeping as much of your spine off the ground. As you do rolls, make sure your allow the ground to follow a diagonal path across your back, keeping the hit to your spine very brief and only on a small portion.
Yoko ukemi - Side breakfall
To practice the side breakfall solo, swing your right arm and right foot across the center line of your body, collapsing your left knee. When you land, land on as much of your right side as possible. Don't let your elbow hit. Slap the ground hard. Even slap with your leg if you can. Your left foot should still be on the ground and your knee should be folded. This keeps your legs from slapping together and squeezing what your mama gave you in a very painful manner! Do that a couple million times.
Then switch to the other side, swinging your left arm and foot across your center line, while collapsing your right knee. Get it?
Then switch to the other side, swinging your left arm and foot across your center line, while collapsing your right knee. Get it?
Mae ukemi waza - forward breakfall
Start by squatting down then throwing yourself forward, landing on your forearms with your palms down. Keep your body off the ground. Raise your head so you don't smash your face. Even keep your knees off the ground. You should actually end up on the balls of your feet with your toes bent back. It's a good stretch to help you get ready for your mae geri kicks.
Once you get comfortable, start doing it from a full standing position. Then after a while actually try to throw yourself forward. Later start jumping over objects or your partner who's kneeling in front of you.
Once you get comfortable, start doing it from a full standing position. Then after a while actually try to throw yourself forward. Later start jumping over objects or your partner who's kneeling in front of you.
Ushiro ukemi - back break fall
Again, as you begin, squat down to lower yourself closer to the ground. Arc your back and thrust your groin up toward the ceiling while simultaneously slapping with both hands. Don't forget to lift your head! You'll get a headache if you don't. Land on your upper shoulders, not your back like a lot of judo pictures show. Exhale on impact.
As you get more comfortable, don't squat down so much. A good way to help you get good form is to lay a board or a ball just behind you. If you arc your back correctly you won't touch the ball. Get lazy and flop down and you will not even need to go to the chiropractor. You'll get your back cracked for free!
As you get more comfortable, don't squat down so much. A good way to help you get good form is to lay a board or a ball just behind you. If you arc your back correctly you won't touch the ball. Get lazy and flop down and you will not even need to go to the chiropractor. You'll get your back cracked for free!
Mae korobi - forward roll
Put your right foot forward and make your right arm into an unbendable arc. Swing your right arm hard across your center line while rolling forward. If you do it right, tucking your head down, your right shoulder should just skim the ground. Your body will roll easily across the floor with the pressure running from your right shoulder, diagonally across your back, ending up somewhere around your left hip.
As you go over bend your left knee. What will happen if you do this is that your momentum will carry you straight over and back up onto your feet again. Once you get the hang of that, do the same thing on the opposite side. Put our left foot forward and make your left arm into an unbendable arc etc.
As you go over bend your left knee. What will happen if you do this is that your momentum will carry you straight over and back up onto your feet again. Once you get the hang of that, do the same thing on the opposite side. Put our left foot forward and make your left arm into an unbendable arc etc.
A great way to get confident in your forward roll
When you get really good at your forward roll, get creative. Jump over objects or people. Go for distance. Go for height. Try jumping from a high point to a low point (can you say Parkour?)
forward roll with a break fall
Say you are thrown toward a wall or a car. A roll is a great way to shed pressure off your body. Way better than simply slamming into the ground. But say you are thrown toward a wall or a car. If you fold your off leg and pop up like you've been doing in your forward roll, your going to have an encounter of the unpleasant kind.
There's a way to have the best of both worlds. You can get the benefits of the roll with the quick stopping power of the side break fall.
When you go into your roll keep the side opposite your rolling arm perfectly rigid. You'll roll across your arm, shoulder, lower hip...but at that point you'll slap hard and your leg will come down and bring you to a sudden stop. Beautiful! Now get up and kick him in the teeth for even thinking of throwing you into that wall!
There's a way to have the best of both worlds. You can get the benefits of the roll with the quick stopping power of the side break fall.
When you go into your roll keep the side opposite your rolling arm perfectly rigid. You'll roll across your arm, shoulder, lower hip...but at that point you'll slap hard and your leg will come down and bring you to a sudden stop. Beautiful! Now get up and kick him in the teeth for even thinking of throwing you into that wall!
Ushiro korobi - backwards roll
Now you need to learn how to roll backwards. "Why?" you may ask. Well, why not for one thing. You learned to slam your body in all directions and you've learned how to throw yourself great distances and from heights and roll out of it - what's left? Backwards!
Seriously however, if you get hit with a great front snap kick and get bowled over backwards, it's important to be able to roll out of it, recover and end up standing and facing your opponent again. Also, if you're facing someone substantially bigger than yourself (like I have most of my life), rather than try to stand your ground and take a powerful kick it's easier to yield to the kick, roll out of it and come up just as your opponent is striding confidently forward and knock him into next week.
Just make sure that (just like the mae korobi) you roll diagonally across your back, from one hip to the opposite shoulder so that you are rolling on as much meat as possible and protecting your spine. You can actually accelerate your recovery, by the way, by tucking your body tighter.
Seriously however, if you get hit with a great front snap kick and get bowled over backwards, it's important to be able to roll out of it, recover and end up standing and facing your opponent again. Also, if you're facing someone substantially bigger than yourself (like I have most of my life), rather than try to stand your ground and take a powerful kick it's easier to yield to the kick, roll out of it and come up just as your opponent is striding confidently forward and knock him into next week.
Just make sure that (just like the mae korobi) you roll diagonally across your back, from one hip to the opposite shoulder so that you are rolling on as much meat as possible and protecting your spine. You can actually accelerate your recovery, by the way, by tucking your body tighter.
