Ukemi is, in Aikido, the art of receiving a technique and falling without harm. It means to fully attack your partner, continue the attack during the technique, and when thrown to fall well. One key to this is Surrender.
In the moment you are thrown, the other person is (hopefully) dedicated to the idea of getting the technique right. That may mean they are invested with their ego, or it may mean they love the art, or it may mean they honor your participation, or it may mean they are lost in the moment, or any number of other motivations. In truth it is more than likely a mixture of motivations. But, regardless of the motivation they are invested in doing the technique correctly, and that means you fall. Resistance at this point would mean being confrontational at the very least, it would certainly not be in the spirit of Aikido, and it may very well lead to injury. Those are bad.
But, if you do not resist, and instead actively participate you will not only sharpen your partner’s skill, but your own. And, at the very apex of the technique, that means Surrender. Complete flowing with the moment as it is. If there is the thought of, “okay, here it comes, now I am going to fall, okay I’m ready” there will be hesitation, non-participation and resistance. Resistance could also come in the form of, “they’re doing it wrong!” Or, it could be, “Hey, that cute person who came to watch class because they are interested in joining is watching me! I’ll show them how cool I am by not letting myself be thrown.” [Sidebar: That is the WORST possible reason to not take a fall, just an FYI.] Resistance could also be in the form of, “Yeah, yeah, here we go again, I have done this technique soooooo many times! I hope the teacher calls for another, less boring, technique soon.” If anything other than Surrender is present at the apex of the technique then your ukemi will be less than it could be.
For me, that is one of the key points of Aikido. That moment holds so much potential and power. When I Surrender, just at that moment, my fall is like a breeze passing on a hot day – it cools, it gently caresses me, and it reminds me of not only why I do Aikido, but it also reminds me of exactly why I am alive.
