Nage no Kata: Uke

**oplus** · Posted On: 4/29/2011 4:05pm

An ikkyu of ours is finally testing for his shodan after 8 years. He's only now started practicing nage no kata, a requirement to shodan here. The only person of reasonable size that he's got lying around and willing to uke for him is, well, me.

So, what are the best learning materials for me to pick up so that I don't single-handedly botch his promotion? Any tips? I know the order of the throws right now, and that's about it.

**NeilG** · Posted On: 4/29/2011 4:23pm

Wow, we have to learn one set for orange belt these days.

There are lots of small ways you can be a good uke. I recommend you attend a kata clinic with knowledgeable people and they can show you some of the ways. Also bone up on your ukemi. A particularly useful drill is the over the belt one - where someone holds out the tail ends of their belt, you grab them and take the breakfall. Uki otoshi in particular requires good technique on your part and that drill helps a lot.

**CrackFox** · Posted On: 4/29/2011 5:07pm

Emm, oh-oh. Uke probably needs to know the thing better then tori, as most of the time uke will be taking the lead. Assuming you can do all the throws, the big thing is trying to coordinate it. I find it easier to think first about where joseki (your audience) is and then about what I'm supposed to be doing. You're almost always moving the side that faces joseki first, and there are only a few specific times when you should turn your back on them. Find out what your examiner likes to see and learn to do the kata that way. Don't go in without having practised it first.

**judoka_uk** · Posted On: 4/29/2011 5:13pm

Its joseki.

Errm well as I've embaressed myself several times over the past few weeks with knowing **** all about kata you may want to take my advice with a pinch of salt.

The advice, already given, about knowing the throws better than tori is really important to be able to uke for them properly you need to understand the mechanics of the throw.

As this if not JF I'm not going to **** around, you will have to jump for Uki otoshi. I don't care what anyone says, no 1st kyu can pull of Uki otoshi on their own. Just do a big forward rolling breakfall and make it look good.

Lots of practice, make sure you understand the rhythm of the kata and what your partner needs so you can help them achieve.

Work on your breakfalls.

**NeilG** · Posted On: 4/29/2011 5:32pm

Originally Posted by judoka_uk

As this if not JF I'm not going to **** around, you will have to jump for Uki otoshi. I don't care what anyone says, no 1st kyu can pull of Uki otoshi on their own.

There's no need to jump, at least not obviously. The trick is to step far enough forward onto the lead foot and drive your head toward the mat. It's a rolling breakfall alright, but it looks way different from jumping. If you don't get your foot far enough forward you will have to jump in an obvious fashion.

Personally, I'm a big fan of honest kata. Tori should be able to throw uke. Uke's job is to make it look better than maybe it was, but the throw ought to be there in the first place.

I'm in the midst of prep for shodan shinsa right now as both tori and uke so I'm reasonably up on this stuff although of course no real expert. I recently attended a clinic with our local kata gurus who place well at events like world masters so I've got a lot of the recent info if I can just keep it in my head.

One thing that's really important that most people skip is to get the reiho right. If you move well and correctly through all the initial bowing, that softens up the panel quite a bit. Make a bad impression there and they will not be inclined to forgive errors later.

**judoka_uk** · Posted On: 4/29/2011 5:36pm

Reiho is important, that is very true and proper reiho is vital to a good kata performance.

However, you have to jump for the Uki otoshi. The 1st kyu hasn't yet been born who can genuinely pull off an Uki Otoshi without Aikido levels of help from their uke. If we were talking about a 3rd or 4th dan grading I might expect them to be able to do it without jumping, but 1st kyu, there's no way.

**oplus** · Posted On: 4/29/2011 6:19pm

Oh, I think I should note, the test is in 7 days. Also, finals are coming up. Going to a kata clinic would be somewhat... impractical.

**judoka_uk** · Posted On: 4/29/2011 6:22pm

Concentrate on your exams. **** this guy and his shodan exam, university exams come first.

**BKR** · Posted On: 4/29/2011 6:57pm

Originally Posted by oplus

Oh, I think I should note, the test is in 7 days. Also, finals are coming up. Going to a kata clinic would be somewhat... impractical.

If the guy is just now picking an uke for his shodan nage no kata, he deserves to fail. I prepped 6 fucking months for mine, 8 months for my nidan, and a goddamned year for my sandan (nage and katame no kata, plus all the other stuff).

It's not your responsibility. Do your schoolwork, it's more important.

It may not be important to the coach/sensei, either, if he let the guy get away without practicing it until the last minute.

Harsh, but that's how I see it. No student of mine would EVER do something like that.

Ben

**BKR** · Posted On: 4/29/2011 7:04pm

My ikkyu student (all of 17 years old)can do Uki Otoshi without me or his other uke having to jump. A good uke gives himself to the throw in the correct manner, but does not jump.

I am uke for a recently promoted sandan. I had never done kata with her before (all 5'1" and 110 pounds of her). The first time we did it in front of the provincial kata guru. I didn't jump at all. She threw me so fucking hard it hurt! She was the first person in a long time I had done Nage No Kata with that could really throw in ALL the throws.

Goshin Jutsu was hilarious with her. I told her, you want me to really grab/try to hit/kick strike you with the weapons, right? She just nodded and gave me an evil grin.

Needless to say, I never was able to hit her or keep her from executing the techniques. We had to do it in front of the same provincial kata boss. I was in pain after that process for sure. Watching her do Ju No Kata with her 6'2' 95 KG husband as uke was spectacular. Total, absolute control.

Then there is that circular Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi thing that is so tough to nail in kata..

Ben