The Role of Uke in Jujitsu Self Defence
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The Role of Uke in Jujitsu Self Defence An Essay by Wayne Graieg 27/4/19 Jujitsu Self‐defence classes have very different dynamics to other martial arts and most sports. There are no tournaments with one person pitted against another. Even at grading, you are not competing with the other participants to outdo them. You are there to show ability to meet set criteria. So the only person you are competing against is yourself. However we cannot train properly or demonstrate techniques at grading by ourselves, as our movements are quite different in unresisting air compared to a physical body receiving them. Therefore we need someone to train and grade with. Unlike many martial artists who train against an opponent, we train with a partner because there is no contention in jujitsu self‐defence. Instead, each partner is half of a whole, each having equal responsibility for the learning experience. In training and more particular grading one person is learning or demonstrating a technique while their partner is providing the situation for the technique. The two partners are termed ‘Tori’ and ‘Uke’. Generally Uke initiates an attack against their partner, who then defends. But the definition is not that simple. In jujitsu and most other Japanese martial arts, the terms Tori and Uke are not synonymous with attacker and defender, because the role is determined by who completes a successful technique, not who initiates one. The symbol for Uke, written as a Japanese character (pictographic kanji) depicts two hands, one reaching down, the other stretching up, and between these hands is placed the character for ‘boat’. This ‘conveying of goods from one person to another’ indicates the act of ‘receiving’. Uke in Jujitsu and most Japanese martial arts is the person who ‘receives’ a technique. Tori is a term used in Japanese martial arts to refer to the executor of a technique in partnered practice. The term ‘Tori’ comes from the verb toru, meaning ‘to take’. The principle is that ‘Tori’ is always the person who successfully completes the technique against their training partner. Usually in jujitsu, Tori executes a defensive technique against a designated attack initiated by Uke, hence the confusion. On the face of it, you would think Tori would have the most important and more challenging role. After all, Tori is the one learning or being assessed. But Uke’s role can be just as difficult, if not more so. As Uke we must style our attack to be appropriate and then react to Tori’s defence in an honest fashion. This may sound simple enough, but in reality takes a lot of practice. An appropriate attack is not just holding onto Tori as tightly as you can, or striking as forcefully as you can. Be aware of your partner’s size, strength and ability. Obviously, an adult black belt with 1 advanced skills should not be using their full force on a white belt child with little or no experience. Such behaviour is irresponsible and likely get you kicked out of Ronin Ryu. Similarly if Tori is trying not to hit you in the groin but simulating his defence to not actually hurt you, a good Uke needs to simulate an appropriate response and react as if they have been struck. If not Tori may resort to connecting with the target area, ensuring the outcome. Whispering hints and being a decent role player to make your partner look good in front of the panel, is what quality Ukes do. This does not mean over‐acting to such a degree that you are providing a choreographed reaction where there is no stimulus at all. It is acknowledging that Tori cannot inflict his techniques at 100% as they would in a true self‐defence situation, but you are exhibiting the appropriate reactions as if he was. To be a good and compliant Uke for your Tori requires skill and awareness. Many white belt students have a difficult time in reconciling the difference between a full power attack and enough to keep it real while allowing Tori to defend. They also struggle between total resistance and falling down for their Tori. It is helpful to remember that as Uke, your primary responsibility is to serve your partner to try and bring out their best. This can most successfully be accomplished by taking them to the peak of their capabilities and extracting their maximum performance, but without risk of injury. Tap out when you can feel the effects of a properly applied technique rather than holding on until you reach your ultimate pain threshold. While during grading, our instructors are primarily assessing Tori, it is likely that they are also noting how Uke reacts. As mentioned earlier, Tori cannot apply techniques fully that are designed to inflict damage or death upon their Uke. By responding with the appropriate reaction to the intended force, Uke not only allows Tori to successfully complete the technique, Uke also shows his own understanding of how the technique works. You can learn much from being Uke. It gives you the chance to look at the technique from a receiving perspective, to feel it push and pull your body and feel the shifts of balance. Pass on that knowledge so that it is shared. From what you experience you should then provide feedback to your partner about the gaps in their technique. Once Tori has the basics, begin to provide resistance. If you are passively allowing technique to move you like a rag‐doll you have no way of helping Tori get better or allowing him to understand what might happen if the conflict was real. It is more constructive when practice is undertaken with active, engaged intention. Both parties will learn more quickly, correctly and completely. It is also important to undertake the same attack in multiple ways, so that Tori can illustrate the full range of his defences. Tori has an arsenal of techniques appropriate to suit the nuances of each attack. A hard attack will be matched with a hard response involving diminishment, while a soft attack will have a soft response or controlling technique. Tori also needs to be provided with different levels of dynamics to respond to. For instance, Tori cannot illustrate Hatchi Mawashi to a rear strangle unless you are moving forwards in your attack. 2 To assist Tori in provide the correct response it is important to telegraph what your attack will be before you strike. This does not mean that you call out in grading “I am going to do an overhead strike with my left hand you should do a cross block”. While subtle chatter is acceptable and you may utilise signals such as tapping which fist you plan to strike with. It is most important to attack clear and obviously. Don’t switch part way through the attack or use small or jerky movements. This is not a competition, where surprise attacks win you points. As Uke this is more likely to win you bruises. Conversely when Tori is demonstrating pure technique, they should forewarn Uke what they are going to apply. This allows Uke to both assist Tori to bring out his or her best, as well as reducing the risk of injury. Don’t attack at full speed. Be aware what pace Tori can handle. Also in practice Tori needs to finesse their technique and speed does not allow this. In grading the judges cannot see clearly what is happening at full speed. You will be asked to do the technique over and over until it can be properly assessed. Slow down and keep it smooth. Also keep in mind that in grading, adrenalin will mean you are moving faster than you think you are or intend to be. With a new technique in training always start slow so that Tori can practice the detailed nuances and not store flawed technique as muscle memory. Aim your punches and kicks where they are intended (but at a pace Tori can defend). You are not doing your partner any favours by aiming short of the target or the side. You may feel that you are avoiding striking Tori, but Tori does not learn how to defend a real attack. As Tori’s defences become more real, it is important as an Uke to properly ‘receive’ the attack, so that you yourself are not hurt. With throws, the key here is knowing how to perform your break‐ falls. Two things to avoid injury are understanding the defence technique being used on you and working regularly with you training partner. At grading consistency and familiarity allows a student to show their best as Tori. Therefore prior to grading you need to work regularly with your partner so that as Uke you can consistently provide the attack and response that Tori is expecting. However, while familiarity leading up to grading provides the best outcome, to train for real life, it is important to mix up your training partners outside of grading preparation. A real attack is not predictable and it is important for students to experience a range of attackers with a varying in size, shape, flexibility, styles and abilities. In most sports, rivalry can create reluctance to provide support for your fellow trainees when they are also your competitors, however for us, support of your fellow trainees, enhances rather than disadvantages our journey. Willie Nelson, who was awarded his fifth degree black belt (Gong Kwon Yu Sul Korian martial art which has Jujitsu influences) summed it up this way: 3 ‘Though it's true the journey is all up to you, the real secret is that earning a black belt is not all about you.