The Voice of Aikido- Mirror of the Spirit: The Aikido Dojo

Another voice recording this time Chapter 17 from The Principles of Aikido by Mitsugi Saotome (1989 p.204-206)

A voice recording about ettiquette in the Dojo. It could be interesting for beginner aikidoka who do not understand how and why they have to behave in a certain manner when while training. It is also a good guideline for those who want to see more in depth the historical background that lead to the development of the dojo etiquette. All in all it is really informative, but enough about my writing and let's hear the wise words of Saotome Sensei.

The Voice of Aikido- Ukemi

Another voice recording this time Chapter 4 from The Principles of Aikido by Mitsugi Saotome (1989 p.23-25)

As a beginner one of the first things you will learn in aikido is ukemi. It is used in aikido in order to prevent injuries when you are thrown. This voice material presents further explanations about the uke nage relationship and about ukemi. I cannot emphasize the importance on ukemi in the aikido training. The excerpt I am reading in this recording states it once again that taking the ukemi is not a break during doing techniques but an opportunity to improve it. Seeing how it feels like being thrown can make you understand better how the given technique is best performed. I think all of you already experienced how different it is to be thrown by a beginner or an advanced aikidoka. From person to person it is also different. From being gently rolled to finding yourself flying across the dojo, that is how varied ukemi can be. You can find further reading about ukemi here. 

My opinion is that the only way you can improve your ukemi is practicing it a lot. My ukemi started improving slightly when I went to my first summer aikido training camp. 

Please share with in a comment me how you improved your ukemi.