The Science of Body Mechanics and Motion

The human body is, in one sense, a very sophisticated multilevel machine. At its very core it is series of interconnected bones which is defined as its skeleton. The bones of the skeleton are connected together by a series of joints or levers which gives the skeleton the ability to bend the bones of the body. These joints are located throughout the body and are what gives our head, hips, ankles and wrists the ability to swivel, and our fingers, elbows and knees the ability to bend. Attached to the skeleton are muscles, fibers and ligaments in varying patterns, sizes and lengths, which gives this skeleton the ability to lift its arm, to walk and run, to grasp things in our hands and move and be flexible in all the ways that we accustomed to. The way, combination and angle at which these muscles and ligaments are attached to the various bones of the skeleton determines how much force, at what angle and where that force needs to be directed for the smooth and efficient movement to occur. For most healthy people the grasping of a fork, walking, the lifting of an arm or throwing a baseball is painless and occurs with little or no thought. The scientific study of human motion, our ability to move and control our movements, to gab and pull, bend, lift and turn, to do all those things which we take for granted is called kinesiology. The study of the actual mechanics of how that motion occurs, how much force and where and at what angle that force needs to be applied to a particular skeletal or muscle group is call biomechanics, and in this case, the biomechanics of human motion. Any study of the martial arts would be incomplete without an understanding of these two fields of study. We use the mechanical principles of these sciences every day in almost every one of our daily activities, even doing something as simple as opening a door.

Doors come in many sizes and weights. There are hollow core doors and doors that are solid. Doors made from metal, wood and some even filled with cement. However, even a heavy door can be opened easily. Several variables will determine how easily. The position of the hinges on the door connecting it to the doorframe, the position of the hinges on the door frame connecting it to the door, the angle of those hinges joining the door to the doorframe, and where exactly on the door is it pushed when we wish to open it are all relevant when we attempt to open the door. It is the connection and the position of the hinges which allow the door to hang straight, to put it in a balanced position. If the hinges are not connected properly, not at the correct angle from the door frame to the door and visa versa the door does not hang straight and it becomes more difficult to open. Balance and unbalance is created by position. Even if the door is balanced, where we push on the door is as important as the door being balanced. All doors are manufactured with the doorknob being placed at a right angle (90 Degrees) to the mid point between the two hinges and at the exact opposite side of the door as to where the hinges have been placed. It is because the angle and placement of the doorknob are mechanically correct that we can use the balance of the door to open it without effort.

In the biomechanics of the martial arts, it is the position and angle of the tai sabaki that brings unbalance to an uke, and the mechanically correct angle and placement of tori’s hands on a joint or muscle group which causes the pain and lose of center which allows the tori to absorb, assimilate and counter the uke’s attack. There is a mechanically correct position for each action in the martial arts. Without an understanding of this position the more strength is needed to overcome the strength and balance of the uki. Using the principles of kinesiology and human biomechanics, tori needs little or no strength in creating the most efficient and powerful application of his technique.

What You Can Learn From Ukemi

Learning any martial art is a very complicated affair. There is the conditioning of the body to withstand the rigors of the training, the education of the muscles in the body to move and react in a very specific and different manner to each and every attack or technique and, just as importantly, the education of the mind to internalize these mechanical movements of the body and to react instantaneously in a very intricate and prescribed manner to any stimulus or perceived threat. And then of course, there is the ukemi.

Of his many contributions to the martial arts Jigoro Kano’s development and use of ukemi in the martial arts is certainly one of his finest. Before Kano, the learning and practice of most classical jujutsu styles was quite dangerous with few safeguards for the practitioners. Techniques and throws were applied without regard for the safety of the person (uke) receiving the throw. Each person being thrown had to devise his own way of falling and protecting himself. This led to many injuries and slowed down the process of learning. Certainly if you were injured you could not learn or practice and if, during practice, you needed to constantly think about how not to be injured, your focus and attention was diverted from what you were trying to learn. This all changed because of Kano’s systematic approach to falling (ukemi).

The overall conditioning of the body that occurs a result of the constant practice of ukemi contributes to an increased sense of confidence and stability in the learning process. As it increases the speed of learning, ukemi also allows the practitioner to focus exclusively on what they are learning and practicing.

The learning processes of judo, jujutsu, aikido, and karate, are all tactile in nature, in that the practitioners needs to “feel” the technique, to feel their center of balance being disturbed, to feel the pain of atemi, and to feel how their body and that of their attacker responds to the changes of movement, angles, direction and balance which occur during the execution of a technique or from the defense of that technique. The ability to create pain, and or a lose of balance, and the subsequent lock(kansetsuwaza) or throw (nagewaza) which results is only accomplished through the “feeling” of both the technique and the results those actions. Proper ukemi allows the practitioners to feel whether a technique would be or is effective in a safe and spontaneous environment.

The ability to learn how and where to reposition your body and that or your opponent or attacker while being attacked is in direction proportion to the sophistication of your ukemi. As we are all uke and tori at one time or another, an understanding of your position in relative space and that of your attacker, and your ability to manipulate those positions(tai sabaki), distance (ma-ai) and balance (kuzushi) require split second adjustments, only possible with the mindless freedom good ukemi brings. There is in every technique, a subtlety of movement which creates a defense from every attack and an attack in each defense. While everything in the martial arts takes time to learn and instinctively feel, the mastering of ukemi eliminates several of the obstacles, both injury and fear, to that process.

The goal of every martial artist is to find for each movement or technique, that moment in time, when position(tai sabaki) and distance(ma-ai), balance (kuzushi), unbalance, and execution (kake) meld together into an effortless and unthinking combination which dominates and defeats their opponent or attacker. It is through the safety of proper ukemi, and the confidence and stability it brings to the practitioner, that the mind and the body are free to discover that moment in time.

The Nature of Ukemi

Learning any new skill can be challenging. The martial arts is no exception. There is the exercise which, even if you are young and strong, can be daunting. Because you are using muscles in a way they have never been used before there is an initial period of soreness that has to be overcome and strength that has to be developed. There is a certain level of physical endurance and stamina that is required and this takes a certain amount of time to acquire. There are no quick and easy ways to put your body in this type of condition and so the beginning student must be willing to endure for as long as it takes to bring their physical condition up to an appropriate level.

Then, of course, for many there is the fear of falling, of being thrown, and the initial shock it gives the body and the soreness that occurs as the body and muscles adapt to this new experience. For some, this is truly a daunting challenge and they never fully rid them selves of the fear of falling, of taking ukemi, as it is called. Yet, this ability to take ukemi, fall and hit the ground or in this case the mat, is at the very center of their ability to learn a martial art. As an introduction into the martial arts, it conditions the body and keeps the practitioner (uke) free from injury. This is important on several levels not withstanding the obvious. The martial arts require a great deal of time to learn. To become reasonably proficient takes years of practice. There is a direct proportion between ukemi and injury, in that the more ukemi you take and the more comfortable your body and mind are at taking ukemi, the less chance of injury you have. The less injury a student incurs the more time they can spend practicing. The less time they are away from the practice area or mat, the better and faster their body and their mind will internalize what they have learned and are learning. The more they practice their ukemi, the more comfortable their bodies feel when taking ukemi, the less time they will spend thinking about “the fall” or ukemi and the more time their mind and bodies will spend thinking about the specific movement or technique they are practicing and learning.

Over time it should be the goal of every martial artist to work with people of different sexes, heights, weights, ages and experience levels. It is only in this way that a student will “feel” the many differences that occur when them same technique is applied to or received from the widest variety of potential opponents. Being confident in your ukemi, free from the fear of injury and having your internal gyroscope know where you are in space as you are falling, will allow the practitioner (uke) total freedom in experiencing the technique and expand the number and quality of the techniques which they are capable of practicing and learning.

There are, of course, many things happening at the same time during any one movement or technique. All martial arts movement is essentially learned through a prearranged form, kata, where both the uki and tori understand what is required of them. As such, and as each role is interchanged it is important that both uke and tori “trust” each others movements and protect each other from injury, while allowing each to find their own movement and position within the technique. This is possible only through focus and concentration, a single-mindedness while applying or receiving the technique. It is only after developing good ukemi that both the mind and the body will relax enough to allow this to happen.