What do you feel it takes to be a good uke? What is the mindset you have when you are working with someone in this role?

-Faith

Faeth

"Be content with what you have. Rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

I'm not sure what really makes a good Uke.  I haven't been around long enough to pick up on the nuances.  I try to be honest though.  If my partner has found the technique and wants me to really try to punch them, well, I really try to punch them.  On the same token, I'm not real big on blasting people who are still trying to figure out the basics behind whatever we're practicing.  I guess I try to play the Uke I like working with, someone who lets me figure out what's what, then forces me to stay honest.

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<insert profound statement here>

Emulating a realistic attack can be challenging for two reasons.  First, you (as uke) may not know what a realistic attack is.  Second, you may distort that attack when you slow down from full speed.  This is a very difficult thing to do, and usually it takes years of experience to be able to keep the movement and balance while doing a realistic attack slower than full speed.  The slower you go, the harder it is to keep accurate to the realistic attack.

Obviously, a realistic attack has some sort of intent.  Without that intent, you get the 'limp noodle' syndrome.  Obviously, we are missing the mark if we are training ourselves to deal with mock-attacks which bear no resemblance to real attacks.

In my rather limited sampling of other aikido dojos and ukes, the ones that frustrate me the most are not the ones that fight technique (although they can be a bit frustrating too) but the ones who anticipate the technique and drop prematurely.  With that type of uke aikido almost seems like a dance.  The movements are effortless because your partner moves the way the pattern dictates.  It might look pretty, but it won't develop skill for handling someone who means you harm.

I find punches, elbow strikes and kicks easier to focus this 'intent' with than grabs are.  I believe this is because my previous martial arts experience has drilled into me that grabbing an opponent is their advantage, not yours.  Aikido certainly endorses this viewpoint.

The most trouble I've had with kokyudosa partners is when they do the 'limp noodle' routine.  For those, I have to move to the edge of their range of flexibility and cross them over it to initiate their fall.

On a couple of occassions, although very rarely, I've had a partner that grabs tightly and changes the direction of his energy the instant I start to move.  Sometimes, he changes the direction of each of his hands separately.  I've really not dealt with this enough to figure out the solution, but it seems that keeping your hands and arms together as one unit is important.  With the change of direction, I must change direction when he does.  It is just that my blending must reflect his new change of direction, with a bit of added energy.

I really love kokyudosa.  It is great to practice as we do with constant energy pressure and direction, but I get the feeling that it is a more basic form.  Does more advanced kokyudosa practice include direction changes by uke, or is that just considered poor uke form?

I remember Ellefson sensei stating that he was only able to successfully roll Sosa sensei once.  It is pretty clear that this was not because Sosa sensei would be a difficult uke, but because he was in such superb command of his center.

Please share your observations of things uke does or can do to make kokyudosa challenging (for bad and good).

This is a universal truth with learning anything.  It makes me wonder whether it is my responsibility as uke to make a better attempts at trying to control nage's center during kokyudosa.  As you mention with Sosa sensei, he made it difficult for you to move him therefore you were challenged to learn more.

I'd like to try this with folks when I get back.

"Be content with what you have. Rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."