Learning to Fall

Over the last few weeks, i’ve discovered that crutches are like bicycles. You never forget how to “ride” them.

A few years ago, in Seattle, I was in Aikido class. Towards the end of class, I took a bad ukemi (受け身）and suffered a partial tear of my right achilles tendon. Ukemi is the art of falling safely, practiced very heavily in many martial arts–especially Judo and Aikido. I should add that although I got hurt that time, I have used successfully ukemi in real life, to prevent serious injury when I have fallen. In fact, I actually slipped and fell the other day, taking out my trash as the typhoon was building. The ground was slick and I was favoring my left leg. I lost my footing and instantly did an ukemi. My technique wasn’t perfect, but I was unharmed. A couple years ago, I fell down a few stairs in front of my apartment, holding something in my right hand. I fell to my left side, slapping the ground with my left arm , distributing the fall evenly along the side of my body. I had a small cut on my hand, but I was fine otherwise. I stood up, still holding the stuff in my right hand!

The characters for ukemi reveal an interesting perspective on the true nature of ukemi. The first, 「受け」(”uke,” pronounced “oo-kay,” with the “oo” rhyming with “shoe,”) means “to receive.” The second character, 「身」(”mi,” pronounced like “me,”) means “body.” So 「受け身」literally means “receiving body.” Instead of tightening up and resisting a fall out of fear, ukemi teaching you to relax and let yourself fall. In many Japanese martial arts, the attacker is called “uke” 「受け」because his or her attack is neutralized, often with a throw or takedown by the defender. In essence, the attacker receives the technique by being thrown, and also receives the force of the ground. By receiving the force of the ground and redistributing it by rolling or falling in a relaxed way, it is possible to avoid being hurt. Obviously, this is very simple in theory, but our minds make it difficult. It takes a lot of practice to believe..(and receive)…

I’m not saying I am great at ukemi. Far from it. But the point is, it is a very useful skill, and it can prevent serious injuries. But that night when I got hurt in class, I was careless. I was not paying attention. It was a simple technique. But every moment counts. And a moment of carelessness can sometimes create a lifetime of regret. In my case, it was about three months of using crutches, plus many, many more months of occasional tightness and pain.

Achilles tendon injuries take a long time to heal. Eventually, my leg returned to normal. But I think it healed a bit too tight, and I probably didn’t do enough to keep it loose and strong. Maybe it’s my shoes, or too much running for trains. Who knows. Anyway, last month, I got a case of achilles tendonitis. After almost two weeks, I finally ended up getting some crutches from a place I found online. My leg is almost back to normal now, but it still gets tight. I need to keep working on it.

I also tore a ligament in my thumb a few years ago, and I had another soft tissue injury in my wrist from hitting a heavy bag wrong. In both cases, long periods of constant stretching and strengthening eventually helped them recover. But I was not diligent with my leg. I know my body, and I know that I have failed it in this regard. So from now on, I will work on this. At any rate, I haven’t been able to take many pictures and I didn’t go anywhere fun this summer. Also, it has taken a lot of time and energy to deal with it. That’s one of the main reasons I was silent for several weeks.