Last year I wrote a post about how to be a good uke (training partner). But what happens when you have to work with someone that’s a less than an ideal uke? Depending on what the problems are with the person, there are different approaches you can take to help fix or minimize them. I’ll characterize a few types of less-than-ideal ukes and offer solutions for dealing with them in this post.

Inexperienced Uke. Sometimes you’ll have to work with people who are new to the dojo and need a lot of understanding and guidance as they train. They may not be the most fun for you to train with when you want to go a little harder or work on more advanced techniques, but it’s important to help them take those brave first steps into the world of martial arts. Everyone has to start somewhere. You likely received guidance and encouragement when you first started. If you didn’t, think about how much better it would have been if you had and try to make the experienced better for your uke. They will appreciate it more than you can imagine, which helps add to the general positive atmosphere of your dojo. (more…)

Tags: BO | odour | uniform