The sun was intense, the heat overwhelming. It was a very hot day even for Southern California. Some phenomena called the Santa Ana. I would soon enter the dojo and get dressed into uniform for the late afternoon Aikido class. Stretching and bending, doing my best to limber up as I prepared myself. It wasn’t easy. What with jet lag in the body, a nasty bug
Learning to fall in Aikido, ukemi in Japanese, is half the training. Falling is not quite the right way to describe this aspect of training. Receiving would be more appropriate and much closer to the meaning. Receiving emphasises a way to take the throw, the pin and how to go with it, with the outcome that you still fall or get pinned etc. At first it seems awkward