08/25/2026
Some important notes about uke (receiving) in this post ... and a photo reminder to bend your knees.
UKE — VIŠE OD „BLOKA“
Zoran Mijic
(English text below)
Mnogi ljudi u borilačkim vještinama riječ Uke (受け) prevode jednostavno kao „blok“. Međutim, takav prevod može značajno promijeniti razumijevanje samog principa.
Uke dolazi od japanskog ukeru (受ける) — primiti, prihvatiti, preuzeti.
U tom smislu, Uke nije samo zaustavljanje protivničkog napada. To je način na koji prihvatamo njegovu akciju i nastavljamo vlastito kretanje.
Ako napad samo blokiramo, postoji opasnost da naš pokret postane završna tačka odbrane. Ruka kojom smo blokirali može ostati „zauzeta“ funkcijom bloka.
Ako napad prihvatimo, ista ta ruka može odmah nastaviti da djeluje — kontrolisati protivnika, promijeniti ugao, preusmjeriti njegovu silu, izvesti udarac ili povezati sljedeću tehniku.
U Ninpō Taijutsuu postoje različiti načini Ukea, kao što su:
Uke-dome (受け止め) — prihvatanje i zaustavljanje napada.
Uke-kake (受け掛け) — prihvatanje uz povezivanje sa protivnikovim kretanjem.
Uke-utsu (受け打つ) — prihvatanje koje se neposredno nastavlja udarcem.
Uke-nagashi (受け流し) — prihvatanje i preusmjeravanje napada.
Harai-uke (払い受け) — sklanjanje odnosno „čišćenje“ napada uz mogućnost nastavka.
Zato Uke ne treba posmatrati samo kao tehniku ruke, već kao princip odnosa prema protivnikovoj sili.
Ne radi se uvijek o tome da silu zaustavimo silom.
Ponekad je treba primiti, prihvatiti, preusmjeriti i iskoristiti.
Block may stop an attack. Uke allows us to receive it and continue.
To je jedna od važnih razlika između običnog „blokiranja“ i razumijevanja principa Uke u Budōu.
🇬🇧 UKE — MORE THAN A “BLOCK”
Many people in martial arts simply translate the Japanese term Uke (受け) as “block.” However, this translation can significantly change the way the principle itself is understood.
Uke comes from the Japanese verb ukeru (受ける) — to receive, accept, or take in.
In this sense, Uke is not simply about stopping an opponent’s attack. It is about receiving the opponent’s action while continuing our own movement.
If we merely block an attack, our movement can become the endpoint of our defence. The hand used for the block may become “occupied” with the function of blocking.
When we receive the attack, that same hand can immediately continue to act — controlling the opponent, changing the angle, redirecting his force, striking, or connecting to the next technique.
In Ninpō Taijutsu, we can encounter different methods of Uke, such as:
Uke-dome (受け止め) — receiving and stopping the attack.
Uke-kake (受け掛け) — receiving while connecting to the opponent’s movement.
Uke-utsu (受け打つ) — receiving and immediately continuing with a strike.
Uke-nagashi (受け流し) — receiving and redirecting the attack.
Harai-uke (払い受け) — clearing or sweeping the attack aside while maintaining the ability to continue.
Therefore, Uke should not be viewed merely as a hand technique, but as a principle of dealing with the opponent’s force.
It is not always necessary to stop force with force.
Sometimes we need to receive it, accept it, redirect it, and use it to our advantage.
A block may stop an attack. Uke allows us to receive it and continue.
This is one of the important differences between simply blocking and truly understanding the principle of Uke in Budō.
