Being a good UKE 

What is an uke?
When the instructor is demonstrating a move for the class, they often times will require help
from another team member / student to be able to show the class the move preformed correctly.
Often, being called on to be the Uke for the class can be slightly overwhelming for some people.
Here are some things to think about when you get called on to be the class Uke.

1. Focus, and give good reactions
a. The uke’s job is to aid in the visual instruction of the technique. Focus on what the instructor is teaching, and make sure to do your best to provide the reactions your instructor is looking for. Giving improper reactions can change the situation in such a way that it changes what the instructor should be doing in that instance, derailing the instructor’s planned lesson.

2. Don’t resist the move being taught.
a. Resisting is something that can happen without you noticing, one of the most
important parts of being an uke is doing your best to not resist the instructor
during any of the instruction. When it comes to Jiu-jitsu there will always be
questions about “What if I do this” or “what if this happens” While you are the
uke this is not the time to try to figure out the answers to these problems. This can
be very distracting to the team members taking class and also can ruin the flow of
the class that the instructor has planned out. When you are selected to be the class
Uke, do your best to move your body in a way that helps the instructor convey
what they want the other students to do. In places where the instructor is
explaining a section of the move do your best to remain still in the position you
were last in, this makes it very fluid for the instructor to go from explaining the
move to the class and showing the next steps.

3. Don’t be embarrassed. 
a. We can all remember being called on by the teacher in elementary school and
being too nervous to speak. Try not being embarrassed, there is nothing to worry
about. Do your best to remember that everyone is watching the move being
performed and trying to follow along, No one is judging you. We are all team
members trying to learn Jiu-Jitsu together and being an uke is a great way to help
your team!

4. Don’t try to show everyone how tough you are.
a. Sometimes when you come into the academy the instructor planned a class around
a submission move and of course will need to demonstrate it on an uke. One thing
to remember is when you are the uke for the class and the instructor is going over
a submission, you don’t want to try to resist the submission. For the class that is
trying to learn, they don’t need to see you turning purple and wincing for 15
seconds before you tap. For people to learn, they need to understand conceptually
when the move would cause their training partner when to tap out. They are going
to feel the submission in a few minutes when they start drilling the move. For the
instruction portion of class, once the submission is applied correctly by the
instructor, don’t fight it and tap to keep the flow of the class.