Age Uke - Rising Block

Age uke, or the 'rising block', is used to defend against an overhand attack to the head or deflect an attack so that it is redirected above the head.

What is Age Uke?

Age means "raise", and comes from the word ageru (which means "upward").  As discussed in a previous article, uke is the act of receiving (often referred to in English as a "block").  So we can think of age uke as a "rising block" or "upward block".  

This is slightly different than simply calling it jodan uke which is any block that protects the jodan portion of the body (shoulders, neck, and head).  This block has a specific motion of moving upward.  Visualize a wheel turning clockwise.  If an object were to impact that wheel between the 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock portion of the wheel as it turns the momentum of the striking object and the direction that the wheel is turning would result in the object being moved upward and away from the center of the wheel.   This is the same effect that this block applies.

How to execute Age Uke

For the kihon of age uke start in heiko dachi ("paralell stance").  Start with the hand that will be performing the hikite across the body at 45°, with the palm toward the opposite shoulder; the hand should be about 3-6 inches from the shoulder.  Move the hand that will be performing age uke so that it is across the opposite hip with the palm facing toward the body; the hand should be 2-5 inches from the hip.

Bring the hands in opposite directions so that they form an 'x' as they cross the chest.  Keep the palms facing toward the body.  The hand that is performing the hikite should be closer to the body and the hand performing age uke should be 'outside' or furthest away from the body.

The leading hand (hand performing age uke) should not pass the opposite edge of the head.  Once the hikite hand and the leading arm have crossed (notice that the hand and arm cross, not the 2 hands), rotate the shoulder so that the elbow rises on the leading hand while the hikite hand continues to travel toward a 'chambered' position.

Once the forearm of the leading hand is at eye level rotate the arm so that the palm is now facing out.  When applying age uke with a partner or opponent the rotation should begin at the point of impact, causing the strike that is being received to travel over the head. 

Once the kihon has been mastered from heiko dachi, practice stepping into zenkutsu dachi with the leading leg and leading hand moving at the same time.

When to use Age Uke

Age uke is best used to block overhand strikes, or overhand attacks toward the head (such as with a weapon).  Use the block to redirect a straight attack by catching the attack just under the point of impact.  Try to avoid receiving the point of impact on your arm.

Do not use age uke to block a weapon-based attack by receiving the weapon.  Use a combination of age uke and a forward movement to block the attacking arm if possible.

Do not use age uke to block a front kick.  Attempting this most-often results in redirecting the kick directly into your face.

Use age uke with a mid-range counterstrike such as oi tsuki, gyaku tsuki, or a leading-leg mae geri keage.  There are many other attacks that you can employ from age uke, including shoulder locks and throws.  This is a basic uke technique, but the number of techniques that you can apply from it grows exponentially as you progress in knowledge, which makes it invaluable.