Gi throws: harai goshi and uchi mata

[Gant Grimes]

I filmed these for Derek, but I decided to put them in their own thread for the other gi grapplers here. These two throws take years to master, so we claim no expertise. However, we did a serviceable job, the video quality is pretty good, and it includes each throw in slo-mo.

Harai goshi (thrower is Devin, age 12).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgc6s0uGWP0

Devin has won several junior national championships, and his version of the throw has been a big part of it. Notice how tight the pull across his thigh and hip is. As you see, he generates enormous speed as he executes the throw (which is why I over rotate on the slo-mo version).

Uchi mata (mine).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dri8TbrRhnc

I throw two with a back grip and two with a collar grip in this one (I prefer back, but a collar grip is more likely). The keys are a deep left step (for mine), a hard pull on the sleeve, and pointing your nose straight down. The first slo-mo has regular footwork. The second one has the more tourney-style dynamic footwork.

Both of us are 100kg players right now, so it's not quite as dynamic as the little guys. Neither of us sweep the leg very high, but we don't need to. If you get a good pull and correct thigh placement, your opponent will go flying.

[Blair Lowe]

Nice and entertaining.

Personally, I am not fond of the shoulder and hip throws. I do, however love Uchi-Mata. It's pretty much my default throw. I joke that it's something my dad passed down to me but honestly, I'm just better at it than the others. As well, I'm short and most guys I work with aren't so it just works for me.

I don't recall throwing Uchi-Mata with a backgrip but I do like and use the shuffle into the sweep/rake n' take. It's very much a shoot in and lift which is what I like.

[Derek Simonds]

I hope you asked him after the first throw to not land on you again, that looked painful! I really liked how you switched to the back grip in the first two. I am going to play with that tomorrow and see how that flows.

Not to over simplify harai goshi but the major differences I saw were that he slid all the way across your body really pushed his hips into you and reaped the opposite leg. I am definitely more comfortable as of now with uchi mata as I don't worry that I have as much to lose if I miss it.

I really need to work on the non power hand grip as well based on what I just saw.

[Anton Emery]

Thanks for those, especially the uchi mata, and the slow motion version. I dont really do any judo, but will sometimes get the uchi mata from an underhook and wrist grab if i clinch up no gi. I noticed with your foot placement the planting leg is outside the opponent's legs. Most other videos i have seen have the planting foot in between the legs, are they both just different ways to do it?


thanks


Anton

[Gant Grimes]

The inside foot placement is traditional and is the way everyone teaches it. Whereas most people try to learn UM (a difficult throw from) day one, I didn't really learn it (or really practice it much) until I was a brown belt. It never worked. It all clicked for me during a clinic where the visiting sensei suggested the outside foot placement. That placement, coupled with the natural pull of the left arm across the body, made the throw really work for me. As you see in the video, my pull is quite violent, which pulls him off balance as his hip comes into position, making the rotation even faster.

At this point I can do it either way (inside or inside) with no problem (I scored ippon with an inside foot placement in my last tourney). But it was this different approach to it that enlightened me to role of foot placement, hip placement, and locking-hand pulling.

The grip I use in the gi is similar to way you do yours without a gi. You can also use a whizzer grip or, my personal favorite, around the the head. I've seen a lot of no-gi UMs take a deep initial step (with the eventual reaping leg) to place the hip, rendering the placement of the plant leg a little less relevant. It might be difficult to do it the way I demonstrated in no-gi unless you had a really good grip on the other guy's wrist.

[Mark Fenner]

Originally Posted by Anton Emery

Most other videos i have seen have the planting foot in between the legs, are they both just different ways to do it?

Uchi mata and I are like two friends that had an argument and never really made up. That aside, both the location of the plant foot and the target of the reaping foot can have some variation in placement based on (1) personal preference and (2) relative heights/leg lengths between you and your opponent.

The way I learned uchi mata was with a traditional inside foot placement: strong pull, cross stepping behind my reaping leg with a powerful stomp, then targeting either the near side or far side inner-thigh depending on opponents height and stance (or "up the middle" if you don't like uke).

However, one way I can see the value of the outside step is to think about the wonderful tai-otoshi to uchi mata combination. If you throw tai-o, your opponent steps over with his near leg, then he is in a very extended position (almost a forward lunge). Boom, uchi mata and I get along just great. In both Gant's intentional outside step + pull and the tai-o combination, you get great unweighting of the near-to-you leg.

In the first slow motion shot, you can see the wonderful timing of Gant's partner's forward step with his right foot just in time to become weighted and have the back leg start its take off.

Best,
Mark

[Gant Grimes]

I did not mention it before, but the guy in the videos with me is twelve years old.

http://www.70sbig.com/?p=1945#comments

[Anton Emery]

That guy is only 12? Good lord.


Anton

[Chuck Kechter]

Nice video!

The back grip is one I use quite a bit... Though it took me a looooonnnnnnggggg time to get the timing down on it (actually on all versions uchimata).