Katame Waza (Grappling Techniques)

This is the other type of fighting in Judo which is called Katame-Waza (Grappling techniques), the opposite of fighting standing up, fighting on the ground. There are many types of ground work techniques such as armbars, choking, and holds. I will be performing on of the most basic holds that are taught to people who are just starting out or are new to judo. This hold is called Kesa Gatame (Scarf Hold), "In any scarf hold, pin the opponent's left hand tightly , make sure the hips are in close contact, spread the legs wide and maintain balance" (Wilson 81).

"With the opponent on his back, lay across his upper body from the side, encircling his shoulders with one arm and holding his other arm" (Wilson 81).

 

"With the left hand, grasp the upper part of Uke's sleeve and pin the arm under the left arm, contact Uke's upper right side with the side of the hip, and with the right arm circle Uke's neck and grip the back of his collar" (Wilson 81).

In my opinion, I would rather do ground work than fighting standing up because it is easier for me and I'm much more better at it. Kesa Gatame is one of my favorite holds because it is simply and easy, There is a counter to every single holds, armbars, and chokes which evens out the morale on who wins. The counter for Kesa Gatame is simple at first, but can be hard during an actual match. Would you consider doing groundwork or fighting standing up? Fighter or not.

Thank you for reading my blog posts and I hope to see you back later!

 USJF. Judo For High School And College. George L. Wilson, 1975     

Nage Waza ( Throwing Techniques)

Judo has two types of fighting and are used all the time. This type of fighting is called Nage Waza which is the throwing techniques, simply fighting standing up. The person who is doing the action or is the one fighting is called tori. The person receiving the attack from tori is called uke. Unbalance of the uke is necessary and important in completing your move. In the pictures, I am demonstrating the throw called seoi-nage (shoulder throw) which is one of the basic throws in Judo. 

"Force uke off-balance with a right foot turning movement, drop the body, keeping close back contact with uke's chest, bend the right arm and drive the elbow under uke's armpit, throw over shoulder" (Wilson 48). In the last photo, you always want to "spot" them to make sure they don't get hurt and to respect them by holding them and not throwing them all the way.

 Performing this throw is not too difficult for me as i have been practicing this for years now and i have somewhat perfected it.  This one in particular is not my favorite as it is difficult to perform in a tournament with people who know how to counter it.

Next is the ground work of judo and I'll keep updating for more posts. Keep on reading!

 USJF. Judo For High School And College. George L. Wilson, 1975