Have you ever asked your self, what can judo do for my game? Everyone in the jiu jitsu scene is familiar with at least a couple of judo techniques. Hell, modern BJJ takes many different techniques directly from judo. For example, if you have ever locked up the scarf hold (kesa gatame) or submitted your opponent with a kimura then you have employed judo in more ways than one. But what about your standing game?
The Tai Otoshi is a powerful throw, and Travis Stevens is one of the best in the world at hitting it. He has a whole DVD series with fellow Olympian and Judo Coach Jimmy Pedro on how to throw with the Tai Otoshi and many others.
Sure, we have all seen what wrestling brings to the sport. Single and double leg take downs are everywhere, a common alternative to simply pulling guard. But there is a world of Judo throws out there that can be just as powerful, if not more powerful, than your typical shooting and guard pulling. Whether you play gi or no gi judo throws can be incredibly effective. Take the uchi mata for example. It is particularly strong, and feels amazingly simple when executed correctly. The grips for the uchi mata make use of the whizzer over hook and either a wrist or forearm grab. Once you attain your grips, you can do a little back step inside, and then use your other leg to get that lift on the inside of the opponent's leg, as you apply pressure with the whizzer and pull down on the forearm grip.
The world of judo has a lot to offer the BJJ community. That is why you see so many high level guys crossing training in order to have a more well rounded game. Take Bernardo Faria for example. He is a 5 time World Champion and loves to explore the world of Judo, especially the take downs. Today we will explore 2 Judo throws for BJJ from Olympic Gold Medalist Judokan Satoshi Ishii. Satoshi Ishii is a well recognized Japanese judoka and mixed martial artist. In 2004 Ishii won his first major judo title as he earned a gold medal in the Junior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. 2 years later, he won the All Japan Judo Championship in Tokyo, Japan. A year after, Ishii along with the Japanese judo team won the World Judo team competition in Beijing, China. In 2008 Ishii again won the All Japan Judo Championship in Tokyo, Japan. However his biggest success as a judoka was winning the gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Satoshi has a brand new instructional series called Japanese Judo Secrets available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com. In this series, Ishii shows the drills and strategies that he has brought from traditional Japanese judo to train his body for takedowns. It's packed with tons of a great old school dojo techniques that are sure to help you dominate any opponent on the mats. Let's check out 2 of his amazing judo throws.
To hit the ouchi gari, Satoshi first establishes his grips. He prefers a collar grip with one hand and then gripping the gi sleeve on the opposite side as the collar. The next thing Satoshi emphasizes is the correct angle as which to step in for the throw. With the correct angle now in mind, Satoshi steps with his lead foot, then steps in with his back foot. From here he reaps Bernardo's leg using his momentum sends him to the mat. Satoshi points out that you should not be lifting your leg off the ground when you go for the reap, but instead think about opening your opponent's leg.
In the video above Satoshi shows an Uchi Mata against a stalling opponent. Often times when he faces a jiu jitsu guy they will have some collar grips with their head down and base spread and away. This is the perfect opportunity for Satoshi to hit an uchi mata. Satoshi secures his grips on his opponent arm and collar, and he bends his knees to adjust his level. From here Satoshi takes a big step in with his lead leg. Then he immediately steps in with his back foot while lifting his opponent on the side with the collar grip, pulling down on the arm while reaping the leg, sending his opponent flying.
As you can probably tell, these are very powerful throws that when done correctly make it very easy to take down an opponent no matter their size. If you struggle to find entrances against a standing opponent then these techniques are you. So be sure to give these a try the next time you are on the mats, and if you want more great techniques from Satoshi Ishii then check out his instructional series, Japanese Judo Secrets available on BJJFanatics.com.
The kimura attack is one of the majoe concepts John Danaher teaches his Danaher Death Squad team. According to Danaher, the Kimura has an incredible versatility factor due to the fact that it can be utilized in both Gi and No Gi and it is an extremely popular hold in MMA. There have been countless UFC fights finished by way of Kimura. Mastering this position will give the Jiu Jiteiro a weapon that can be used in all competition rule sets. Below we see John Danaher's student, Georges St. Pierre utilizing the Kimura in the highest levels of combat.