How does a person that is smaller throw another person that is larger in Judo? Applied knowledge and experience is the quick answer. Bigger and stronger practitioners can be thrown by smaller practitioners. The marketing for jiu jitsu and judo has been, “Learn the secret skills to defeat a bigger and stronger opponent.” The truth is with Jiu Jitsu and Judo knowledge, anyone can throw anyone regardless of size. Specifically, I have found the Judo’s throwing techniques (Nage Waza) to be much more difficult than self-defense skill development, ground techniques and other aspects of Jiu Jitsu overall. My quest has been how to better create off-balancing (kuzushi) of a training partner that a throw can be easier to execute. In Florida, there was a Judo session with a visiting black belt. He was in my estimation a super heavyweight. He went on to instruct one segment of the lesson. This big Judo black belt grabbed my lapel and said, “I am going to show you the secret of Judo.” The look on my face was straight and my body was relaxed hoping to learn anything this person was going to teach me; however, I was not impressed with his presentation so far. So the secret to Judo in the eyes of this Sensei was…”A strong pull in the lapel.” And that was it. He went over to muscle me forward and performed a forward throw.
Now the very real understanding that you can accept quickly in live sparring (randori) with a resisting training partner is there is much more to Judo than the secret of a “Strong Pull.” Off-balancing an opponent comes in many ways and many directions. At the time, I was recovering from a sore/injured knee. It was difficult for me to do throws like uchi mata, harai goshi and tai otoshi where balancing one leg needed to be applied. During my recovery, this was not the case. I needed to work on a method to get my training partners on to one leg or find other ways to create off-balance. Something that highlighted destabilization of a knowledge Judoka or in the case of a super heavyweight. My search led me to ashi waza or foot techniques.
Ashi waza techniques can be used as a way to throw an opponent to the Tatame. However, in many situations, a foot sweep will off-balance an opponent where he or she needs to recover his footing. These moments are a great opportunity to throw anyone big or small. One of my favorite techniques, since I started Jiu Jitsu and began learning Judo from teammates that had a black belt in the art, was the Knee Wheel (Hiza Guruma). This is a great technique to throw or set up a major throw. A sister technique that is very similar to Hiza Guruma is Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi (Popping Ankle Throw). In the dojo, these foot techniques are shortened to Hiza or Sasae. These are the minor throws that can be your secret tactics.
Hiza or Sasae in my mind is the boxer’s jab. If I punch a person, right in the chin with a straight hard jab, I could knock the person down, out, or off-balance him to set up another punch. The brother and sister technique(s) of Hiza or Sasae work this way in Judo. In the Judo kata Nage no Kata, Sasae is showcased as a stepping backwards technique to learn the theory and application of it. In completion, Hiza or Sasae is more used as a circular step. This where you have to make up your mind. Do you step within a circular step to the outside or the inside of your training partner? The answer is you will have to create that opening or the uke (person being throw) will give you the opening based on how wide or short he is standing. I will expand on this stepping decision later.
Let us look at the indicators of when to use Hiza vs Sasae? With experience, what I am about to say does not matter; however, at the beginning and a nice general rule of thumb or in this case foot, a good time (indictors) to apply Hiza Guruma with a big classic wide outside step is when the opponent has his leg back in a right vs right (Ai Yotsu) presentation.
The indicator of Hiza in the photo above in the Ai Yotsu stance in this case left vs left is how the “Mop Brush Stick” is in the back stance position. The model here applies a leg sweep at the knee. With this simple indictor for when to apply Hiza in Ai Yotsu presentation with your opponent, Sasae should be applied in the normal right vs right or left vs left presentation. It is very easy to see this. You simply step to the outside with a wide step and next post on the ankle of the person, not the knee:
Remember earlier when I said, “With experience, what I am about to say does not matter?” And, when I said you have to decide if you are going to take a big wide outside step or an inside step? This is where Hiza and Sasae can mess up your opponent. In both situations, you can use these foot techniques to create a huge off-balance or to completely throw a person in the air and land on them across the chest. This is the type of throw where gravity, the tatame and your full body weight takes your opponent out with knockout impact. I find the wide outside circular step creates more space to transition into a follow-up throw when hiza or sasae are unsuccessful. Also, the wide outside step creates a lot of leverage from a mid-distance range with your training partner. In the example of Hiza, this gives you the leverage for a good one technique throw or it gives you the ability to move into a secondary forward throw.
Next in your decision of practice the inside step for hiza or sesae, this creates a closeness that bigger Judokas can use in a power game because of their size or when someone with wrestling or even Brazilian Jiu Jitsu experience with a skill-set of clinching for vale tudo training is ideal. Again, this creates unique circular leverage and in my opinion a better chance to lift a bigger opponent into the air to land on him. This is because the inside step brings your hips closer to your uke. A moment and positioning like this gives a person the leverage to pick up a lot of large opponents. Yet, we must remember to throw someone, it is not always about picking him up so both feet are in the air and looking good on camera. The inside step for hiza or sasae has the magic of the curricular leverage and the neck/collar-lapel control to take a men’s posture to the tatame.
From here and this understanding of a Wide Step or Inside Step, there is much practice to be done. Hiza and Sasae are similar. They are easy to apply in randori. Even if you do not use them as a one technique throw, each can be used successfully as a follow-up technique. Think of the hiza or sesae as a minor throw that setups of a major throw; however, always keep in mind that each respectfully can be used as a one sweep technique for ippon. And with that, we must first take the first step to the inside or the outside. This is a key factor in your execution of Judo. There are no secrets.
To The Reader
The author will be most happy to receive your comments, including criticisms and suggestions. Noteworthy comments may be included in future editions or books on this series.
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– Prof. “little” Tony Pacenski
Yokota Air Base – Tokyo Japan
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