There are many other opportunities when your opponent is moving round the mat. Every time he steps with his left leg he is spreading his legs. Try with a subtle pull to make him step a little further forwards or to the side. Then attack with o-uchi-gari.

This throw is very useful for breaking up a defensive position. It is possible to attack several times in quick succession with it which should at least make your man stagger. Depending on what reactions you get it is then easy to come crashing ni with some other throw.

One last point. When you hook your opponents leg do not lift it up. If you do this you are supporting him to a certain extent. The idea of the throw is to take away his support. Aim to keep your reaping foot fairly close to the mat.

A similar throw against this wide leg stance is to use the right leg and foot against the opponent's right leg. This means shifting his weight over his right leg. This is called ko-uchi-gari.

To do this I swing my head and shoulders round my right. Compare this position with the starting position for the throw. Getting a man to spread his legs is not so difficult. If you attack strongly several times with a forward throw - a hip throw for example - the man will start to brace back and spread his legs. A sudden swift change of direction using o-uchi-gari will be effective.

Another example is when you try pulling the man forward. If he resists this movement he will usually start pulling back with legs spread wide in the manner of a tug-of-war. Once again a sudden change to o-uchi-gari should succeed.

With your right hand which is holding the collar, bear down with all your weight over the leg you are taking away. Your left hand should contribute to this action by pushing your opponent's arm and upper body in the same direction. One important point to remember is the direction of the throw. You are throwing your partner backwards and down. This means that when you are actually doing the throw you should be moving in those directions too (forward and down).
If you are very fast and catch your man completely on the hop with his legs spread wide he will collapse backwards instantly. This is not often possible. It is usually necessary to complete the technique by bearing down on the opponent's left shoulder all the way to the mat. It is not necessary to fall on the opponent. Your hands still holding your partner's jacket pin him to the ground and should be used for preventing your body crushing into his. Note the position of my head and right shoulder. After I have got the man toppling backwards it is necessary to guard against an effective counter for this throw.

Stand in the natural posture with your partner bracing backwards with his legs spread wide. We will assume for the minute that you have got your opponent into such a position. As you stand now it is not possible to stretch out your right leg to hook the inside of his. Starting with the right foot take a short pace forward followed by a similar short step with the left. This will bring you in closer and within range. Stretch out your right leg and with the back of your heel and lower calf sweep round in a small circle until you hit and reap away the opponent's left leg.

Ashi-Waza (Leg-Throws)

O-uchi-gari (major inner reap)

When a man stands with his feet fairly wide apart his weight and balance will be evenly spread. The idea of this throw is to take one leg away suddenly causing him to fall over. This is not so easy as it sounds. A man sensing that you are going to reap one of his legs away will either close his legs or shift his weight to his other leg. The essence of this throw is to catch him with his legs spread wide and in the actual execution of the throw make sure that his weight is mostly over the leg you are hooking away.

This is because my experience has shown that the methods I describe actually work in top competition which is the ultimate test of technique. Body mechanics and theories of 'what should work' are not taken into great consideration.

One reason for this is that surprise, which plays an enormous part in judo, can help a man win from a very inferior position. It may be possible to say that such and such a position is the best mechanically but if this position gives one's opponent a chance for an easy counter or block it will be of little use. We attempt what we can get.

This is a diagram of throwing directions against an opponent standing with his feet about shoulder width apart facing you. These directions will often be mentioned in the description of throws.

Note that most throws are in a direction which is usually against an opponent's weak point. Try not to stray from these directions as you might be trying to throw a man against his strong point.

Throwing Techniques

There are forty basic throws. In this section I will describe the ten most efficient ones. Throws can be divided into leg throws, hip-throws, hand-throws and sacrifice throws. Starting with leg throws I will illustrate some from each section in the above order.

The throws which I shall describe will, in some cases, differ slightly from the standard text-books on judo.

A little man practising with a big man must rely on his speed and stamina and try to outmanoeuvre his larger partner. The bigger man, being slower, must rely on his strength and weight to anchor his wily partner on one spot so that he can pick him off.

Most throws can be done with the two men standing almost stationary providing that there is not much weight or strength difference between them. On the move it takes a lot more accuracy but they are more successful as they combine both the thrower's and defender's impetus and weight.

If your partner doesn't know what you are going to do next it will upset his attacking plans. It is also essential to be able to change your weight from foot to foot. Therefore don't stand with your feet spread wide or close together.

Stand with the feet shoulder width apart and the body upright. When moving about try to keep roughly to this distance. Do not cross one foot in front of the other when turning round. It is very easy to trip somebody with crossed legs.

The extent to which you will move around will depend upon your height, weight and temperament. In general the big men are slow and the little men fast. However, a big man may meet someone even bigger and the small man someone smaller. In which case it is necessary to change the tempo of attack, etc.

If a man is moving backwards then push him just a little faster than his own movement. Then when you get some forward reaction pull harder than he is pushing you. This can be done from front to rear or from side to side or a combination of all four. The actual time during which a man will be doing what you want will be very short so that it is necessary to attack immediately the opportunity presents itself.

As for your own movements, try to make them unpredictable. Change direction as often as possible in any random combination.

Moving around

Having completed a few of your basic lessons your instructor should get you on to 'free practice'. This is where you try to put into actual practice all you have learnt against an attacking and defending partner. This is where the beginner is surprised to learn that the throws which seemed so easy to do against an unresisting partner now seem impossible. This is where knowing how to move round the mat comes in useful. The beginner will be shown that for most throws there is a particular position in which his partner's feet and body should be in. Some throws depend upon whether the opponent is upright or crouching over, moving forward or scuttling back. An inexperienced man will in the beginning be in a bad position but it doesn't take long to learn how to keep out of trouble and this is where it is essential to know how to manoeuvre your opponent into a suitable position for throwing. It is not usually possible to make a man move as you want. If, for example, you tried to make a man step forward with his right foot by stepping back with your left foot and pulling him forward with your left hand the chances are that he would realize what you were after and do the exact opposite. This gives a clue, however, for action. If you want a man to step forward push him backwards. In many cases he will react against your push and come forward.
However, if you make your push too hard and obvious, the opponent will realize instantly what is happening and use your own pushing action for his forward throw. The art in moving is not to make your manoeuvering obvious.

Holding your partner

If you are right handed, grip opponent's left lapel at about your own shoulder height with your right hand. If you are tall or your opponent is very small stick to this rule about shoulder height. It can be of great advantage to hold up high around the collar at the back of your partner's neck. The left hand holds the opponents sleeve halfway on the outside. There should be no slack but with the cloth gathered up until it is tight on the opponent's arm. There are several variations on holds. The standard hold is best as it gives maximum control of the opponent. The body should be slightly inclined to the right with the right foot forward. Left handers should follow these instructions substituting left for right, and right for left in all cases.

Exercise 4

is possibly the closes one can get to an actual throw. With a partner stand as in plate 152. The man standing grasps his kneeling partners sleeve and trouser at the knee and pulls up sharply thus lifting his partner up and spinning him quickly on to his back. The man who is being spun over uses his free arm to beat the mat. The force of this exercise is then gradually increased. There are several breakfall exercises. The best one is to take an easy fall and, bearing in mind the important points about the head and arms, get one's partner to gradually increase the force and speed of the throw. As this happens naturally from the first lessons on throws it is wise not to waste much time on the exercises. They should occupy no more than half of your first lesson with perhaps one or two revision periods in the second and third lessons.

After a few attempts at No. 2 exercise stand now not quite upright but with a bit of a crouch. Fall slowly backwards and to one side and roll into the mat. Do not hold the body stiff as a board or too limp. In this case where the body is falling to the side only one arm is usedfor beating. In most throws it is only possible to use one arm. However, this is sufficient. As the beginner gains more confidence he can do this last exercise with more gusto until he is almost throwing himself off his feet backwards.

The next step is to crouch down, then slowly falling backwards, roll into the mat. The head must be kept near the chest right from the beginning. If the head is slack when thrown it will snap back and hit the mat. The other natural tendency is to use the arms as supports. This must be avoided. The beginner must get used to keeping his head out of harms way and using his arms only for beating.