Osaekomi-waza

(hold-downs)

It is not necessary, as in wrestling, to pin the opponent's two shoulders to the mat. The position of the man being held varies from hold to hold but in general he should be flat on his back and unable to get up. The man applying the hold must show that he is in control. In this section I will show holds as a continuation of a throwing technique.

Should he be tied so much that he can't move then he must shout his submission. Needless to say the man applying any lock or hold must do so with care, be aware of any signal of submission and release his lock or strangle instantly. There is a tendency for judomen to neglect groundwork. On the other hand, there are one or two rare individuals who specialise in groundwork. It is noticeable that all the judo champions are very skilful at groundwork. The all- round judomen should be at home either standing up or down on the mat.

Therefore any opportunity for doing groundwork should be taken so that it becomes a habit. Should your opponent stumble, never be content to let him stand up again. As he stumbles, dive in immediately for a strangle or a lock.

Shortly after I won my black belt 1st Dan, I injured my ankle rather badly and was unable to do any standing judo for six weeks. I used this time to do nothing but groundwork. When my ankle had got better I found that I had gained a considerable edge on the ground over my fellow
1st Dans. This helped me to win many contents and got me a reputation as a 'groundwork man". Since that time I have paid a lot of attention to groundwork technique and have won many contests on the ground. One interesting effect of having such a reputation is that it restricts your opponents' throws considerably. He won't attack with anything that can be easily countered or blocked for fear of being taken down. This means that you can open up with your own attacks. As in the throwing section, there is a huge range of techniques on the ground and here are some of them.

Ne-Waza (Groundwork)

During practice or contests, there will be many occasions when one or both judomen will fall to the mat. This may be through an unsuccessful technique by the opponent or simply overbalancing yourself when trying to throw. In either case it is essential to continue the attack on the ground.

There are three ways of scoring on the ground. These are: to hold the man down for thirty seconds, to strangle him till he submits and to apply a lock on his elbow. It is possible to do arm locks and strangles when standing up but these are specialist techniques. Most locks and strangles



are done on the ground. A word of caution before describing these techniques. Some of them can be very painful.

When the man in a lock or strangle wishes to submit he must signal by tapping sharply two or more times on the opponent or on the mat, either with his hand or foot.

There is a tendency for beginners to move around with arms like iron bars in order to stop their partners moving in for an attack. This means they stop their inexperienced partners to certain extent but against a good man they have no effect. What is worse is that the man with the stiff arms will be unable to attack. His stiff arms will stop his own attacks. For best results move around with a loose upper body. Then, when necessary, snap into action to gain maximum impetus. Stiff arms will be a problem for the beginner so I'll describe a few methods of getting past them.

If you are a right-hander only, one of your opponents arms will pose a problem. For example, in harai-goshi as you pivot round to the left the opponent's left arm will be pushing you away. His right arm does not get in the way because you are turning into it. The easiest way to get past the left arm is to bring your right elbow and arm sharply down, breaking your partner's grip on your right sleeve. It will be necessary to let go to do this, but having broken the opponent's grip do not give him a chance to recover his grip, but instantly snatch a hold on his lapel and come in for the throw. There is nothing more unsettling for a 'strong-arm' man than to have his safe grip broken. Keep on breaking his grip attacking instantly as you do so. The opponent's right hand grip on your lapel can be broken by snatching the whole left side and arm back, pulling your left lapel as you do so. One final example is when you are holding underneath your opponent's two arms. To break through this grip suddenly lift up both elbows forcing the opponent's arms up and as you do so pull him forward sliding your shoulders under his arms. As you get under the man's arms turn in for your throw.

Hints on Free Practice

Practise all the techniques illustrated so far, as often as possible, on an unresisting partner standing still and then on the move. In randori (free practice) do not let an opportunity for a counter go by. Some people feel that counter-throws are not quite sporting! However, don't let this bother you!






Disregarding opportunities for a counter can become a habit which could easily lose you a contest. Also an attacker will have to sharpen up his throws if he knows a counter awaits them. This makes for all-round, lively judo. As soon as possible, practise your techniques on the move against a resisting and attacking partner.

This free practice is the best way to sharpen up all your techniques. Practise with as many people as possible as many times a week as possible. Try not to waste any time in practice. Do not move around doing nothing, wasting for an opportunity. Make opportunities with constructive movement. If you are not defending or countering you should be attacking or making an opening for an attack. Keep the arms loose. When an opponent attacks, brace suddenly for your defence and relax quickly as soon as the attack fails.