GRIP FIGHTING FOR JUDO AND BJJ

 

Blue punches in his grip, as he shuffles forward like a boxer throwing a jab.

A lot of people who start judo want to dive right into learning the fancy looking throws. Trying to throw an experienced grappler or judoka is extremely difficult without knowing how to fight to get
your grip. Grip fighting is an art in itself. Grip fighting is a fundamental part of judo and is worth learning. It requires some serious time in training, if you don’t put the time into this, then you won’t progress very far with your throws.

Grip fighting is ultimately the act of grabbing your opponent's gi where YOU desire without letting the opponent get his grip in such a way that prevents you from attacking. 

Grip Fighting Key Points:

Have a grip fighting strategy

-
Grip fighting means just that "grip
fighting!" Don’t change your stance stand your ground and fight for the
grip you want.

       Be fast - Be ballistic - Be explosive

       Think boxing - punch in your grips like a boxer, you can use combinations, you can feint and you can even parry you opponent's grip attempts in the same manner a boxer parries punches. 

-          Grip fighting creates opportunities, it sets up
your throws.

-    
Create motion. Try to never break a grip while
standing still it can be very difficult....MOVE!

Get the first grip

A judo throw requires the establishment of a strong grip. An
offensive gripping strategy can help keep the opponent or adversary on their
heels both literally and figuratively. Not having a solid plan for your grips
can leave you vulnerable and at the mercy of your opponent.

Arm pit grip (waki)

Outside of Japan the arm pit grip is a pretty rare gripping
method. Some of the great Japanese judo players have used this grip
successfully in their offensive arsenal. Gripping the folds of the cloth at the
area of arm pit is extremely versatile. It provides incredible defense and
distance control.

1.) Insert your fingers in the fold of the gi just
above the opponent’s arm pit with your left hand. 2.) Grip the gi with
primarily the bottom three fingers of your left hand and turn the hand over
clockwise palm down. 3.) For gripping over top, it is same as steps 1 and step

The arm pit grip is very useful in blocking an opponent’s attacks, restricting his movements and keeping him at a safe distance. It is extremely effective in a right vs right situation or an opposite stance, right vs. left situation (Kenka Yotsu). It helps control his arm making it harder for him to put his hand down to block a throw, it also keeps him from reaching over the top of your shoulder. In the one-handed judo style you have the added benefit of the opponent not feeling threatened by only a single grip. Unlike a pull on the sleeve or the lapel pulling at the armpit is a much shorter pull.

Posture and punching in your grip

1.) Stand with the right foot forward. The knees should
be bent and center of gravity low. Feet are shoulder width apart. Twist your
upper body clockwise bringing your left hand and shoulder to the front closer
to your opponent. You left hand is your attacking hand and should be positioned
closer to your opponent. The right hand acts as the defensive hand. 2.) Much
like delivering a cross in boxing, punch in with your left hand and grip your
opponent’s gi right above the armpit. Your right hand is up and defending any
attempts by the opponent to get his grip.

Fighting with your grip

When you have gotten your grip keep your wrist, elbow and shoulder loose and constantly hunt for the opportunity to throw your opponent. A common error after you have punched in your grip is to constantly hold the opponent away with a stiff nonmoving arm. Get in the habit of fanning your elbow up and down. Keeping

the left arm loose will enable you to block your opponent’s grip attempts, as well as push, pull to position him and keep him off balance and even counter his attacks. Neither your gripping hand nor the arm should be stationary. Keeping the arm active pushing, pulling and fanning it up and down also makes it more difficult for your opponent to grip and control your arm.

Blocking opponent’s hand before he gets a grip

This blocking method is similar to throwing a cork screw
punch in boxing. As I rotate my gripping hand clockwise turning my thumb
downward, I push the knuckles of my hand into my opponent.

1.) You have established an armpit grip with the left
hand. 2.) As your opponent reaches over the top with his right hand, turn your
left hand over clockwise turning your thumb to the floor and roll your elbow
upward to block his hand before he is able to get his grip. 3.) As an option
knock his hand away by striking his forearm with the heel of your right hand.

Blocking the opponent’s over the top grip attempt

1.) From a fighting posture, 2.) punch in your grip. 3.)
The opponent immediately tries to reach over the top of your arm to grip your
lapel. 4.) Drop your center of gravity and roll your elbow upward to block his
arm before he gets his grip on the lapel. 

Blocking opponent’s grip attempt under arm

1.) From your fighting stance, 2.) punch in your grip.
3.) The opponent immediately tries to reach under your arm to grip your lapel. 4.)
Drop your center of gravity by bending your knees. Simultaneously, twist your
torso to the right and roll your elbow downward to block before he gets his
grip.

 Breaking your opponent’s lapel grip

When breaking grips you have to be careful not to put
yourself in a bad or compromising position to get thrown. In this scenario you
have secured your grip first and the opponent manages to reach over the top of
the left arm and grip the lapel with his right hand. Punch the left arm
straight out and at the same time knock his grip loose with your right hand.

1.) You have gotten the first grip at the armpit grip
with your left hand. 2.) The opponent reaches over the top of your left arm
with his right hand and grips your lapel. Immediately straighten your left arm.
3.) Simultaneously break his grip by hitting his forearm with the heel of your
right hand.

Keep in mind that breaking grips and even off balancing your opponent work hand in hand with the movement of your feet. The arms, hands the legs and feet are used in conjunction to move your opponent around off balance break his grip and set him up for your throw.

When opponent grips lapel over the arm

You can also use your opponent’s lapel grip against him using his grip on your lapel as a set up for a throw.

1.) From your fighting stance, punch in your grip
first. 2.) The opponent immediately counters by reaching over your arm and gets
his grip on your lapel. Push slightly against his armpit by turning your
gripping hand clockwise palm down. 3.) Drop your center of gravity slightly by
bending your knees. Simultaneously pull with the left hand. This will bring his
head forward and off-balance him. 4.) Immediately pull upward and back bringing
your elbow high during the pull. Simultaneously, step in with your right foot
to get into position to enter for your throw.

When opponent grips lapel under the arm

1.) From your fighting stance, punch in your grip. 2.)
The opponent immediately counters by reaching under your arm and gets his grip
on your lapel. 3.) Drop your center of gravity by bending your knees.
Simultaneously twist your torso to the right and roll your elbow downward
pressing downward on the top of the opponent’s forearm with your forearm. This
will bring his head forward and off-balance him. 4.) Immediately pull upward
and back bringing your elbow high during the pull. Simultaneously, step in with
your right foot to get into position to enter for your throw.

When opponent grips right sleeve

1.) Punch your grip in. 2.) The opponent gets a grip
with his left hand on your right sleeve. 3.)  Make a fist with your right
and and bring it to your chest and roll the right elbow over the top of the opponent’s left
arm. Simultaneously take a half step toward your opponent’s right foot with
your right foot. 4.) Bring your elbow downward to the inside of his left arm.
Simultaneously step again with your right foot to the opponent’s right foot.

Keep the gripping hand and arm active. The most effective movements are performed in an explosive manner. The simultaneous and explosive movement of the different parts of the body in a coordinated way allows for greater speed and force.

IPPON SEOI NAGE – Right vs. Right - Opponent reaches over top (Split Step entry)

Since it’s birth Judo has changed with the times. Even so,
the essential nature of judo has remained the same. Judo is judo. Born out of
innovation, the sport of Judo lends itself to specialization. Toshiko Koga
perfected a variation of seio nage that required little in the way of gripping and got him consistently under his opponent’s hips. Koga’s powerhouse technique was the ippon-seoi-nage and he had an impressive range of seoi-nage variations. 

There were four
distinct variations of seoi-nage that Koga did. One type of morote-seoi-nage he
had used since the early days of his competition career was the cross-grip
morote-seoi-nage. The morote-seoi-nage he is most known for is the legendary
one-handed morote-seoi-nage that he did on Chang Su Li of North Korea in the
semifinal of the 1989 world championships. 

In the 1989 World Championships, he
did yet another unusual form of seoi-nage. It happened in the final, against a left hander, Mike Swain of the USA. Instead of inserting his lead leg
like he usually does, against Swain, he did an extremely wide split seoi-nage.
At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Koga would use a two on one lapel grip, grabbing
his opponent’s right lapel with both hands. 

Firstly, Koga’s entry was ballistic. It was so quick and so powerful that even if he didn’t hit it cleanly, he could often get the score anyway. Koga’s seio nage wasn’t the traditional seoi nage. There
were two things he did that made it more effective; 1.) His split step entry, and 2.) his use of the lapel grip rather than the more conventional sleeve grip. There was absolutely no question what Koga was going to do in 99% of his matches. He was going to secure his left-hand lapel grip, break your posture, and launch you skyward with his seoi nage. His opposition knew what Koga was going to do and couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.

1.) Step your right foot forward at the top of the triangle.
Your knees should be bent and your center of gravity low. Twist your upper body
clockwise bring your left hand and shoulder to the front closer to your
opponent. In a right vs. right situation your right shoulder should be more
toward your rear and not out front and easily accessible for your opponent to
grip and attack. You left hand is your attacking hand and your right hand is the
defensive hand. 2.) From a right foot forward posture, punch in your grip
with the left hand gripping at the area of the opponent’s armpit. 3.) The opponent attempts to reach over the top of your left
arm with his right hand to get a grip on your lapel. Roll your elbow upward and
block his arm to keep his hand from grasping your lapel. As you block with the
elbow bend the knees to drop your hips lower (this creates a space for you to
move into to execute a throw).

4.) Pull your opponent toward his front with the left hand
keeping your elbow high. Simultaneously, step your left foot up to your right
foot about a half of a step forward. As you step keep your knees bent. Your belt
line should be lower than your opponent’s belt line. 5.) Step your left foot to the top of the triangle. 6.) Your right foot steps back all the way through the triangle between
the opponent’s feet pivot on your left foot. As your right foot touches the mat, you should be on the ball of your right foot and the toes of both feet should be pointing in the direction
of the apex of the triangle. Pinch the opponent’s right arm at his arm pit
between your right forearm and bicep. Rotate the palm of the right hand toward
your head (this creates a tighter clamp on the opponent’s arm). 

 7.)  Step back with
your left foot thru the triangle between your opponent’s feet and next to your
right foot (as you step back with the left foot 
your opponent’s feet should start to raise up off the mat). 8.) Straighten
your legs quickly and pop your hips upward into the opponent. 9.) Continue to pull and twist your torso to the left, taking your right
elbow toward your left knee and drive the opponent to the ground. 

COMBAT JUDO: OSOTO GARI

Being able to utilize judo and its principles in a street encounter requires more attention to the technical aspects of throwing an aggressor not wearing a judo gi (uniform). I have in the past two years written three books addressing this very thing, two of which got great reviews and have sold out. My third book (pictured left) "Combat Judo" will be published 2024. 

Personally as a long time Judoka, I look at what I do with the sole perspective of; If this is the system I am fighting with, how am I going to do that and be effective in a realistic context? In my first book, REAL COMBAT JUDO, I worked off a very specific tactic called “THE STOP”. This tactic can be found in the US Army combatives Field Manuals 21-150 from 1954 through to 1971. It can also be found in earlier works such as Willaim Jacomb’s 1918 book on Practical self defense where it is referred to as “THE STOP”. It is also used in the 1905 book, The Complete Kano Jiujitsu/Judo.  The stop is a simple, gross motor driven direct and effective movement, it takes our natural survival instincts into consideration and allows those survival instincts to work as a foundation for a very rapidly delivered technique.

 “The Stop” capitalizes on the natural human reaction to extend your arms when someone attacks you by pushing him away.  Turning this instinctive reaction into a hit, thrown much like a straight punch in boxing as opposed to a push, you can stop the rotation of the attacker’s torso at his shoulder. “THE STOP” can be utilized as a preemptive strike or when the attack is recognized early or late. “THE STOP” can be used preemptively, just before the adversary is within striking distance and when your intention is to take him to the ground. When delivered it stops the forward motion of the attacker and brings his arms up toward the front (1st picture below).

The Stop can also be used to intercept a punch early, striking the pocket of the shoulder stops the rotation of the adversary’s torso at his shoulder (2nd picture above). It is also effective when you pick up on the attacker throwing a punch late. For example, if the attacker throws a right punch, step off line of the punch and at an angle to your right and deliver the strike with your left hand to the attacker’s right shoulder (3rd picture above). This tactic basically short-circuits the power of your attacker’s punch at the root of its motion. 

The Combat Judo one - two 

You can use "the stop" in combination with another strike to keep the opponent's balance and posture disrupted. Think of a boxer throwing a one - two combination.  

1.) Executed similar to a one - two combination in boxing, from a fighting stance or non violent posture, push off the rear foot and step forward with your left foot shuffling forward and strike the opponent at the pocket of the shoulder with a lead straight open hand strike (picture the movement of a boxer throwing a jab as he shuffles forward). The impact should rock the opponent back on his heels. The left hand immediately grabs the opponent's shirt at the area struck.  2.) Pull the opponent into you bringing him forward off his heels as you push of the rear foot again stepping toward 11 o'clock with your left foot shuffling forward.  As you pull the opponent into you deliver a hack with the outer boney area of your right forearm to the left side of the opponent's neck (picture this movement as that of a boxer throwing a rear hand straight punch). 

1.) From your fighting position your attacker attempts a right punch. Push off the left foot and step forward with your right foot off line and strike him hard in the pocket of his shoulder. The strike should stop his rotation and knock him back on his heels.  2.) Grab his shirt at the area struck and pull him into you as you push off your right foot and step with your left foot toward 11 o'clock. Simultaneously strike him with the blade of your right forearm in the throat or the side of the neck.  3.) Draw the right arm back and execute a horizontal elbow strike (when doubling up the hack with the horizontal elbow think of rechambering the hack more the like the action a pump shot gun. Rechamber then execute the elbow).  4.) Swing your right leg up between your opponent's right leg and your left leg. Sweep his right leg up  high with your right leg to finish the cross hock takedown/osoto gari/major outside reap. 

See related articles:

http://combatjudo.net/combat-judo-blog/boxing-the-sweet-science-unleashed/

http://combatjudo.net/combat-judo-blog/the-judo-arsenal-osoto-gari-for-practical-self-defense/