Ive been doing judo for nearly a year now so im still quite noobish and im really struggling to do any throws in randori. Im 6ft 3 and 94 kg and all but two of the guys in my judo club are smaller in height than me.
This presents me with a problem during randori because i cant seem to get my hips low enough, quick enough to get any throws in without being sweeped and if i try any sweeps a just get stright armed and countered.
My only sucsess comes when i can counter one of their attacks usually with a de ashi bari and i sometimes can get them with a hiza guruma if im lucky. Any tall grapplers out there got any idea’s or prefered techniques which work well against smaller, stockier opponents? Should i be looking to get the high back collar grips and pull my opponents around with that and try sweeping?
I always thought that judo would be a doodle for a big tall guy but it seems that i fare better fighting the two bigger guys than i do the smaller one’s. Any tips appart from the standard STFU and train noob which im already trying
I am tall (6’3") and had the same issue when I started Judo especially against strong, short players. Some forms of stance work and stretching should help you increase your back/leg strength and flexibility and ability to drop low quickly.
6’5’', and I don’t grapple often anymore, but I found that sacrifice throws work pretty well, as well as aggresive takedowns. Morote Gari, I think? Forgive my Judo noobness, but anything that can transfer over from freestyle wrestling should work.
double legs from a tall guy on a short guy? not only are they now illegal in judo competition because of dumbass rules but making a tall guy drop even lower than he needs to for a hip throw doesnt sound right.
I’m short but the ones that work on me most from taller guys are.
tai otoshi
uchi mata
sasae tsurikomi ashi
harai goshi
osoto gari
These throws generally find long legs to be an advantage.
more likely your problem is not enough uchikomi and no kuzushi, when you drill a throw enough you should be able to turn in eventually and use it in randori.
stiff armers will not learn anything, hiza guruma or sasae tsurikomi ashi will probably work on them.
I’m a shortish stocky guy, and I can tell you exactly what I hate from the tall guys: Harai goshi. And uchi mata. Osoto gari/otoshi (the one where you reach across and hook your heel into the knee). Anything with the high collar grip - especially transitioning to the koshi gurum/headlock grip.
Oh, and stand in an extreme right or left stance and bear down on the guy. That sucks.
I’m short but the ones that work on me most from taller guys are.
tai otoshi
uchi mata
sasae tsurikomi ashi
harai goshi
osoto gari
These throws generally find long legs to be an advantage.
more likely your problem is not enough uchikomi and no kuzushi, when you drill a throw enough you should be able to turn in eventually and use it in randori.
stiff armers will not learn anything, hiza guruma or sasae tsurikomi ashi will probably work on them.
…if you’re lucky mtripp or coach josh will give you some advice, in which case you can pretty much ignore my post.[/quote]
Thanks for the advice the part about uchikomi and kuzuchi rings true, i think i have the turning ability of a double decker bus. I just cant get my feet to act as quickly as id like.
[quote=Res Judicata;2406612]Seriously?
I’m a shortish stocky guy, and I can tell you exactly what I hate from the tall guys: Harai goshi. And uchi mata. Osoto gari/otoshi (the one where you reach across and hook your heel into the knee). Anything with the high collar grip - especially transitioning to the koshi gurum/headlock grip.
Oh, and stand in an extreme right or left stance and bear down on the guy. That sucks.
Forget sacrifice throws for now.[/quote]
Thanks, but is it just me or is osoto gari impossible to do in randori? especially against stiff armers. My feet just dont move quickly enough to do uchi mata or hari goshi without me getting countered. more uchikomi neede i suppose.
[quote=W. Rabbit;2406585]I am tall (6’3") and had the same issue when I started Judo especially against strong, short players. Some forms of stance work and stretching should help you increase your back/leg strength and flexibility and ability to drop low quickly.
[/quote]
Funny you should post that because thats the exact position that my opponents take when i try to throw them
[quote=adskibullus;2406632]Thanks for the advice the part about uchikomi and kuzuchi rings true, i think i have the turning ability of a double decker bus. I just cant get my feet to act as quickly as id like.
Thanks, but is it just me or is osoto gari impossible to do in randori? especially against stiff armers. My feet just dont move quickly enough to do uchi mata or hari goshi without me getting countered. more uchikomi neede i suppose.[/quote]
If I had to guess, I’d say it’s not really your foot speed for harai, it’s your kuzushi. Mash his head with your tsurite hand and you’ll have all the time in the world.
Does it help them? I am really curious because I did not do a lot of stance training or conditioning back when I was active in Judo (I wish I had) but I do a lot of footwork and stance training now and I can turn, get lower, and faster than I ever could in my 20s.
For a tall guy working/training to lower your center of mass seems to be a good idea, in addition to practicing the throwing techniques. Is that right?
Ah but whats the best way to do it? pull them forward or drive them backward the sweep the foot? I quite like the idea of shoulder barging the backward then hooking the leg away sort of like Koga does ( i think) Is this ko uchi gari at 1:16
i’m in agreement with all i’ve read here. But i would also add a bit of advice on handling stiff arms.
First - an observation: i used to maintain stiff arms myself. it was defensiveness, and i didn’t recognize that i was doing it. Every time i’d move in for a throw, i felt that they were holding me back but in reality i was pushing them straight out of my throws.
So i had to learn to really relax my arms. This is usually accomplished by tucking my elbows directly into my sides, planting them in my short ribs. Then i just try to keep my hands in front of me, and when i want to move uke, i do so by turning my body (hips AND shoulders!). I make every effort NOT to use arm strength to move uke, as this: a) generates less power than body movement and b) often prompts reflexive defense from uke.
Okay, once it’s not YOUR stiff arms that are causing the problem, realize that a stiff arm that is pushing you away from them is also pulling them to you. Get an uke, and have them stiff arm you. Assuming it’s their right hand on your left lapel, let the pressure build up and pivot on your right foot, bringing your left back and immediately behind your right. Let your whole body move in this pivot, and your lapel will come back, making their extend their stiff-arm push across you. The idea is that they are relying on your chest holding them back, so you take it from them, much like a matador with his cape.
Practice this slow, with lot of dedication from uke. Once you get a feeling for how to turn, incorporate it into randori. As long as you don’t speed up and prompt uke’s defensive reflex, you should be able to start getting them to either stumble forward or plant their foot and pull back. Once you can catch that stumble or pull, start throwing off of it.
Note also the similarities with the Ashi Guruma at 1:20 and a lovely O Uchi Gari.
To the OP You may want to look at Hiza Guruma (a throw which I am HORRIBLE at), Uchi Mata, Tai Otoshi and O Soto Gari + Ko Soto Gari combinations. I would suggest not neglecting the Small people throws as well though…
Being tall you will have a greater margin for error for certain throws, these tend to be O soto gari, Uchi mata and Harai goshi.
This is because being taller, usually with longer legs and being heavier than your randori partners you’re able to compensate for timing, coordination and technical deficiencies with your height and weight advantage.
O soto gari is a really hard technique, because beginner attempts at it can be easily shut down through stiff arming. Although stiff arming tends to shut down most beginner attempts at forward and backwards throws its particularly so for O soto gari, because uke can stiff arm and throw their leg back to make it seemingly near impossible for you to execute the throw.
There is no quick and easy solution to this problem you need to do hundred and thousands of uchikomi, moving uchikomi and nagekomi as well as practicing and failing time and again in randori until you learn the moment of opportunity and timing to attack with O soto gari.
What you will find is that you will rarely perform a ‘classical’ O soto gari, because of the difficulties of timing etc… and will often hook and have to hop throw as in the Josh Resnick video.
As with any Judo throw you need to combine moment of opportunity (debana) with quality kuzushi and maintain that kuzushi.
With the hikite- lapel hand, you need to ensure your forearm is kept in line and in contact with their lapel and you aren’t just pushing them away from you. With your tsurite hand if your opponent is smaller than you, you need to draw their arm outwards and upwards simultaneously with the action of your hikite. If they are the same size of taller draw their arm outwards and downwards to your own belt. The objective is to pin as much of their weight on the rear right corner (assuming a right handed O soto gari) of their right heel as possible.
So what you’re saying with this combination of osoto gari & tai otoshi, when the osoto gari “doesn’t work” the inside leg attacking uki’s leg stays where it is for the tai otoshi and the leg that the tori’s weight is on for the osoto just rotates back to the other side for the tai otoshi? or is the tai otoshi against the other leg? Is there any particular footwork for that transition to tai otoshi?
So what you’re saying with this combination of osoto gari & tai otoshi, when the osoto gari “doesn’t work” the inside leg attacking uki’s leg stays where it is for the tai otoshi and the leg that the tori’s weight is on for the osoto just rotates back to the other side for the tai otoshi? or is the tai otoshi against the other leg? Is there any particular footwork for that transition to tai otoshi?
(Thanks ahead of time)[/QUOTE]
Yes…
As you are pulling and stepping in, when you feel Uke push, you are going to plant the attacking leg, and pivot on it as you do a back step with the driving leg. Depending how deep your attacking leg is now, you have uchi mata (done as a leg not a hip throw) or tai otoshi. You may have to “ken ken” by attacking the inside leg, then hopping into attacking the outside leg.
But to me that is the best concept for a long legged person.
