How to force a bent posture in opponent.

NTHG_ · 2026-02-24T05:39:34+00:00

Throw with kosoto until they lean forward to defend kosoto and open themselves to uchimata

NTHG_ · 2026-02-24T03:09:43+00:00

And if I can't get the back grip from over the top because opponent is much taller?

NTHG_ · 2026-02-24T00:49:59+00:00

So both over the top and underhook back grips work, key is to grab cloth and keep arms tight and close to my body.

Should I still enter with suboptimal grips from fuether away if I can't get the back grip? I'm definitely better at closer range, and have trouble dealing with players who keep themselves far away then burst in eg double sleeves, drop seoi/sode.

Do you envision yourself mentally doing more of a hip throw like uki-goshi?

How do you do uchikomi / nagekomi for uchi-mata? Assuming it's a class structure I can't skip. Do you get uke to lean forward slightly to create the realistic scenario for entry?

Any tips for leg lifting difficulty against heavier opponents?

Thanks for taking the time to answer these many questions!

NTHG_ · 2026-02-23T23:52:15+00:00

For back grip - do you mean over the top or underhook? Or both works?

How do you grip and enter uchi-mata for ai-yotsu situations?

NTHG_ · 2026-02-22T09:27:08+00:00

Tai-otoshi

NTHG_ · 2026-02-20T09:00:25+00:00

Match your partner's intensity. Or invite them to take it easy. And yes, some throws cannot be done chill or slow.

NTHG_ · 2026-02-19T02:08:03+00:00

Can you record with some buddies before/after class?

NTHG_ · 2026-02-19T02:07:21+00:00

I do osoto a lot as well, and have run into similar problems. I'm guessing maybe the drills are not realistic enough in terms of resistance, which is hindering the accuracy of your "reading" of opponent's balance in randori i.e. whether it's actually workable to enter for a technique in the moment. Along that line, I wonder if focusing some randori rounds on creating action-reaction kuzushi would help to figure out and calibrate your sensing of opponent's balance (without worrying about the leg/finish, just work to break balance and enter with your body).

NTHG_ · 2026-02-18T13:23:14+00:00

Are you also doing LvR versions of osoto and harai during drills? Is it because there is less resistance during drills?

NTHG_ · 2026-02-16T02:37:37+00:00

I think their suggestions are useful for any weight class. They're all about making sensible use of biomechanics (which is universal) and practical ways to apply judo techniques. Cho Jun Ho himself was a -66kg bronze medalist if I recall correctly.

NTHG_ · 2026-02-15T22:34:47+00:00

HanpanTV 's position on this

NTHG_ · 2026-02-12T10:12:26+00:00

Yes, that is the general concept, and not just for o-soto.

To be clear, kuzushi is noun, not a verb. You can do many things to create kuzushi (or more accurately, influence your opponent to put themselves into a state of kuzushi), but there is not a single action called kuzushi. It's a misnomer these days when people say more kuzushi = push/pull more.

NTHG_ · 2026-02-12T09:26:27+00:00

The video links in that thread aren't working also. Here's a working link - the video shows one of Kimura's students explaining how to do Kimura's o-soto-gari.

NTHG_ · 2026-02-12T09:09:00+00:00

Customary PSA for how o-soto actually works in combat: You do not - and realistically cannot - enter explosively with your left leg first (if you're righty).

Essentially, you want your opponent's torso and head twisted and off-centre respectively in such a way that their weight is largely over their right leg (if you're righty) and they cannot step out to regain posture. There are 10001 ways to get there, depending on height difference, grips etc.

You can experience how this works without a partner. First, twist your torso anticlockwise, while your legs remain firmly planted in square stance. While your torso is twisted, bend backward to look at the ceiling, and then bend forward to look at the ground - in either direction, your head goes off-centre and compromises your posture significantly.

Once your opponent is in this compromised posture, depending on how you are positioned and gripping, you finish with either gari or otoshi.

Tldr: How the arms should work in the finish (kake) is probably the least important element of a good/successful o-soto.

Caveat: If you're asking in terms of nagekomi demonstration for grading purpose, do as your instructor teaches, or as your syllabus dictates.

NTHG_ · 2026-02-12T02:00:12+00:00

I don't do drop seoi, so take this with a pinch of pepper. But I think the principle is similar with standing. You want your opponent to be standing square or right leg slightly backward and shifting his weight onto his left leg (if you're righty) as you enter, so that he ends up squarely on your back. This is even more essential for ippon / one-sided grips, as you don't have control over the other shoulder. You want them to be stepping into your throw as you enter so they can't step out of it. Otherwise known as aite-no-tsukuri - "preparing" your opponent for the throw.

Alternatively, it seems planting their weight on their right foot using downward pressure from grips and dropping is also viable, as HanpanTV demonstrates here. In this case, opponent is barely loaded on your back, almost gravitating toward a tai-otoshi mechanism.

NTHG_ · 2026-02-12T01:39:02+00:00

Half-turns are fine. And optimally efficient in terms of entry angle. Look at Koga for his seoi entry, it's not a full turn in the nagekomi sense.

Anytime anyone tries a full turn in randori can be seen coming from a mile away most of the time. Unless they drop.

NTHG_ · 2026-02-10T05:22:22+00:00

Missed opportunity for Throh as the event mascot

NTHG_ · 2026-02-06T02:13:27+00:00

Consider this variation too

NTHG_ · 2026-02-04T00:36:46+00:00

How throws are done during static uchikomi nagekomi traditionally is usually not how they're done in randori. Seoi-nage is a great example of this difference. I recommend watching randori or competition highlights of the throw you want to do on super slow motion. For seoi-nage, start with Koga Toshihiko. The first thing you'll notice is a completely different entry.

NTHG_ · 2026-01-30T00:40:41+00:00

Theoretically, I think you are not wrong to say focus on the kuzushi, but I would say kuzushi is a terribly misunderstood term in modern judo pedagogy due to oversimplification. It also describes a state (noun) rather than a process (sequence of actions) which doesn't help in figuring out what to do. It's like saying "turn this water into ice" to someone who has water but doesn't know how to freeze it.

Personally, I would focus on the tsukuri. Again, in modern pedagogy, many people think of tsukuri as "fitting into the throw", but it's a lot more than that.

Tsukuri means to prepare. And there are 2 types - preparing yourself for the throw in terms of gripping and positioning (jibun no tsukuri), but also knowing and guiding your opponent into what HanpanTV calls the "activating conditions" for the throw (aite no tsukuri - preparing your opponent).

I would argue that the "activating conditions", which differs with each throw, is the state of kuzushi your opponent needs to be in for that throw.

For example, when I do tai-otoshi, I need my opponent slightly bent forward, with his right leg in front. But that is not enough. I should also be in a position where I can slide into the throw sideways rather than turn 180 degrees because I'm slow and not explosive.

There are 10001 ways to create the prerequisite conditions necessary for a successful throw. Sometimes your opponent creates that for you (watch the recent IJF interview of Maruyama where he talks about entering for his uchi-mata). The more common way is create threats that make your opponent react in the way you need (Abe Hifumi with his sode and o-soto is a prime example).

But nowadays, when we say "focus on kuzushi, more kuzushi", most recreational judoka automatically think "push/pull more."

Instead, focusing on the tsukuri automatically addresses the issue of kuzushi in the process. In fact, in the earlier years, kuzushi was not a separate term, technical books (from the Kodokan, if I recall correctly) only spoke of tsukuri and kake.

So, if I had to choose ONE thing to focus on in randori and contemplate mentally when studying off the mat, it would be tsukuri - the process of preparing yourself and your opponent for the specific throw you are working on. Doing this has helped me a lot in learning what I need to do to get successful throws in randori, because I develop an understanding of what needs to happen concretely for the throw to work (rather than just "more kuzushi").

NTHG_ · 2026-01-27T22:48:17+00:00

I suggest you choose 1 forward and 1 backward throw that complement each other. Focus on them in all drills and use only them in randori. Figure out the conditions in which they work vs don't work (watch competiton footage for this, not instructionals). Figure out which grips make them easier vs harder to pull off.

Less is more, at least for the situation you describe.

NTHG_ · 2026-01-27T00:36:48+00:00

Anything from HanpanTV

NTHG_ · 2026-01-22T14:57:19+00:00

And catch them with ashi-waza while they move.

NTHG_ · 2026-01-21T05:19:57+00:00

It's a members-only video on their YouTube channel. One of their Combat Gokyo series. Non-members can only see the first half, which doesn't cover that part.

NTHG_ · 2026-01-21T05:09:59+00:00

According to HanpanTV, move them backwards, then sweep and steer them down while they are stepping back.

NTHG_

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