I’m not a small person (6’1″, around 260lbs.)  So I have long since come to grips with the fact that I cannot (as they say in the Motley Crue song) “move like a cat.”  So I’m always on the lookout for a good Judo throw for my body type.  A while back I did a post on what has become one of my favorites, the Makikomi.  As a big guy, once I get my weight behind the Maki, people will tend to hit the ground pretty hard.

But I have recently started to get a good feel for, and quite like a derivative of the Harai Goshi.  Now, a typical Harai Goshi uses a lot of Gi gripping.  but the way I prefer to throw it doesn’t so much.  I like this better not only because I feel it lets me man-handle an opponent a little more, and I have a better success rate.  but also because it makes the move applicable for use in a non-Gi situation as well (something I always watch for in throws.)

The key to how I like to throw the Harai Goshi is that instead of grabbing the collar of the Gi, I slip my arm under the opponent’s/ victim’s arm.  I tend to like to have my arm pointing up a little more than some of the videos we’ll be showing here… a little bit more like the Uki Goshi.

This first video is a good example of a couple of big guys, using a lot of strength (yes…I know it’s about Kazushi and not strength… but sometimes it take both.)  The throw is pretty much at the end of the video.  Unfortunately our view is a bit obstructed in this shot, but I think it still gives a pretty good view of what I’m talking about with this throw.

Another great video of this throw actually comes to us from Sambo, who refer to the throw as a “Forward Leg Sweep.”  This video really does do a nice job of showing the mechanics of the throw.  As this is done in the video, you might find yourself thinking that the momentum shown is a little contrived… Throws never seem to work as well against an opponent as the do against a willing target on a youTube video.  While that’s true, the power shown here is very real.  I have moved very large opponents effectively with this.  It really does work well on people who can be difficult to move in other ways.

Finally, I want to add another option on the throw.  You can’t always get the foot clear across the other person to pull of the Harai Goshi.  That’s okay.  It doesn’t mean you can’t still nail a good throw here.  the following video shows several versions of the Uchi Mata throw.  Pay particular attention to the version that leverages the same under-the-arm-and -up-the-back grab that we have seen on the other two videos.  I think, particularly with a large opponent, that the grab over the arm, rather than under can be tough to pull of… their base is sometimes just too good.

Enjoy, and happy throwing

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