This is one of the joint locks allowed in judo. Unlike taijiquan, etc. judo limits itself to elbow locks because the elbow is quite strong compared to other joints like the wrist. Kano figured that the elbows could take more damage I guess so he allowed these moves.
The lock above is wakigatame and it shouldn’t be too strange to most folks even if we haven’t trained it specifically. The lock is pretty similar to most locks in CIMA. Notice how it uses elbow energy as in taiji’s zhou technique.
I’m interested in these locks as possible solutions to getting stiff-armed in randori. I don’t want randori to turn into a struggle-fest. I want something a bit more finesse oriented that uses that grip against the opponent. This looks to be one solution.
Here’s another — udegatame. This one should look really familiar. Same principle with barring the elbow. I expect this one to be even more useful.
I would expect either of these to work well in push hands, making them valuable additions to your game. I’ll try them put next time there’s a grip on my lapel I can’t break. Heck, with these why even try to break it? Why not just use it?
7 responses so far ↓
1 enzen no metsuke // Jul 27, 2008 at 10:30 am
A cool way to break the stiff arm is (that i have discovered) is to think of you and uke as a box. The box is strong when force is applied to any of the sides, but if you can begin a twisting motion, it folds right up. By using this phenomenon, you can get into those positions for wakigatame and udegatame.
Rigid ukes are a pain for me as well, so i thought i’d help if i could. best of luck in all of your ventures.
2 DavidK // Jul 27, 2008 at 10:52 am
Can anyone think of a counter to this lock?
3 Dave Chesser // Jul 27, 2008 at 11:04 am
A counter from taijiquan would be “fan through the back” but it had better be good. Elbow energy is strong because it’s closer to the torso — more torque that way.
4 Meow // Jul 27, 2008 at 2:36 pm
you can roll
5 Joseph T. Oliva Arriola // Jul 27, 2008 at 11:28 pm
pressure on elbow…turn it…no more pressure
6 Jay Gischer // Jul 27, 2008 at 11:40 pm
As others say, the first kind of counter is changing the angle.
From a fighting perspective, rather than a sport perspective, there’s also the “distract them” strategy. You know, poke them in the eyes, pinch them, knee them in the groin, whatever’s available. Break the grip with finger locks, and so on.
One thing I note about the elbow locks shown (and legal in Judo). Uke (the target of the technique) is free to move his shoulder to mitigate the effect of the lock. He may not want to, but he isn’t blocked from doing so mechanically. Which makes the technique a lot safer.
7 wayne hansen // Jul 29, 2008 at 8:18 am
from a tai chi point of view,he has already lost when he puts himself in the ready to be beaten posture by locking out his own arm.
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