Gold Medal Judo Techniques that Work in BJJ

I’ve previously written about why you probably shouldn’t use the top-scoring judo throw – Seio Otoshi – in your BJJ practice.

(To recap, this throw requires a TON of reps, potentially exposes you to back takes, is gi-dependent, and there’s a high chance you’ll roll over your opponent to end up on the bottom.)

But don’t throw the Judo baby out with the bathwater!!

There IS a heck of a lot of Judo that merges extremely well with BJJ. Let’s go through a few examples now…

Yoko Shiho Gatame and Kuzure Kami Shiho Gatame

The second-highest-scoring technique in Judo is a pinning position that you already know: Yoko Shiho Gatame, better known to us as side control.

Another high-scoring technique pinning technique in Judo is Kuzure Kami Shiho Gatame, which we would call North-South.

Most Judo pins don’t result from methodical guard passing; instead, they tend to occur right after a throw or after a turnover where the opponent was turtling or sprawling out on their belly.

Furthermore, Judo pins tend to be more static than BJJ pins.

Once someone gets side control in Judo competition they lock in with all their strength and don’t advance to a submission. Under Judo rules if you pin someone for 20 seconds you win the match, so why would you risk going for a choke or an armlock.

BJJ rules are quite different and as a result side control tends to be a more dynamic position; you might change your arm, leg and hip position many times as your opponent tries to escape and you work towards a submission.

(That’s why in this article I cover 18 variations of side control that are commonly seen in BJJ).

Still, Judo practitioners have FIERCE pins – and we can learn from them!

Gripfighting and Grip Breaking

Gripfighting is an absolutely critical skill to control the match in Judo, and every Judoka at the Olympics is a master of getting and breaking grips.

The good news is that almost all Judo gripbreaks are 100% effective in gi BJJ as well, and I’ve learned an awful lot about gripfighting from Judo.

If every single top Judoka has a plan for getting the grips  for deploy their favorite throws then maybe you should work on your gripfighting to control the match both on your feet and on the ground, allowing you to control the pace and direction of the match.

Sacrifice Throws

Sumi Gaeshi and Tomoe Nage are two different sacrifice throws, and they rank number 14 and 20 of the top 20 scoring techniques in Judo respectively.

A sacrifice throw involves putting yourself under your opponent and launching them over you, typically using your legs to lift them up.

These types of throws are easy for BJJ practitioners to add to their game because they’re very similar to guard sweeps.

Furthermore, if your opponent blocks your sacrifice throw then you typically end up in the guard, making it a different form of pulling guard.

One of my very favorite throwing sequences in the gi is a variation of sumi gaeshi – click here to learn my system for this throw.

Footsweeps and Trips

For the sake of this email I’m going to lump a LOT of the top 20 Judo techniques into the same category of footsweeps and trips.

(I’m sure I’ll get some irritated Judoka complaining that I’m lumping about 10 different techniques together, but the bottom line is that they all involve fiddling with their legs using your legs and that many of them are used in combination)

These throws work great in a BJJ context because they

Keep you lined up with your opponent making it much harder for them to take your back,
Are easier to apply in a no-gi context, and
Are often safer for both participants than the big slamming throws.

Collar ties and foot sweeps are a big part of the no gi meta right now, and we can definitely learn how to do this better by studing Judo.

Juji Gatame

Juji Gatame is the 14th winning-est technique in Judo and is better known to us as the armbar.

The final position of the Judo armbar is the same as the BJJ armbar, but the route to the armlock is quite different in the two sports.

In Judo, Juji Gatame is usually slammed on after a turnover on the ground, or – less commonly – right after a throw. By contrast, in BJJ the armbar is usually more methodical applied from guard, mount, or side control.

The time constraints in Judo groundwork really force competitors to attack with tremendous intensity. This aggressive 5th gear isn’t found too often in BJJ – the pace of the matches tends to proceed slower – and the intensity can be a tool in itself.

Same technique with different applications and different energy, but it’s still nice to know that it’s such a reliable technique in both sports!

Steal from everyone and everywhere, but also give credit where credit is due!

People often ask me what the easiest throws or takedowns are for BJJ competition.

My usual advice is that takedowns are great.  They bring the fight to your opponent, score 2 points, set you up to pass the guard, and allow you to fight from the top.  All of which are good things.

Here are three relatively easy throws that won’t take years and years to master but can still get the fight to the ground…

Click here to learn these three throws.

Side control is a pinning position in Brazilian jiu-jitsu when you’re perpendicular to your opponent and are not entangled in their legs.  Typically but not always you’re chest to chest with your opponent.  It is one of the 6 main positions in BJJ and it’s where you end up most often after passing the guard.

But there isn’t just one perfect version of side control. Depending on what you’re trying to set up and depending on how your opponent is trying to escape you can have your arms, legs, hips and body in a number of different positions, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Click here for a breakdown of side control and 18 advanced variations.

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