Judo V

10/11/08 was my fifth judo lesson. We did the walking/footsweep exercise and new sideways variation, which uses a throw called okuriashibarai (two foot sweep) This demonstrated the concept of holding uke “in the air” by "ratcheting" his arm. It's called “tsurikomi” (“the pull that lifts”). We then played with hiza garuma, and osotogari with that idea in mind. Tsurikomi shows up in lots of other throws too.
Things for me to remember:
1) The pull in both hiza garuma and osotogari pull 90 degrees to the line of uke’s feet (straight in front of uke). Then it transitions to a pull IN to tori. It’s not a right-angle path, it's more curved in at the end of the pull.
2) in hiza garuma, tori’s right leg should sweep immediately after the left foot steps down in the off-balance.
3) In hiza garuma, the target for tori’s foot is actually tori’s lower thigh, not his knee.
4) Hiza garuma is really a “trip” (just stopping that leg from moving), you’re not supporting any of uke’s weight on your sweeping leg.
5) With tsurikomi, tori is not lifting uke at all. Rather, pulling uke in as his body rises lifts him up. Uke is actually made to lift himself up as tori pulls.
6) In osotogari, tori’s non-sweeping foot can be behind the line of uke’s feet. In hiza garuma, that foot should be a bit in front of the line.