Get To An Advantageous Position With Shintaro Higashi
Being in a neutral position with someone who possesses the ability to launch you like a bag of laundry can be a scary proposition. If you can hang with your opponent’s technique, it is 50/50. However even IF you have the skill why not get to a more advantageous position to execute your offense?
Grip fighting is a good way to ensure you land in a good position to be offensive from. Establishing dominant grips is the way to go if you want to control the ebb and flow of the action. Grip fighting and placement are essential tools for any Judoka. Shintaro Higashi’s new release Judo Basics is filled to the brim with foundational concepts about not only gripping, but everything from your foundational throws to strategies against an opposite stance!
Let’s take a look at how he sets up an advantageous situation from a 50/50 exchange.
Shintaro starts by explaining how the traditional 2-on-1 approach that was once used in Judo all the time doesn’t offer the same benefits that ‘cutting the hand’ does. By dedicating both of your hands to one of theirs you leave yourself open to be exposed to a disadvantageous position. Utilizing the cutting the hand method will put you in a position to attack.
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To break your opponent’s collar grip you have to put yourself in an optimal pushing position. Shintaro demonstrates this mid range where people tend to be strongest when pushing. To maximize his leverage he also steps away slightly but maintains his grips, which is important if you look to become offensive immediately.
Eventually you will run into that person who has such a gorilla grip that you will need to adapt your strategy. By attacking his opponent’s feet he can leave them preoccupied with defending so that you now should be able to cut the hand.
Another great option is to add a little multi-directional force to maximize breaking capacity! Shintaro attacks with ouchi gari which makes his partner go backwards, while at the same time he can cut the hand, and go right back on the attack. This works with other techniques that force your opponent backwards.
For an added bonus Shintaro shows what he likes to do if the opponent attempts to re-grip the collar. As they are reaching he redirects their hand across his body and over his shoulder. This allows him to enter in to the final throw of them demonstration. If you are looking for a more indepth look at the last technique Shintaro covers it in depth on his GEM of a YouTube Channel HERE!
Keep in mind that this demonstration is directly from Judo Basics. The entire instructional not only offers rock-solid foundations, but continuations of technique that will help you become more offensive. Shintaro gives you the roadmap to not only master the basics but create advantageous situations to launch your attack!