Upgrade Your No-Gi Judo With Satoshi Ishii
Becoming accustomed to the Gi is very natural when you practice Judo. It is an important tool in executing many techniques that we all have come to love. That said, many of our favorites can be adapted to a No-Gi situation.
You will hear many arguments in regards of Self-Defense that the Gi is impractical. The only way that this might ring true is if you live in a place where people never wear coats or hoodies. Otherwise you will find that many of the techniques you can pull off with a Gi you can also perform on a North face jacket. Let’s be honest some dumb-dumb willing to attack you in the street isn’t going to require an elaborate set-up. A simple trip will often suffice in these situations.
Being prepared for a situation where you do not have the luxury of Gi Grips, isn’t a bad idea. Whether you are attacked at a pool party, or you are looking to enter into some No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu competitions there are a lot of ways to modify your Judo to work in a No-Gi situation. This is where fan-favorite Satoshi Ishii applies some of his expertise in the realm of No-Gi Judo. Let’s check out his take on the Classic Ouchi Gari, with No-Gi!
Getting used to under and overhooks is an essential adaptation when looking to apply your Judo acumen without the Gi. Satoshi demonstrates how using an underhook on your partner allows you to off-balance your opponent. By making his partner step, Satoshi provides the space needed for his leg to enter in.
Ready for more No-Gi Judo? Click Learn More!
A good way to drill this and get used to the No-Gi grips would be to practice making your partner step. Using the underhook and pivoting away from the leg you want them to move will make this happen. As you get more sensitive to how their base is moving you can become better at the timing required to enter into the Ouchi Gari.
A common mistake when attempting the Ouchi Gari is leaving the back leg too far from your opponent. This will cause you to be too wide to generate the drive needed to finish the Ouchi Gari. Freeze the video at the 1:18 mark and you will see how Satoshi establishes a new base with his back leg. There is a brief moment here where you must be driving forward otherwise this narrow base can be countered. A proper set up will allow for this “new” base to be established to launch into the Ouchi Gari.
To finish Ishii sweeps the leg. Again by being close enough Satoshi will be able to balance as his lead leg sweeps the leg. He also makes special note of the direction of his partner’s toes. This pathway will be the easiest to remove his partner’s base out from under them.
Don’t be left behind when the Gi comes off! Take your Judo Skills and apply them ANYWHERE with No-Gi Judo For Grapplers By Satoshi Ishii.