Ashi guruma (足車) is the judo leg wheel: you break your partner's balance forward, put your leg across their knee and rotate them over it. It is one of the 40 throws of the Gokyo no Waza.
- Japanese name: ashi guruma, 足車. English: Leg Wheel.
- Kodokan classification: ashi-waza, a foot technique.
- Gokyo no Waza: Sankyo, the third group.
What does ashi guruma mean?
Ashi Guruma (足車) is classified by the Kodokan as ashi-waza, a foot technique. The judoinfo.com ashi-waza list gives its English name as Leg Wheel. On the judoinfo.com list of Japanese judo terms, ashi means foot or leg. The Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com places it in Sankyo, the third group, so it is one of the 40 judo throws of the traditional syllabus.
How do you do ashi guruma?
The Kodokan defines ashi guruma as a technique to throw down the opponent by breaking his balance forward, putting the right leg on his right knee and rotating him on its axis. The steps follow that definition, right-handed as the Kodokan writes it; mirror them for the left.
- Break the balance forward.
- Put your right leg on their right knee, straight across as an axle.
- Rotate them over the leg with your hands until they fall.
Learn it with a coach and a partner who can breakfall, on a proper mat, and build speed only once the steps are clean.
Video: KODOKAN official channel
What is the difference between ashi guruma and hiza guruma?
Both wheel your partner around a block at the knee. In hiza guruma the Kodokan puts the sole of your foot on the knee; in ashi guruma your whole leg goes across the knee as the axis.
Is ashi guruma legal in judo competition?
Yes. The IJF Sport and Organisation Rules score a throw only when it is a Kodokan classified technique or a recognised variation, and ashi guruma is on the Kodokan list, so a clean ashi guruma can score yuko, waza-ari or ippon.
In BJJ a throw counts as a takedown: 2 points under the IBJJF rules once your partner lands on the back, side or seat and you hold the top for three seconds.
See where it sits among the 40 judo throws. Rash guards and kit for the mat are in our judo training gear.
Sources
- Kodokan defines ashi guruma, Kodokan Judo Institute
- Judoinfo.com list of Japanese judo terms, JudoInfo
- Judoinfo.com ashi-waza list, JudoInfo
- Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com, JudoInfo
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
- IBJJF rules, IBJJF
Related terms
Hiza guruma, Foot and leg techniques, Gokyo, Throwing techniques.