The fireman's carry, kata guruma (肩車), is a judo throw that lifts your partner across your shoulders and wheels them over to the mat. Wrestlers and BJJ players call it the fireman's carry; judo calls it the shoulder wheel.
- Japanese name: kata guruma, 肩車. The judoinfo.com te-waza page translates it as Shoulder Wheel.
- Kodokan classification: te-waza, a hand technique. The Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com places it in Sankyo, the third group.
- In BJJ: a common no-gi takedown from an arm drag or a two-on-one, and from the knees against a partner who stands up out of guard. Read Judo for BJJ Players for how judo throws carry over.
What is the fireman's carry in judo?
The Kodokan defines kata guruma as a technique to lift the opponent on both shoulders across the back of the neck and throw him down by breaking his balance forward while holding his right thigh from the inside with the right arm. The partner is pulled forward over your shoulders, carried for a moment and wheeled off the far side.
The wrestling fireman's carry is the same throw, usually hit from an arm drag or an underhook, often from the knees. Whatever the entry, the lift comes from the legs and the throw from the pull of the arm you control.
How do you do the fireman's carry?
The steps below follow the Kodokan definition, right-handed; mirror everything for the left.
- Break the balance forward. Pull their right arm across and down with your left hand, sleeve or wrist, so their weight comes onto their toes and their chest comes toward you.
- Change level. Drop into a deep squat or onto your right knee in front of them, back straight, head up.
- Hold the right thigh from the inside. Drive your right arm between their legs and hold the inside of their right thigh, pulling their hips onto your shoulders.
- Load across the shoulders. Keep pulling their arm down and across your body so they lie across the back of your neck and shoulders.
- Wheel them off. Stand or drive up from the knee, pull the arm toward the mat and lift the thigh, so they rotate off your left side and land on their back.
- Follow to the top. Keep the arm, turn toward them and settle into side control or a pin.
The most common mistake is lifting with the back from a bent-over position. Get under them first, with your hips low and your spine straight, then lift with the legs. Lower your partner to the mat in drilling; dumping someone from shoulder height is how backs and shoulders get hurt. Our judo training gear covers the kit for takedown drilling.
Video: KODOKAN official channel
Is the fireman's carry legal in judo competition?
Yes. The IJF Sport and Organisation Rules score a throw when it is a Kodokan classified technique or a recognised variation, and the fireman's carry is one, so a clean throw can score yuko, waza-ari or ippon.
The IJF rules name kata guruma among the throws where diving forward head first onto the mat is hansoku-make, so finish standing or on your side. The rules also penalise leg grabbing with shido in standing judo, so the version with an arm between the legs draws a penalty at an IJF event.
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.
Sources
- Kodokan defines kata guruma, Kodokan Judo Institute
- Judoinfo.com te-waza page, JudoInfo
- Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com, JudoInfo
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
- IBJJF rules, IBJJF
Related terms
Arm drag, Double leg takedown, Single leg takedown, Off-balancing, Hand techniques.