Koshi guruma (腰車) is a judo hip throw: you hold your partner's neck with your arm, thrust your hip deep across, and wheel them over the hip. It is one of the 40 throws of the Gokyo no Waza.
- Japanese name: koshi guruma, 腰車.
- Kodokan classification: koshi-waza, a hip technique.
- Gokyo no Waza: Dai Nikyo, the second group.
What does koshi guruma mean?
Koshi Guruma (腰車) is classified by the Kodokan as koshi-waza, a hip technique. On the judoinfo.com list of Japanese judo terms, koshi means hip. The Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com places it in Dai Nikyo, the second group, so it is one of the 40 judo throws of the traditional syllabus.
How do you do koshi guruma?
The Kodokan defines koshi guruma as a technique to rotate the opponent on the axis of the hip and throw him down by breaking his balance forward and holding his neck in the right arm while thrusting the hip deeply. The steps follow that definition, right-handed as the Kodokan writes it; mirror them for the left.
- Break the balance forward so they come up onto their toes.
- Wrap your right arm around their neck.
- Turn in and thrust your hip deeply across the front of their body, past their hips.
- Rotate them over the axis of your hip and throw them down.
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 koshi guruma and o goshi?
Both load your partner over the hip. The Kodokan's o goshi puts your right arm through their left armpit around the hip and draws it close; koshi guruma holds the neck and thrusts the hip deeper, so your partner rotates around it.
Is koshi 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 koshi guruma is on the Kodokan list, so a clean koshi 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 koshi guruma, Kodokan Judo Institute
- Judoinfo.com list of Japanese judo terms, JudoInfo
- Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com, JudoInfo
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
- IBJJF rules, IBJJF