Uki goshi (浮腰) is the floating hip throw: you load your partner only slightly onto your hip and throw them with a sharp twist of the body. It is the lighter, faster cousin of o goshi.
- Japanese name: uki goshi, 浮腰. On the judoinfo.com list of Japanese judo terms, koshi means hip.
- Kodokan classification: koshi-waza, a hip technique. The Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com places it in Dai Ikkyo, the first group.
- In judo: the Kodokan definition says the opponent is loaded slightly onto the hip and thrown by twisting the body. That half-loading is the whole difference from o goshi.
What is uki goshi in judo?
The Kodokan defines uki goshi as a technique to throw down the opponent by breaking his balance forward and inserting the right arm through his left armpit while loading him slightly onto the hip and twisting the body.
In o goshi you get your hips fully across in front of your partner and lift them onto your back. In uki goshi your hip only touches the front of their body, your hips stay higher, and the throw comes from the turn of your trunk while they are already moving forward. The name, floating hip, describes how light the throw feels when the timing is right.
How do you do uki goshi?
The steps below follow the Kodokan definition, right-handed; mirror everything for the left.
- Break the balance forward as your partner steps toward you. Pull the sleeve so their weight comes onto their toes.
- Step your right foot in front of their right foot and turn so your right hip meets the front of their body. You are only half in; keep your hips higher than you would for o goshi.
- Put the right arm through their left armpit and around their back, and hold them tight against your side.
- Load slightly and twist. Pull the sleeve across your chest and turn your upper body sharply to the left so they float across your hip. There is no big lift.
- Finish the twist and guide them down to the mat with the sleeve hand.
Uki goshi lives on timing. It works when your partner is already moving forward and you turn at that moment; forced on a static partner it turns into a weak o goshi. Drill it on the move, in nagekomi, and keep the entry light. Our judo training gear covers the kit for that.
Video: KODOKAN official channel
Which hip throws are related to uki goshi?
O goshi: the full version, loaded onto the back of the hip. Harai goshi: the same forward kuzushi, finished by sweeping the leg up instead of twisting. Hane goshi: springing the opponent up with the hip and a bent leg. All three are koshi-waza on the Kodokan list of techniques.
Is uki goshi 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 uki goshi is one, so a clean throw 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.
Sources
- Kodokan defines uki goshi, 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
Related terms
O goshi (hip throw), Harai goshi (sweeping hip throw), Tsurikomi goshi (lifting pulling hip), Hip techniques, Entry and execution, Nagekomi (throwing practice).