Yoko guruma (横車) is a judo counter sacrifice throw: you hold your partner's hip, slide a leg between their legs and twist down onto your side. It is one of the 40 throws of the Gokyo no Waza.
- Japanese name: yoko guruma, 横車.
- Kodokan classification: yoko-sutemi-waza, a side sacrifice technique.
- Gokyo no Waza: Gokyo, the fifth group.
What does yoko guruma mean?
Yoko Guruma (横車) is classified by the Kodokan as yoko-sutemi-waza, a side sacrifice technique. On the judoinfo.com list of Japanese judo terms, yoko means side. The Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com places it in Gokyo, the fifth group, so it is one of the 40 judo throws of the traditional syllabus.
How do you do yoko guruma?
The Kodokan defines yoko guruma as a technique to rotate and throw down the opponent by counteracting his Nage-waza or other attack, holding his hip with the left arm to break his balance forward, sliding the right leg between his legs from the front while twisting the body and laying down the body onto the left side. The steps follow that definition, right-handed as the Kodokan writes it; mirror them for the left.
- Wait for their throw or attack, then hold their hip with your left arm to break the balance forward.
- Slide your right leg between their legs from the front.
- Twist your body and lay down onto your left side, rotating them over you.
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 yoko guruma and ura nage?
Both counter an attack by holding your partner and falling. The Kodokan's ura nage lifts the upper body and falls straight onto your back, throwing them over your shoulder; yoko guruma slides a leg between theirs and twists down onto your side.
Is yoko 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 yoko guruma is on the Kodokan list, so a clean yoko guruma can score yuko, waza-ari or ippon.
The IJF rules review counters closely: a counter-thrower cannot use the impact of their own landing to finish the counter.
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 yoko 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