01 / AT A GLANCE
Kuzure-kesa-gatame: the defining action
Kuzure-kesa-gatame is a modified scarf hold. This guide selects the far-underhook version described by the Kodokan: tori controls the near arm, connects the chest over uke’s upper body and passes the other arm through the far armpit rather than wrapping the neck.
Name and scope: Kuzure-kesa-gatame (崩袈裟固), commonly rendered as modified scarf hold, belongs to Osaekomi-waza. Searches for “kuzure kesa gatame” and the hyphenated spelling refer to the same official technique here. An informal nickname should be checked against the actual action before being treated as a separate technique.
Position convention: Tori holds from uke’s right side. The left arm controls uke’s right arm; tori’s right arm passes through uke’s left armpit. Tori’s right chest connects over the upper body, with the legs arranged to resist the expected escape direction. Tori means the person performing the technique and uke the receiving partner. When reviewing a mirrored camera image, identify each person’s own sides first. Reverse the whole relationship for a left-sided lesson rather than changing one limb while preserving incompatible directions elsewhere.
The intended reader can already practise under supervision and wants to connect demonstration, diagnosis and decision-making. For kuzure-kesa-gatame, the central question is: contain the near elbow and far shoulder while keeping a base that can move. Beginners can study the shape with a coach; applying it against variable resistance requires the additional recognition and control work below. The article does not assign a universal belt level or promise that one body type will succeed automatically.
02 / WATCH THE TECHNIQUE
Official demonstration and a second viewing reference
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
Identify the far underhook in the official demonstration. In the official escape reference, follow the order of frame, hip movement and base disruption rather than copying an escape without its starting arm position.
The first player is the Kodokan demonstration. The second is an official Kodokan escape reference for this hold. Publisher identities and video titles were verified for this editorial edition. Use the permanent YouTube links if embedding is unavailable. A working link establishes access to a source; it does not establish that every technical detail has received independent coach review.
A practical viewing question is: “Which control disappears first when uke escapes: the near elbow, the far shoulder or my base?” Compare that question across the official and second reference. Differences in speed, partner stance or grip route may explain different appearances. Do not combine isolated details from incompatible versions into one repetition. No timestamps or claims about unseen scoring sequences are supplied here.
03 / WHEN TO USE IT
Recognise an opening and recognise its absence
A usable starting relationship
Uke is on the back or a controllable side, the near elbow can be contained and the far underhook can be obtained without reaching so deeply that tori loses the base.
From uke’s right side, tori’s left arm contains the near right arm while the right arm passes through the far left armpit. Check those two connections before adopting the scarf-style base. If the near elbow is already between the bodies, uke can use it as a frame even when the far underhook feels deep. Establish shoulder control from the current side position rather than sitting into the final shape around an effective frame.
When the same shape is not an opening
Uke has already turned fully inward with a strong frame, captured a leg or recovered a position that prevents upper-body control. A scarf-shaped seated posture alone does not establish the hold.
A recovered knee or captured leg changes the lower-body problem. The upper body may still resemble kuzure-kesa-gatame, but tori should recognise the need to clear the leg or move to another stable position. In a gentle comparison, begin once with both legs free and once with uke’s knee already inside. Observe how the second position limits chest pressure and hip mobility. Do not use a stronger underhook to conceal the missing lower-body control.
Movement to invite or read
Start with uke making one agreed escape, such as near-elbow recovery. Add a small bridge only after tori can maintain the arm-and-shoulder relationship without increasing pressure on the neck. In an opposite-lead or unfamiliar grip arrangement, have the coach map the relevant limbs again. The fixed convention in this article provides a reference for comparison; it does not guarantee that the same approach distance survives every stance.
04 / HOW IT WORKS
Connect the grips, support and finishing action
Hands and upper-body connection
The left arm contains the near right arm so uke cannot freely insert an elbow frame. The right underhook controls the far shoulder relationship without becoming a neck squeeze or pulling the shoulder into a painful range.
Feet, hips and available support
Arrange a staggered leg base that can move with a bridge and resist being rolled. Keep the hips low enough for connection but mobile enough to adjust; a rigid seated pose is easier to unbalance than a responsive base.
Complete the action under control
Settle chest contact across the upper body, contain the near elbow and maintain the far underhook while responding to the escape direction. The objective is sustained positional control with normal breathing, not maximal squeezing.
Study the relationship beneath the visible shape
The far underhook changes which escape routes must be watched. It can help contain the far shoulder, but it does not automatically prevent the near elbow from returning between the bodies. If that elbow becomes a frame, uke may turn inward even while the underhook remains deep. Study the near-arm relationship first in a gentle positional drill. Ask uke to recover only that elbow and identify the point where tori’s left-arm containment opens.
The base should respond to the bridge rather than remain frozen in a textbook pose. A staggered leg arrangement gives different support in different directions, so tori must notice where uke is trying to move the combined weight. An adjustment can preserve control without increasing upper-body pressure. If the hold works only through squeezing the shoulder harder whenever the base tips, the positional problem has not been solved.
05 / KEY POINTS
Four cues with observable checks
Keep the defining mechanism visible
Contain the near elbow and far shoulder while keeping a base that can move. Ask the observer to describe that action before commenting on power. If a repetition succeeds through a different mechanism, record what actually happened. A fall or escape can be useful without proving that the intended kuzure-kesa-gatame relationship improved.
Verify the position before adding commitment
An observer should identify the near-arm containment, the far underhook and a base that remains available when uke makes a small bridge. No part of the hold should rely on painful neck pressure. Use this as a brief checkpoint in cooperative practice, then remove the pause as coordination improves. The checkpoint is not a recommendation to freeze during a live exchange; it is a way to identify the relationship that must survive movement.
Preserve the correct stopping decision
Use a coach-arranged unavailable position to check your decision before adding resistance to kuzure-kesa-gatame. The precise release or reception boundary is described in the defence section below. Otherwise, a partner who always supplies the ideal opening can teach commitment without teaching selection. A correct reset belongs in the practice record alongside a controlled completion.
Make the result lead to a next position
The relevant outcomes are positional: a stable hold, a transition to another top hold, a recovered guard or an escape to the knees. Record which occurred instead of treating every chest contact as an established pin. The observer should describe the actual ending, not the intended ending. That description determines whether the next task belongs to finishing, stabilising on top or recovering underneath.
06 / PROBLEMS & ADJUSTMENTS
Diagnose the earliest cause before changing force
Uke turns inward and inserts an elbow frame even though tori still has the underhook.
The near elbow may have slipped free from tori’s left-arm control. Tori’s chest may be too low or distant to contain the shoulder line while the hips move. These are competing explanations to investigate, not a diagnosis made from the result alone. The next repetition should reveal which relationship fails first.
Test: Start from a gentle hold and ask uke to attempt only the near-elbow recovery, without bridging. Observe where the frame enters. Then add a small bridge and compare whether the problem begins at the elbow or at the base. Adjustment: Re-establish near-elbow containment and chest position before tightening the far underhook. Keep the other conditions as similar as practical for the comparison. An improvement in the relevant connection is more informative than one accidental completion after several unrelated changes.
Uke rolls tori despite good elbow control
If uke rolls tori despite good elbow control, inspect the base in the direction of the bridge. Moving a foot or hip to recover balance is preferable to increasing shoulder pressure while the whole structure tips. For kuzure-kesa-gatame, partner feedback should identify where the action was felt and when it changed. Combine that report with the observer’s view; an outside camera and an inside contact sensation provide different pieces of evidence.
Separate elbow recovery, inward turn and bridge
Separate escape training into elbow recovery, inward turn and bridge before combining them. In the elbow task, uke tries to insert a frame without a large hip movement. In the bridge task, the starting arm relationship is held constant so the observer can examine tori’s base. Combining everything immediately makes it hard to identify the first failure. Once each relationship is understood, let uke choose the escape direction.
Tori’s response should preserve breathing room and ordinary joint alignment. A pin is a control task, not a test of how much discomfort the bottom partner will accept. Agree on immediate release for a tap and use short rounds that allow clear feedback. If the far underhook produces shoulder pain, change the depth and angle with the coach rather than assuming that deeper always means stronger.
07 / ENTRIES & HOLD CHANGES
Make the next action depend on a response
First route: starting position, response and continuation
From side control, contain uke’s near right arm and obtain the far left underhook. Move into the scarf-style base only while the shoulders remain controlled. If uke turns inward and builds a frame before the change, stay in stable side control or reset rather than forcing the seated shape.
In the side-control entry drill, uke either leaves the near right elbow containable or returns it as a frame before tori changes the base. Tori enters kuzure-kesa-gatame for the first response and stays in a stable side position for the second. Add the far underhook without forcing the shoulder range. The observer records whether elbow containment survived the base change; a longer hold obtained through painful pressure is not a successful repetition.
Second route: recovery or change of direction
When uke bridges toward tori and opens a safer chest-to-chest angle, transition to yoko-shiho-gatame while retaining shoulder control. If the near arm crosses naturally and a coached kata-gatame relationship becomes available, study that hold separately; do not force the arm across the face as a shortcut.
For a transition to yoko-shiho-gatame, keep shoulder contact while changing the torso and leg base; do not release both arms before the chest-to-chest connection is available. A possible kata-gatame requires its own safe head-and-arm arrangement and should be taught separately. If uke’s frame has already separated the bodies, rebuild side control before changing holds. The transition should preserve a real connection, not merely replace one named silhouette with another.
08 / PREVENTION & ESCAPES
Separate prevention, recovery and a counter opportunity
Uke can prevent the hold by recovering the near elbow and turning to face before the shoulder line is contained. Once pinned, use coordinated frames, hips and bridge direction rather than pulling the underhooking arm in isolation.
Stop boundary: Tori should change holds or reset if a leg is captured, the shoulder alignment becomes painful or the base cannot follow the bridge. Uke should tap for discomfort or breathing difficulty and tori must release immediately. For the bottom partner, a tap or request to stop ends the exchange immediately; escapes are practised within the agreed positional constraints.
Uke can first practise near-elbow recovery without bridging, then add an inward turn after the frame is established. In a separate round, keep the arm relationship constant and use a small bridge toward tori. This reveals whether the escape begins at the elbow or the base. Tori responds to the first lost control rather than tightening everything at once. A tap or request to stop ends either drill immediately, irrespective of remaining hold time.
09 / GROUND TRANSITIONS
Read the position after the main action
If uke recovers a leg, address the actual entanglement and local practice rules before claiming osaekomi. If uke turns fully inward, rebuild side control or permit a reset in the drill. Submission entries are outside this guide’s verified technical scope.
If uke turns inward and captures a leg, tori should record that positional change rather than continuing to count an uncontested scarf hold. Retain safe shoulder control where possible, free the leg through an appropriate passing action or reset within the drill. If uke bridges without freeing the elbow, adjust the base in the direction of the bridge. These are different reactions: one changes the control structure, while the other tests whether the existing structure can move.
A hold transition should be evaluated by continuing upper-body control and a responsive base, not only by whether the new shape resembles a named pin. Compare the actual kuzure-kesa-gatame ending with the planned one, and practise the common arrival independently if it repeatedly becomes the weak part of the sequence.
10 / PRACTICE PROGRESSION
Progress from a clear shape to a real choice
Stage one: make the reference repeatable
Use the stated kuzure-kesa-gatame convention with a cooperative partner. Begin slowly enough to identify the grip and support roles, and stop before completing an action that has lost its defining connection. Progress when both partners and the observer can describe the same relationship without guessing. Repetition count alone does not establish readiness.
Stage two: introduce the movement cue
Revisit the specific moving relationship described under “When to use it” for kuzure-kesa-gatame. First keep its direction predictable, then vary its timing while preserving the same grips and side convention. Keep resistance modest while the cue changes. If the reference shape disappears on every moving attempt, reduce the step or escape amplitude and preserve the correct direction rather than forcing a finish.
Stage three: require a decision
Uke chooses between an inward elbow-frame escape and a bridge toward tori. Tori responds by preserving the appropriate control or changing to a stable neighbouring hold, rather than freezing the original shape. A useful round includes a correct continuation and a correct decision not to continue. Record both. When these choices remain clear, increase unpredictability before increasing force, with the coach deciding what the pair can control.
Stage four: constrain the exchange, then broaden it
Transitions are part of maintaining control, not an admission that the original hold failed. If uke’s bridge creates a more stable chest-to-chest side position, tori can move to yoko-shiho-gatame while preserving shoulder control. If the near elbow has already escaped and a leg is captured, acknowledge the changed position and rebuild rather than continuing to call the shape kuzure-kesa-gatame.
A useful positional log records the first lost control and the final outcome. For example, near elbow escaped before the bridge is more actionable than pin lasted briefly. The next session can then isolate elbow containment. If the elbow stayed controlled but the base rolled, the next session should address leg and hip response. This makes short rounds informative even when the partners differ in size or experience.
11 / COMPETITION EXAMPLE
A named official replay selection to study
Verified selection: Wakana KOGA vs Lok Yi HO — PARK24 Group presents Tokyo Grand Slam 2025. The IJF technique library page includes this contest in its Kuzure-kesa-gatame technique-tagged replay data. The listing verifies the named pairing, event and technique tag. The listing credits the tagged action to Wakana Koga. It does not by itself establish the final score, a precise timestamp or a complete tactical account.
Use the selection to investigate one question: “Which control disappears first when uke escapes: the near elbow, the far shoulder or my base?” Before the tagged action, identify the grips and movement that made the situation possible. During the action, compare the defining connection with the official demonstration. Afterward, identify recovery and position. If the player or angle does not show one of those phases, leave that part of the observation blank rather than inferring it from the tag.
A useful competition note for kuzure-kesa-gatame separates three things: what the official listing states, what you can actually see in playback and what you propose to test in practice. This article confirms the first and supplies prompts for the other two. It does not present an unviewed sequence as a frame-by-frame analysis, nor treat historical footage as certification under current event rules.
12 / VARIATIONS & COMPARISONS
Keep neighbouring techniques and variants distinct
Kesa-gatame commonly uses a head-and-arm relationship; this selected kuzure version uses a far underhook. Kata-gatame controls the shoulder and arm in a different arrangement. The word modified does not mean any loose scarf position automatically qualifies as an effective hold.
Kesa-gatame commonly uses a head-and-arm connection, whereas the selected kuzure form uses the far underhook. Kata-gatame encloses the head and arm differently. Yoko-shiho-gatame changes the chest and lower-body relationship across uke. Compare what controls the near elbow, far shoulder and escape direction before deciding which hold suits the position that actually remains.
13 / YOUR NEXT PRACTICE
One task, one observation and one next decision
Task: Run six short positional exchanges, alternating near-elbow recovery and a controlled bridge, with immediate release on a tap.
Record: Record near-elbow control, far-shoulder connection, base adjustment and the actual final position rather than hold duration alone. Use the practice record template or the practice tools described in Judo AI. Include the starting stance, partner response and the single adjustment tested, so the observation remains interpretable at the next session.
Illustrative example — not measured user data: An illustrative log records three maintained holds, two safe transitions to side control and one guard recovery. Both lost near-elbow positions began before the bridge, so the next drill isolates elbow containment rather than adding stronger pressure.
Coach question: “Which control disappears first when uke escapes: the near elbow, the far shoulder or my base?” Bring one clear success and one clear failure if recording is permitted. For kuzure-kesa-gatame, choose the next drill from the earliest difference between them. Keep an adjustment that improves the intended connection across several comparable attempts; revise it when the predicted change does not appear. The purpose of the record is a better next decision, not a decorative count of repetitions.
14 / SOURCES & REVIEW
Sources, authorship and review
Kodokan official technique names establish the name and category. The IJF Kuzure-kesa-gatame definition and video library and linked Kodokan demonstration are the primary technical references. The second video above is credited separately. The official replay listing in section 11 verifies the named contest and technique tag, not an unviewed score or every coaching proposal here.
The Kodokan definitions of judo techniques (October 2022) provide the additional primary reference for the specific limb relationship described in this guide.
By Judo AI · Editorial review: October 9, 2026. Definitions, source identity, article consistency and links have been checked. Practice tasks and diagnostic questions are editorial proposals to discuss with your coach, not a validated training protocol. Named technical-coach approval is still pending. Video identities were verified; complete playback and every contest detail have not been independently analysed.
Rules and scope: this is a supervised judo study guide, not a current refereeing manual. Historical footage does not establish current rule permissions. Ask your coach to check the applicable age group and event rules before using grip variations or submissions in shiai; this draft does not certify their legality. Stop a practice action when your partner taps, asks to stop or reports pain.