01 / AT A GLANCE
Two lapels, one arm trapped, pressure from behind
Okuri-eri-jime is listed among the shime-waza (strangling techniques) of katame-waza in the Kodokan list of technique names. Translations vary: “sliding lapel strangle” and “sliding collar strangle” are both in use. The IJF definition gives a three-step sequence from behind the opponent: reach under the opponent’s left armpit and grip the left lapel with your left hand; reach around the neck and grip the upper left lapel with your right hand; then change the left hand to the opponent’s right lapel and use both hands to apply pressure to the neck.
Two features set it apart from hadaka-jime. First, the jacket anchors both hands, so the grip does not depend on clasping your own hands. Second, your left arm starts under uke’s left armpit, where it is in a position to restrict uke’s left arm; how much it lifts or traps that arm in your club’s version is a coach check. The cost is a moment of change: the left hand must leave one lapel and take the other, and this guide treats that moment as the main risk point (an editorial emphasis, not measured data).
Who this guide is for: judoka who already practise supervised ne-waza and have been introduced to shime-waza by a coach. Strangles are not self-taught. In every repetition the partner can tap or say “stop” and tori releases fully and immediately; practice is never taken towards unconsciousness. Rules for strangles vary with age group and event, so check what applies to you before using them in competition.
02 / WATCH THE TECHNIQUE
The Kodokan form and a dojo’s tips
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
Watch the official clip with the IJF sequence in mind and follow the hands in order. First, the left hand under the armpit: what happens to uke’s left arm when it goes in? Second, the right hand: how high on the lapel does it end, relative to the neck? Third, the change: how long does the left hand spend between lapels, and what is tori’s chest doing then? Note anything the camera does not show as “not visible.”
Open this video on YouTube. Independent coaching reference, separate from the official demonstration.
We have not inspected this video by playback, so we do not attribute particular instructions to it. Its publisher chapter list gives these topics: definition (0:00), bring your thumb past the collarbone (0:29), slide the thumb up (0:41), how to practice (0:56), getting blisters (1:16), P-38 can opener analogy (1:32), keep the elbow down (2:01), some escapes (2:42), relieving pressure on the chin (3:50) and patience (4:56). Those times are publisher cues, not timestamps we checked.
The titles are good questions to take to your coach. Two of them concern the right hand’s thumb and its route past the collarbone and up the lapel, which tells you grip depth is treated as a skill in its own right. “Getting blisters” is a practical reminder that sliding grips on cotton cause friction on the hands of whoever drills them repeatedly. “Patience” is a fair summary of why the pressure stage should not be rushed.
03 / WHEN TO APPLY IT
The back, a usable jacket and an arm you can reach under
Okuri-eri-jime needs three things together: you are behind uke, the lapels are within reach and not clamped shut, and uke’s left armpit has enough space for your left arm. Read each situation for all three.
Uke on hands and knees
With your chest on uke’s back, the left armpit is often accessible from behind and the lapels hang slightly away from the body. If uke’s left elbow is glued to the knee, the left arm may not get under it; that tells you the first problem to solve.
Uke sitting with you behind
A sitting uke presents the collar clearly and the armpit is easier to reach. This is a sensible teaching position for the grip sequence. Uke’s main threat here is turning to face you or dropping the hips away.
Uke holding the lapels shut
If uke grips their own lapels or keeps the chin pressed down on the collar, the right hand cannot slide to the upper lapel. Forcing it there pulls the cloth against the chin and face. Follow the IJF order, left hand to the left lapel first, and ask your coach whether that first grip is meant to help open the collar in their version; if that is still not enough, keep back control and choose another plan.
When it is not available
If uke has turned to face you, or the jacket is open, loose or off the shoulders so the lapel cannot be pulled tight, the technique’s anchors are gone. In that case hadaka-jime, which uses no jacket, may be the alternative, or you can work on a turnover. If your category does not permit strangles, practise the position only.
04 / HOW IT WORKS
Three grips in order, then pressure from both hands
Each step below has a job, and each job sets up the next. Keep your chest on uke’s back throughout; without that contact the grips are easy for uke to turn away from.
Left hand under the armpit to uke’s left lapel
Your left arm goes under uke’s left armpit from behind and takes the left lapel. This does two jobs at once: it puts your arm where it can keep uke’s left arm away from the neck, and it holds the left lapel that the right hand is about to take. Whether your coach also wants that grip to tension the lapel for the right hand is a question to ask, not something the IJF text states. Check: can uke still bring the left hand to the neck freely? If yes, the left arm is not yet doing its controlling job.
Right hand round the neck to the upper left lapel
The right arm goes round the front of uke’s neck and the hand takes the left lapel high up, near the neck. The publisher chapter titles “bring your thumb past the collarbone” and “slide the thumb up” indicate that the thumb’s route past the collarbone and up the lapel is a teaching focus; have your coach show you the grip and its depth. Check: after the grip, ask uke where the right forearm and hand are. A grip that stops on the chest or the collarbone will not reach the neck however hard you pull.
Left hand changes to uke’s right lapel
Now the left hand releases the left lapel and takes uke’s right lapel. This is the most vulnerable moment: briefly, the left hand holds nothing, and uke’s left arm may come back towards the neck. Keep the right hand’s grip and your chest contact steady while the left hand changes. Check: the coach watches whether uke can turn or bring the left hand to the right grip during the change.
Both hands apply pressure, slowly
The IJF definition says simply that both hands apply pressure to the neck, with the right hand on the upper left lapel and the left hand now on the right lapel. The exact direction each hand acts in and the role of the right elbow (the chapter list includes “keep the elbow down”) are coaching details; we do not invent angles. Build the pressure gradually so uke has time to tap. Check: uke reports pressure building on the neck, not on the chin or face, and uke’s head is not being bent back or twisted.
Release is built in
On a tap or “stop,” let go of both lapels and move the right forearm away from the neck. Relaxing the hands while the cloth is still wrapped tight round the neck is not a release. Your left arm has been working on uke’s left arm, so before each round agree that uke taps with the free right hand, on you or the mat, or says “stop”. If uke stops responding at any point, open both grips, call the coach and end the drill. Check: after release the right lapel and left lapel both hang loose; if either is still held, the release was incomplete.
Control points and the escape paths they close: chest on the back blocks uke turning in; the left arm under the armpit stops uke’s left hand defending and makes it harder for uke to roll that way; the high right grip stops the chin protecting the neck; the left hand on the right lapel completes the tension. Losing any one opens a specific escape, which is how the problems section is organised.
05 / KEY POINTS
Five checks for a controlled okuri-eri-jime
Section 4 checks each grip on a still partner. These cues are for rounds where uke moves and defends; choose one per round and record what you saw.
Chest contact through the left-hand change
Check: film from the side and pause at the frame where your left hand has let go of the left lapel but not yet reached the right one. Is your chest on uke’s back in that frame? Count it across the round.
One change, not several attempts
Check: count how many times your left hand went for the right lapel in each attempt. More than one reach usually means uke closed the right lapel while you were looking for it; note whether uke’s right hand or chin did the closing.
The right grip survives uke’s chin dropping
Check: when uke tucks the chin during a live attempt, does your right hand stay on the upper lapel, or does it slide down to the chest? A grip that only holds on a still partner is not yet set.
Pressure on the neck, never the chin or spine
Check: if uke reports pressure on the chin or jaw, or the coach sees the head pulled backward, release and reset. That repetition does not count, whatever uke did.
Abandon when the armpit closes
Check: if uke’s left elbow is clamped to the knee and your left arm cannot get under it, do you keep reaching or change plan? The decision you want is back control, a turnover, or hadaka-jime, which does not need the armpit.
06 / PROBLEMS & ADJUSTMENTS
Why does your okuri-eri-jime stall?
Identify which of the three grips went wrong first. Problems in the pressure stage usually trace back to an earlier grip.
“My right hand can’t get high on the lapel.”
Possible causes: uke’s chin is down on the collar; uke is holding the lapel; the left lapel is slack, so the cloth moves with your hand instead of letting it slide; or your thumb is going the wrong route. How to tell: pause when the hand stops. Is it blocked by the chin, by uke’s hand, or by loose cloth? Adjustment: establish the left hand on uke’s left lapel first, as the IJF sequence does, and ask your coach to check the thumb route the chapter titles mention. Assess: in the same drill, how often uke reports the right hand reaching the neck area.
“Uke turns towards me while I change hands.”
Possible causes: your chest leaves uke’s back as the left hand moves; the change is slow; or uke’s left arm was never properly lifted. How to tell: film from the side and look for the gap between chest and back during the change. Adjustment: drill the change on its own: right grip set, chest on back, left hand moves from left lapel to right lapel while uke gives one agreed turn at low effort. Assess: the number of changes completed without uke turning, at the same effort.
“The collar rides up under uke’s chin.”
Possible causes: the right hand took the lapel low and the cloth is being dragged up under the chin as you close; the left lapel was never held, so the jacket shifts as a whole instead of tightening; or uke has dropped the chin onto the collar and your grip pulls cloth into the face. The chapter list includes “relieving pressure on the chin,” which suggests this is a recognised issue. How to tell: look at the jacket, not only the arm. If the collar edge sits on the jaw before any pressure, the grip height is the cause; if it climbs only when you close, the left-lapel tension or the closing direction is. Adjustment: release, re-take the left lapel under the armpit first, then set the right grip higher on the lapel before any pressure, as your coach shows. Never “finish” through the jaw. Assess: in the same drill, mark for each repetition where the collar edge sat at the moment pressure began; the count on the jaw should fall.
“Uke pulls my right hand off the lapel.”
Possible causes: uke’s left arm is free because your left arm is not under it; uke uses both hands on your right wrist; or your right elbow rises, which weakens the grip line. How to tell: see which of uke’s hands attacks the grip. If it is the left, the under-arm control failed. Adjustment: rebuild the left arm under the armpit before setting the right grip, and ask the coach about elbow position. Assess: how often the right grip survives the same agreed stripping attempt.
“My hands are sore after drilling.”
Possible causes: large numbers of repetitions with a sliding grip on heavy cotton; a grip that slides at full pressure rather than being placed; or practising on a tightly closed collar. How to tell: note where the skin is rubbed and when it happened. Adjustment: reduce repetitions of the full slide, practise placement at low pressure, and ask your coach about grip method. The “getting blisters” chapter suggests it is common enough to discuss. Assess: whether a session of the same length leaves your hands in better condition.
07 / SETUPS & STRANGLE SWITCHES
Use uke’s defence to choose the next action
Each branch below names the starting position, what tori does, what uke actually does and what that makes possible. If the condition for the next action is missing, reset.
LAPEL LINE → ARM-ONLY LINE
Okuri-eri-jime to hadaka-jime when the lapel is lost
Start: back control, right grip on uke’s upper left lapel. First action: left hand goes to change lapels. Response: uke strips the right hand off the lapel, but your forearm is still across the front of the neck and your chest is on the back. Next action: keep the forearm line; your left arm, which was under uke’s left armpit or between lapels, comes out and over so the hands can clasp above uke’s left shoulder for hadaka-jime. While the left arm moves, uke’s left arm is free again, so the chest contact has to hold the back on its own. Stop: if the forearm has ridden up onto the jaw, or uke’s freed left hand reaches your right wrist before the clasp, release and reset.
STRANGLE THREAT → TURNOVER
Uke guards the collar with both hands
Start: uke on the knees, your left arm under uke’s left armpit holding the left lapel. First action: right hand goes for the upper lapel. Response: uke brings both hands to the collar and lifts the elbows off the knees. Next action: your left arm already controls uke’s left side; a coach-taught turnover may roll uke onto the back towards a hold such as kesa-gatame or tate-shiho-gatame. Stop: let go of the collar before rolling if the grip would pull across the neck.
HAND CHANGE BLOCKED → STAY AND REBUILD
Uke traps your left hand at the change
Start: right grip set. First action: left hand moves to uke’s right lapel. Response: uke pins your left forearm to their body or holds the right lapel shut. Next action: keep the right grip and chest contact, return the left hand to under-arm control, and wait for uke’s grip to shift. Stop: if uke turns and your chest comes off the back, abandon the strangle and recover position.
Note which defence you meet most often. If most partners guard the collar early, the turnover branch deserves more practice than the strangle itself.
08 / DEFENCES & ESCAPES
Protect the collar, free the arm, face tori
Separate prevention (no deep grip), defence (no pressure once grips are on) and escape (out of back control). The coaching video’s publisher chapter list includes “some escapes” and “relieving pressure on the chin”; your coach decides which escape you learn first.
Prevention: deny the deep collar
On the knees, keep the elbows near the knees so the left arm cannot be lifted easily, and keep the chin down. Do not open the collar by lifting the head to see where tori is.
Defence: attack the right grip, keep the left arm free
With our convention, tori’s right hand on uke’s upper left lapel is the danger. Uke works to stop it reaching the neck or to remove it, while keeping the left arm from being lifted by tori’s left arm. Holding your own lapels can slow the grip. Avoid grabbing tori’s fingers or twisting their wrist; that is a safety problem, not a defence.
Escape: face tori before the change completes
The hand change is tori’s weak moment and uke’s best opportunity to turn and face. The direction and method of turning should come from your coach, since turning the wrong way can tighten the collar. Once real pressure is on the neck, the escape is over: tap.
Counters and exposure
If uke turns to face during the change, both players are suddenly in a scramble with tori’s right hand still in the collar. Tori lets go of the lapel rather than holding it through the turn. Uke, now facing, may have a chance to work towards a hold; treat that as a separate positional task, and never escape by bending tori’s fingers or twisting the trapped left arm.
09 / TRANSITIONS FROM HOLDS & TURNOVERS
Arriving behind uke with the jacket available
Okuri-eri-jime usually follows something else: a throw attempt that ended in turtle, an escape from a hold, a scramble. Practise the arrival as well as the grip.
After uke turtles from an attack
Move behind rather than staying beside uke. Settle the chest, then take the left arm under the left armpit. Reaching for the right collar grip first from the side reverses the IJF order and, in our editorial view, gives uke a clear view of the hand and time to close the collar; check the order your coach prefers.
When uke turns away from a hold
If uke escapes a side hold such as yoko-shiho-gatame by turning onto the front, follow onto the back. The first grip you can reach may be the left lapel under the armpit, which starts the IJF sequence.
From the strangle to a hold
If uke breaks the grip and rolls onto the back, release the collar, then establish a hold’s own controls. Do not drag uke over by the lapel round the neck.
When uke escapes to face you
The strangle is over. Recover a safe position or reset the drill. Keeping hold of the lapel round the neck as uke turns can twist the neck; let go.
See the ne-waza drills guide and the ne-waza training plan for session structure.
10 / POSITIONAL ROUNDS
From a grip sequence to a live round
Change one variable per stage. Round lengths and counts are editorial suggestions to adapt with your coach.
Grip sequence on a sitting partner
Left under the armpit, right to the upper lapel, left to the right lapel, no pressure. Uke reports where the hands sit. Progress when uke consistently reports the right hand near the neck.
Light pressure and immediate release
Tori applies slowly; uke taps early; both grips open. The coach calls random taps. Do not progress until every release is immediate, including late in the session.
The hand change against a turn
Uke gives one agreed turn as the left hand changes; tori keeps chest contact. This isolates the weak moment from section 4.
Back control round with the strangle available
Uke starts on the knees and defends with an agreed defence. Tori may complete the grips at controlled intensity. Record outcomes separately: grips set, change blocked, back lost, uke tapped.
Start from a hold or a throw outcome
Begin in a hold; uke escapes by turning away; tori follows and starts the sequence. This tests the arrival as well as the strangle.
Supervision: any stage with pressure on the neck needs a coach who can see both partners. Without one, keep to the grip sequence and back-control rounds.
11 / COMPETITION REPLAYS
Two IJF replay leads and their limits
On October 10, 2026 we checked two IJF athlete technique pages that list contests under the okuri-eri-jime tag. The athlete pages credit the tagged action to Arthur Margelidon and Larisa Ceric. We have not verified whether it scored, when it happened, or the tactics, and we have not watched the replays.
Paris Grand Slam 2024: Margelidon vs Terada
The IJF okuri-eri-jime selection lists Arthur Margelidon (CAN, white) against Masayuki Terada (THA, blue) at the Paris Grand Slam 2024.
Zagreb Grand Prix 2019: Ceric vs Miocic
The IJF okuri-eri-jime selection lists Larisa Ceric (BIH, white) against Zrinka Miocic (CRO, blue) at the Zagreb Grand Prix 2019.
Viewing questions for either replay
- Arrival: what position precedes the strangle: turtle after an attack, an escape from a hold, a scramble?
- The left arm: does the attacker’s left arm go under the defender’s armpit first, as in the IJF sequence?
- The right grip: how high does it reach before the defender reacts?
- The change: is there a visible left-hand change, and what does the defender try during it?
- The ending: a tap, referee intervention or break? Record only what you can see and mark the rest unknown.
Senior contest footage reflects senior rules at that event. It does not tell you what is permitted in your age group or competition.
12 / VARIATIONS & COMPARISONS
Okuri-eri-jime beside other strangles
| Technique | What to compare |
|---|---|
| Okuri-eri-jime | From behind; left under the armpit to the left lapel, right to the upper left lapel, then left to the right lapel (IJF). |
| Hadaka-jime | From behind; no judogi grip; right forearm across the front of the neck, hands clasped above uke’s left shoulder (IJF). |
| Kataha-jime | A separate Kodokan strangle. In the IJF definition the left hand goes under the left armpit and its back is placed against the back of uke’s neck instead of taking a lapel, so learn its grips from your coach rather than as an okuri-eri-jime variant. |
| Juji-jime family | Nami-, gyaku- and kata-juji-jime are distinct Kodokan names; “juji” refers to a cross. They are separate techniques, not hand variations of this one. |
Grip variations: coaches teach differences in thumb position and the route of the right hand; the publisher chapter titles focus on the thumb. These are refinements of the same technique, but practise each one separately and record which one you used.
Starting positions: from a sitting uke and from a turtled uke, the sequence is the same but the hard part differs. Seated, uke turns or drops the hips; on the knees, the left arm is harder to get under. Treat them as two drills.
13 / YOUR NEXT PRACTICE
One focus: the left-hand change
If your attempts stall after the right grip is set, the change is the likely place. Use this record for one session.
- Situation
- Uke on the knees; tori behind; right grip set on the upper left lapel.
- My focus
- Chest on uke’s back while my left hand moves to the right lapel.
- What I noticed
- Did uke turn during the change? Where was my right grip? Were all releases immediate?
- Coach question
- “Is my right grip deep enough, and is my change too slow?”
- Next decision
- Drill the change alone, rework the right grip, or add the turnover branch.
Illustrative example, not measured data: “Eight turtle starts. Right grip reached the neck in five. Uke turned during the change in three of those. Next time: change drill only, with uke allowed one turn at low effort.”
Log it in the practice-log template or in Judo AI, and note sore hands as well as outcomes.
14 / SOURCES & REVIEW
Sources, authorship and review
Name and classification: Kodokan list of technique names. Grip sequence: IJF okuri-eri-jime definition, checked October 10, 2026. Video credit belongs to the two publishers. For the Riki Judo Dojo video we rely only on its title and the chapter list the publisher supplies.
By Judo AI · Editorial review: October 10, 2026. Diagnoses and drills are editorial proposals for supervised practice. No named coach has reviewed this page, and neither video has been reviewed by playback.
Rules: this page does not state current competition rules for strangles. Before a strangle is used in any contest, a coach or referee should confirm the current rules for that event and age category.
Related katame-waza guides: hadaka-jime (arm-only strangle), ude-hishigi-juji-gatame and ude-garami (joint locks), ushiro-kesa-gatame and kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame (holds).