01 / AT A GLANCE
A straight-arm lock built on leg and hip control
Ude-hishigi-juji-gatame, usually shortened to juji-gatame, is the cross arm lock. The Kodokan lists it among kansetsu-waza (joint locks) within katame-waza. The IJF definition reads: “From your opponent’s right side, hold his right wrist with both hands and trap his right upper arm between your thighs, then extend his elbow against the joint, in the direction of his little finger, to control it.” Each phrase names a control point: wrist, upper arm, thighs and a defined direction of extension.
The IJF’s English label is “cross lock”. The usual explanation of “cross” (jūji, the shape of the character 十) is that tori’s body lies across uke while uke’s arm runs along tori’s body; that is a common teaching image, not part of the definition. What the definition does fix is the target: the elbow joint. Juji-gatame is not a shoulder crank, a wrist lock or a neck attack, so pressure that arrives anywhere other than the elbow means the position must be rebuilt, not pushed harder.
Names you will meet: juji-gatame, jūji-gatame and, in English, cross lock or cross armlock. “Armbar” also covers other judo locks such as ude-hishigi-ude-gatame, so it does not identify this technique on its own.
Who this guide is for: judoka who already do supervised ne-waza and have been shown the lock by a coach; it is not a first lesson. Safety and eligibility rules are stated once, at the end of section 4.
02 / WATCH THE TECHNIQUE
Official form first, then one entry variation
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
This is the official Kodokan–IJF Academy demonstration. We have verified its identity, publisher and length but not analysed it frame by frame, so this page does not describe the demonstrator’s placement. Watch it with these questions:
- Where are tori’s hips relative to uke’s shoulder at the moment the legs settle? Close, or with a gap?
- What do tori’s hands hold, and does the grip change between the trap and the extension?
- Which way does uke’s thumb face as the arm straightens? Compare it with the IJF phrase “in the direction of his little finger”.
- How fast is the extension compared with the entry? A calm finish is the tempo to copy.
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
By its title, this clip demonstrates one turning entry, not the whole technique; we have verified only its title, publisher and length. Ask one question: at which moment during the turn does tori first have the arm controlled with the hands, and at which moment are the thighs closed? If the hands secure the arm before the legs swing, the turn is a way of carrying control into the lock. If the arm is free during the swing, the entry depends on uke not reacting. Turning entries are taught from a static start first.
03 / WHEN TO APPLY IT
The opening is an extended or extendable arm you already control
Juji-gatame becomes available when one of uke’s arms is away from the body and can be isolated at the wrist while your hips get close to that shoulder. Three questions decide whether the opening is real: Can you hold the wrist with both hands? Can your hips arrive at the shoulder? Can your legs stop uke turning toward you? If any answer is no, the lock is not yet available, however straight the arm looks.
Uke pushes to escape a hold-down
From yoko-shiho-gatame or kesa-gatame, the bottom player often presses a forearm or hand into tori’s neck, shoulder or hip to make space. That framing arm is extended and close to you. If uke’s right arm pushes while you are on uke’s right side, the arm is already on the side the IJF definition describes. The opening exists only while the hold still keeps uke on the back; once uke has turned to the side, the shoulder is no longer pinned under you.
Uke pushes up from underneath an astride hold
In tate-shiho-gatame, a bottom player who straightens both arms against the chest offers arms in front of you. Moving to the side to lock one gives up the mount. The deciding observation is whether your weight can stay on uke’s chest while your hips travel to one shoulder; if uke’s hips are already free to turn, keep the mount.
When the lock is not available
If uke has already turned toward you, if your legs are trapped or if the only way to straighten the arm is to yank it, do not attempt the lock. An elbow clamped to uke’s ribs suits no arm lock: keep the pin. A bent arm with space under the elbow — typically uke’s far arm pushing at your head from under a side hold — is the opening for ude-garami, which twists a bent elbow instead of extending it. Entries against an uke on all fours or face down need separate coaching and are outside this guide.
04 / HOW IT WORKS
Control, then align, then extend slowly
Three phases: control (hands, thighs, hips and legs fix the arm and uke’s body), alignment (the elbow joint, not the shoulder, takes the line) and extension (slow straightening you can stop at any instant). The common error is starting the third before the first two exist.
What is definitional and what is not: the IJF definition fixes four things — tori works from uke’s right side, both hands hold uke’s right wrist, uke’s right upper arm is trapped between tori’s thighs, and the elbow is extended against the joint toward the little-finger side. Everything else below (hip distance, leg placement, wrist held to the chest, any hip lift) is commonly taught detail to confirm against the Kodokan demonstration with your coach.
Both hands on the right wrist
Hold uke’s right wrist with both hands, as the IJF definition specifies; many coaches keep it close to tori’s chest so the hands steer rather than pull. Hold the wrist, not the fingers or palm; bending the hand is not part of this technique. Check: if uke tries to rotate the forearm, can your hands stop it? If the wrist turns freely, the line of pressure will turn with it.
Upper arm between the thighs
Uke’s right upper arm lies between your thighs, and your knees pinch toward each other. The hands steer the forearm; the thighs hold the upper arm. Check: with the hands relaxed for a moment, can uke slide the elbow down toward the mat between your legs? If yes, the thighs are open or too far up the arm.
Hips seated at the shoulder
The definition does not specify where tori’s hips sit, but the thigh trap only holds the upper arm if your seat is close to uke’s right shoulder: a gap lets uke pull the elbow back toward their own body and bend it. Check: from the side, is there visible space between your seat and uke’s shoulder? How close the demonstrated form sits is a question for your coach, not a number.
Legs over torso and head region
One leg lies across uke’s torso and the other across uke’s upper chest and head region, holding uke on the back. They stop uke sitting up or turning toward you, the two main ways the elbow escapes. Heel and calf must never press into the throat or twist the neck; confirm the exact leg position with your coach. Check: when uke attempts a small sit-up or a turn toward you, does the relevant leg absorb it without your hands having to hold on harder?
Elbow aligned on the fulcrum
The IJF wording is to “extend his elbow against the joint, in the direction of his little finger.” The usual teaching reading is that uke’s elbow rests against tori’s hips, which act as the fulcrum, with the wrist turned so the extension acts across the elbow joint toward the little-finger side; your coach sets the exact wrist orientation. If the elbow is above or below that contact, or the wrist rotates, the load drifts to the shoulder or the arm slides out. Check: at minimal extension, uke reports where the first sensation appears; anything other than the elbow means stop and realign.
Slow extension from the hips
Extension comes from holding the wrist to your chest while lying back gradually and, if your coach teaches it, raising the hips slightly. It does not come from jerking the arm with your hands or dropping your back onto the mat. Check: the coach watches tori’s own elbows. If they straighten with uke’s arm, your hands are pulling instead of holding; if uke’s arm reaches end range in one movement, you are too fast.
Release is part of the mechanics
On a tap, a spoken “stop” or any sign of pain, lower the hips and stop leaning back first, then let the arm bend, then loosen the hands and open the thighs. Releasing the hands while the hips are still raised can leave the arm loaded. Rehearse it on every repetition, including cooperative ones.
05 / KEY POINTS
Five cues about the order of arrival
Section 4 checks each control point standing still. These cues check the order in which the pieces arrive, which is where most juji-gatame repetitions go wrong. Use one cue per set; none needs pressure on the elbow.
Wrist before swing
Both hands are on uke’s right wrist before either of your legs leaves its base. Check: the observer watches only two things — your second hand reaching the wrist and your head-side foot lifting — and says which came first.
Seat before swing
Your hips travel to uke’s right shoulder, then the head-side leg crosses. Check: count the shuffles your seat makes after both legs have landed. Each shuffle is a moment when the elbow could have been pulled out; the target is none.
Legs heavy before your back goes down
The legs settle their weight on uke’s torso and head region before you begin to lie back. Check: watch uke’s right shoulder blade at the first moment you lean back. If it lifts off the mat, you leaned before the legs were working.
Wrist line at zero pressure
Before any extension, uke’s wrist orientation is the one your coach set for the little-finger line. Check: the coach looks at uke’s thumb before you lean back; if the wrist has turned during the entry, re-grip rather than extending into a rotated arm.
Release in the trained order
Hips down and stop leaning, arm allowed to bend, hands loosen, thighs open. Check: on the coach’s “release” call, does your seat lower before your hands open? Hands first means the arm may still be loaded.
If a cue fails twice in a set, return to control-only repetitions (stage 1 in section 10). Most extension problems are control problems that surfaced late.
06 / PROBLEMS & ADJUSTMENTS
Why the arm escapes or the lock goes wrong
Diagnose from the first unintended movement, not the final outcome; each entry is a hypothesis to test with your coach.
“Uke pulls the elbow out before I can straighten it.”
Possible causes: your hips stopped short of the shoulder; your knees were open; or your hands held the forearm too far from the wrist, letting uke bend at the elbow.
Tell them apart: freeze at the moment the legs land. A gap at the shoulder points to hip distance; an elbow sliding between your thighs points to knee pressure; an elbow bending while the upper arm stays trapped points to the hand position.
Adjustment: move your seat to the shoulder before the head-side leg swings over (key point 2). Assess: five slow entries against the same light elbow pull, before and after; count elbows kept trapped.
“Uke clasps hands and I can’t open the arm.”
Possible causes: you are pulling with the arms alone against uke’s whole upper body; your legs are not holding uke flat, so uke curls to strengthen the clasp; or uke clasped before your control existed.
Tell them apart: watch whether uke’s shoulders lift off the mat as you pull. If they do, the legs are the problem; if uke stays flat and the clasp holds, you are fighting strength with strength.
What to record for the coach: what the clasp is — hand to hand, hand to wrist, or a hand gripping uke’s own judogi — because separation methods differ and this guide does not prescribe one.
Adjustment: keep the legs heavy and work on the separation method your coach teaches for that clasp, slowly. Never yank the clasp: a clasp that breaks suddenly can let the arm shoot to full extension with your weight behind it. A broken clasp means pause in control, then extend slowly. Assess: record whether the arm separated under control and whether uke ever reached end range without warning.
“Uke sits up into me and the pressure disappears.”
Possible causes: the torso-side leg is light or high; you lay back before the legs were settled; or uke started the sit-up while you were still gripping.
Tell them apart: film from the head end. If uke’s chest rises under your leg, the leg is not pinning; if uke rises before your leg arrives, the timing of the swing is late.
Adjustment: settle the torso-side leg’s weight before starting to lie back, and keep your heels heavy rather than lifted. Assess: uke attempts one slow sit-up per repetition; record whether your leg alone stopped it.
“Uke turns toward me and the elbow points down.”
Possible causes: the head-side leg is not controlling the head and shoulder region; your hips are angled toward uke’s feet; or your hands let the wrist rotate.
Tell them apart: ask uke whether the turn started with the head, the shoulder or the wrist. A head-first turn suggests the leg; a wrist-first rotation suggests the grip.
Adjustment: address only the identified cause: weight on the head-side leg, or a firmer two-handed wrist control. Never keep extending once the elbow has rotated: the load is no longer on the line the definition describes. Assess: uke gives the same slow turn for five repetitions; count turns that rotate the elbow away from your hips.
“Uke feels it in the shoulder, not the elbow.”
Possible causes: the elbow sits below or above your hips instead of against them; the arm is being pulled across uke’s body rather than along yours; or your hips are too far from the shoulder, so the extension lever acts on the shoulder.
Tell them apart: at zero pressure, the coach places a hand on uke’s elbow and compares it with your hip line.
Adjustment: stop, release, rebuild the alignment from the hands and hips. Never compensate by pulling harder. Assess: uke reports the first sensation location at minimal extension on every repetition of the next set.
“The pressure comes on suddenly” or “my partner tapped late.”
Possible causes: you drop your back to the mat in one movement; uke’s arm was already nearly straight at the trap, so little movement reaches end range; or uke is trying to “survive” rather than tapping at the agreed first sensation.
Tell them apart: time the extension from trap to first sensation. Very short times point to tori’s speed or a pre-straightened arm; normal times with late taps point to the partnership agreement.
Adjustment: lie back in stages with a pause at each, and restate the agreement: uke taps at the first clear sensation, not at pain. Assess: the coach watches one set; any sudden arrival at end range ends the set and returns you to control-only repetitions.
07 / ENTRIES & COMBINATIONS
Follow the arm the partner gives you
Each route waits for a specific arm and names where the lock is abandoned. They are editorial practice patterns, not descriptions of the linked videos.
READ THE ARM
Yoko-shiho-gatame: juji-gatame, ude-garami or keep the pin
Start: yoko-shiho-gatame from uke’s right side. Partner response, three cases: (a) uke’s near (right) arm straightens to push at your hip or shoulder; (b) uke’s far (left) arm comes up bent to push at your head, with space under the elbow; (c) uke keeps the near elbow tight to the ribs and pushes only with the forearm. Next action: (a) is this guide’s opening: both hands secure the wrist while your chest still pins uke, then your hips go to the right shoulder and the head-side leg swings over as taught; if uke recovers a knee or turns onto the side before your thighs close, abandon and re-establish the hold. (b) is the reference opening of the ude-garami guide, worked with your chest still on uke. (c) offers neither lock. Stop or reset: if you notice yourself moving toward a lock before you have named (a), (b) or (c), stay in the hold for one more push.
AFTER THE LOCK FAILS
Juji-gatame → return to a hold-down
Start: you have the right arm between your thighs. Partner response: uke frees the elbow by sitting up or turning toward you and pulling the arm out. Next action: do not chase the arm with your back on the mat; if uke ends on the back beside you, come up onto your side and reconnect to kesa-gatame or another hold your coach has taught from that position. Stop or reset: if uke has come on top or is on the knees, the round’s task has changed; follow the agreed positional rule rather than improvising a new attack.
THROW TO LOCK
Controlled throw → immediate juji-gatame
Start: a throw you already control lands uke on the back with your sleeve hand still holding uke’s right sleeve. Partner response: uke’s right arm stays stretched toward you for a moment. Next action: bring the second hand to the wrist and step around the head as taught, so your hips arrive at the shoulder. Stop or reset: if uke bends the elbow and turns before your second hand arrives, settle into a hold instead. Agree in advance whether the drill continues on the ground.
For each attempt, note two facts besides the result: whether both hands were on the wrist before the swing, and whether the pin survived when you abandoned. Those two numbers usually explain the finishes.
08 / DEFENCES & ESCAPES
Prevent the isolation, protect the line, tap early
Every juji-gatame defence removes one of the conditions from section 4: the isolated wrist, the trapped upper arm, the seat at the shoulder, or uke flat on the back. Knowing which condition you are attacking tells you whether you are preventing, escaping or simply delaying.
Prevention: don’t hand over a straight arm
Under a hold-down, pushing with a straight arm creates space but also offers the arm. Frames taught with the elbow bent and close to your own body give less to isolate.
Early defence: keep the elbow connected to your body
Before tori’s thighs close, the elbow can often be pulled back toward your ribs or the arms clasped together. Clasping is a widely taught defence, but it is a delay, not a solution: it buys time to turn or sit up while tori works on the grip.
Escape: change the line before the arm straightens
Escapes act on the section 4 conditions: sitting up toward tori removes the seat-to-shoulder contact; turning toward tori takes the elbow off the hips. Each needs the arm still bent; once the elbow is extended across the hips, the correct response is to tap.
Counter exposure for tori
If tori lies back with loose legs, a successful sit-up can bring uke on top; section 7’s return-to-hold route is tori’s answer.
09 / TRANSITIONS FROM HOLDS
Which hold gives which arm
Juji-gatame is most often reached from a pin that has started to break. This study map shows where an extendable arm tends to appear and what the hold must still provide during the switch; it is not a complete list of entries.
| Starting hold | Arm that may extend | What must stay controlled during the switch |
|---|---|---|
| Yoko-shiho-gatame | Uke’s near arm pushing at your shoulder, neck or hips | Chest pressure until the wrist is secured, so uke cannot recover the knee |
| Kesa-gatame | Uke’s far arm pushing at your face or shoulder (the near arm is already held under your arm) | The head-side control and your base, so uke cannot bridge you over as you rise |
| Kuzure-kesa-gatame | A far arm framing against your torso | Near-arm control while you reposition |
| Tate-shiho-gatame | Either arm pushing up at your chest | Weight on uke’s torso as you move from astride to beside the shoulder |
| Kami-shiho-gatame | An arm pushing at your hips or shoulders from underneath | Upper-body pressure while you move around toward the side |
Two rows on this map change sides. In kesa-gatame and kuzure-kesa-gatame from uke’s right side, uke’s right arm is already held, so the arm that pushes is usually uke’s left arm; locking it means working from uke’s left side, the mirror of this guide’s convention, and leaving the hold to get there. Make sure both partners know which arm is being worked before you begin.
The same two questions apply to holds not in the table, such as ushiro-kesa-gatame or kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame: which of uke’s arms is free to extend, and on which side of uke would your hips have to be for the IJF form? If the answer requires releasing the arm the hold already controls, treat it as a route for your coach to teach, not one to improvise.
After the lock: what the next position is
When uke escapes, name the new position: uke on the back beside you (re-establish a hold), on the knees (top control or reset), or on top (defend). From a settled kata-gatame or yoko-shiho-gatame you already hold a recognised technique; a lock attempt that loses that pin is a trade to make deliberately, not by reflex.
For broader ne-waza session design, see the ne-waza drills guide.
10 / PRACTICE PROGRESSION
From control-only to positional rounds
Advance when the criterion is met with your coach watching; progression is gated by control and release, not finishes.
Control-only shape
Uke lies still with the right arm extended. Tori builds the hands, thighs, hips and legs with no extension at all. Uke tests one light elbow pull, one sit-up and one turn. Criterion: all three stopped by the structure without tori pulling on the arm.
Slow extension to first signal
From the checked position, tori extends in stages; uke taps at the first clear elbow sensation and tori runs the full release sequence. The coach can call “hold” mid-extension. Criterion: every tap produces immediate release, and uke always feels the elbow, not the shoulder.
Entry from a hold with one defence
Start in yoko-shiho-gatame. Uke pushes with the right arm; tori enters. Uke then gives one agreed defence: clasping or a slow sit-up. Tori either maintains control and extends slowly, or abandons and returns to the hold. Criterion: tori never extends through a defence that changed the line, and every abandonment keeps uke on the back.
Positional rounds with choice
Short rounds from an agreed hold. Bottom player tries to escape; top player may pin, attempt juji-gatame or attempt ude-garami depending on the arm offered. Tap ends the round, and so does any loss of control. Criterion: the top player’s choices match the three-case read in section 7 (straight near arm → juji-gatame, bent far arm with space → ude-garami, tight elbow → keep the pin) in most rounds, judged by the coach.
Free ne-waza randori with locks comes after stage 4, once the coach judges the release habit reliable and confirms eligibility.
11 / COMPETITION REPLAYS
Two official replay leads, and what they do not tell you
We checked two IJF technique-library entries on October 10, 2026. Each is a replay lead: the contest appears in an athlete’s juji-gatame listing; what happened in it is not verified.
Keldiyorova vs Ndiaye, World Championships Abu Dhabi 2024
The IJF page headed “Juji-gatame by KELDIYOROVA Diyora” lists the Abu Dhabi World Championships Seniors 2024 contest between Diyora Keldiyorova (UZB, white) and Binta Ndiaye (SUI, blue) under that technique tag.
Tsunoda vs Huh, Baku Grand Slam 2025
The IJF page headed “Juji-gatame by TSUNODA Natsumi” lists the Baku Grand Slam 2025 contest between Natsumi Tsunoda (JPN, white) and Mio Huh (KOR, blue) under the same tag.
Verified: page titles, events, pairings and tags; each title credits the tagged action to the athlete it names. Not verified: whether it scored, the timestamp, the preceding position and any tactics. We have not watched the footage.
Viewing questions to take to the replays
- Origin: what position were both players in five seconds before the lock: a hold-down, a turnover, uke on the knees, or straight from a throw?
- Isolation: when did both of tori’s hands first reach the wrist, and was uke already defending with a clasp?
- Hip distance: was tori’s seat at the shoulder before the arm straightened, or did tori have to close the gap afterwards?
- Defence: did uke try to sit up, turn toward tori or hold the clasp, and what did tori’s legs do in response?
- Ending: how quickly did the referee stop the action, and how quickly did tori release?
Answer only what the camera shows; mark the rest “not visible”. Elite footage reflects that event’s rules, not your division’s.
12 / VARIATIONS & COMPARISONS
Juji-gatame and the other elbow locks
The Kodokan list names several ude-hishigi (arm-crushing) locks as separate techniques. They share the elbow as target but differ in what traps the arm and what acts as the fulcrum.
| Technique | Arm shape | What traps the arm / acts as fulcrum |
|---|---|---|
| Ude-hishigi-juji-gatame | Straight | Thighs trap the upper arm (IJF); tori’s hips commonly act as the fulcrum |
| Ude-garami | Bent | Both of tori’s arms entangle uke’s arm and twist it to control the elbow |
| Ude-hishigi-ude-gatame | Straight | Tori’s hands or arms against uke’s elbow, without the leg trap |
| Ude-hishigi-hiza-gatame | Straight | Tori’s knee or leg acts on the elbow |
| Ude-hishigi-waki-gatame | Straight | Tori’s armpit traps the arm |
The last three rows summarise only what the names and Kodokan grouping indicate; study them from their own official demonstrations before practising them.
Variations within juji-gatame
Entry variations (from a hold, from a throw, from a turning or rolling start) change the route but should arrive at the same control checklist. Grip variations appear when uke clasps and are coach-taught. Bottom-position variants, with tori starting underneath, change the base and escape risks and need separate instruction. In every variation, if the result does not trap the upper arm between the thighs and load the elbow over the hips, it may be a different lock.
13 / YOUR NEXT PRACTICE
One session: find the moment the elbow escapes
Task: with your coach’s agreement, run stage 3 of the progression: entry from yoko-shiho-gatame on uke’s right arm, with uke choosing between a slow sit-up and a clasp. Extension is slow and stops at the first tap.
- Situation
- Yoko-shiho-gatame, uke’s right side; uke frames with the right arm.
- My focus
- Hips at the shoulder before the head-side leg swings over.
- What I noticed
- Where was my seat when the legs settled? Did the elbow stay above my thighs? Which defence beat me?
- Coach question
- “When I lose the arm, is it hip distance, open knees or the grip on the wrist?”
- Next decision
- Keep the task, return to control-only shape, or add case (b) of the section 7 read (the bent far arm).
A worked review record
Illustrative example, not measured training data: “Eight entries from the side hold. I secured the wrist on six. On three of those, uke’s sit-up freed the elbow before my legs settled; the coach pointed out that I swung the leg first and moved my hips afterwards. On one, I kept extending after uke turned and the coach stopped the set. Next session: hips first, and I pause for a check whenever uke turns.”
The note separates event, coach interpretation and next change, and logs the safety stop as information. Keep it in the practice-log template or Judo AI so the following session begins with the hip-distance question rather than a new technique.
14 / SOURCES & REVIEW
Sources, authorship and review
- Kodokan: Names of Judo Techniques — official name and kansetsu-waza classification.
- IJF: Juji-gatame definition and technique library — definition quoted in section 1; checked October 10, 2026.
- KODOKAN: 腕挫十字固 / Ude-hishigi-juji-gatame and Efficient Judo: Turning in Juji-gatame - Demo — identity, publisher, date and length verified; not transcribed or analysed shot by shot.
- IJF replay selections: Keldiyorova and Tsunoda — listing and tag only.
By Judo AI · Editorial review: October 10, 2026; independent editorial review pass the same day. Control points are taken from the IJF definition; hip distance, leg placement, wrist orientation, any hip lift, grip changes and entry routes are commonly taught details flagged for coach confirmation, not definitional facts. The drills, problem diagnoses and stage criteria are Judo AI editorial suggestions for supervised practice and have not been tested as a programme; review by a named judo coach has not yet taken place.
Rules and safety scope: this is a study guide for supervised judo, not a refereeing manual. We have not completed a current-rules review; check current IJF and event rules, and your age group and grade restrictions, with your coach before using any kansetsu-waza in randori or shiai. Tap means immediate release in every context.