01 / AT A GLANCE
A straight-arm lock made with the shoulder, neck and two hands
Ude-hishigi-ude-gatame, usually shortened to ude-gatame, is one of the kansetsu-waza (joint locks) of katame-waza in the Kodokan list of technique names. Ude-hishigi means “arm crush” and is the family name shared by the straight-arm locks; ude-gatame means “arm hold”, and here it tells you what does the work: tori’s own arms, not the legs, the knee or the armpit. The IJF technique library gives the English label “arm lock” and this definition: “A lock. Place your opponent’s left wrist between your shoulder and neck, thumb-side down, and use both hands to apply pressure from above to control his elbow against the joint.”
That sentence fixes four things, and this guide keeps them separate from everything that is merely commonly taught: uke’s left wrist is the anchor; the anchor is held between tori’s shoulder and neck; the arm is turned thumb-side down; and both of tori’s hands press from above on the elbow, against the joint. The definition does not say where uke lies, where tori kneels or which of tori’s shoulders receives the wrist. Those choices belong to the reference form below and should be checked against the Kodokan demonstration with your coach.
Names you will meet: ude-gatame, ude-hishigi-ude-gatame, “arm lock”, “straight armlock” and, in some clubs, simply “armbar”. The last two also describe juji-gatame, waki-gatame and hiza-gatame, so record the full name in your notes. Do not confuse ude-gatame with kata-gatame, the shoulder hold-down, whose name also contains “gatame”.
Who this guide is for: judoka who already pin reliably in supervised ne-waza and have been shown kansetsu-waza by a coach. Ude-gatame looks simple because it needs no leg swing, but the pressure is made by two hands directly on the joint, so the speed of the hands is the speed of the load on uke’s elbow. The safety rules are stated once, at the end of section 4.
02 / WATCH THE TECHNIQUE
The official form and a coaching explanation
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
This is the official Kodokan–IJF Academy demonstration. We verified its title, publisher, upload date, length and the publisher’s series description (“KODOKAN × IJF ACADEMY 100 Techniques”, kansetsu-waza). We have not analysed it frame by frame, so this page does not describe what the demonstrators do. Watch it with four questions that come straight from the IJF wording:
- Where is uke’s wrist at the moment tori’s hands arrive: already between tori’s shoulder and neck, or still moving?
- Which way does uke’s thumb point? Compare it with “thumb-side down”.
- Where are tori’s two hands? On the elbow itself, above it on the upper arm, or below it on the forearm? Are they stacked or side by side?
- What stays still while the pressure is applied? Tori’s knees and hips, tori’s head, or both? A form in which only the hands move is the one to copy.
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
The publisher’s description presents ude-gatame as an alternative straight armlock to juji-gatame. We have verified the title, publisher, date, length and description, not the content, and attribute no cue to the presenter. Use it for one comparison: in the situations the coach chooses, why is ude-gatame preferred over juji-gatame? If the answer involves staying on the knees, keeping the pin or the arm arriving high at the neck, compare it with section 3 below; if it involves a different starting position, note it as a separate route for your coach.
03 / WHEN TO APPLY IT
The opening is a straight arm that arrives at your neck
Ude-gatame needs a straight or nearly straight arm whose wrist can be brought to your shoulder and neck without you reaching for it, while you still control uke’s body. That is why the commonest opening is a bottom player’s push: uke straightens an arm into your neck, collar or shoulder to make space. Three questions decide whether the opening is real: Is the arm straight? Is the wrist already at your shoulder, or within a small head-and-shoulder movement of it? Can your knees and chest keep uke from turning toward you while your hands go to the elbow?
Uke pushes at your neck from under a side hold
When you hold uke from the left side, in yoko-shiho-gatame or a similar side position, uke’s near (left) arm often straightens to push your neck or chin away. That is the reference opening: the arm is straight, the wrist is at your neck, and your body is already beside uke’s ribs. You do not have to move your hips or legs; you sink the shoulder and neck onto the wrist and bring your hands to the elbow.
Uke grabs your collar with a stiff arm
A bottom player who grips your lapel or collar and stiffens the arm to keep you away also presents a straight arm with the hand near your neck. The grip changes the problem: uke’s hand is fixed to your judogi, so your shoulder-and-neck clamp may trap the wrist with the hand still holding. Whether to work with or first remove that grip is a coaching decision; never try to tear or bend uke’s fingers off your jacket; finger joints are not part of this lock.
Uke pushes up from under a top position
From tate-shiho-gatame or kami-shiho-gatame, an arm pushing straight up at your chest or shoulder can also be trapped, but your shoulder and neck are over uke rather than beside, the direction of “from above” changes, and your base is different. Treat these as separate coached routes; this guide does not describe them.
When ude-gatame is not the answer
If uke’s elbow is bent, the shoulder-and-neck anchor and two-hand press do not have a straight lever to act on; a bent far arm with space under the elbow is the opening of ude-garami. If the straight arm is pushing low, at your hips, the wrist cannot reach your neck; that arm may suit juji-gatame if you can bring your hips to uke’s shoulder. If uke has turned onto the side or front with the arm extended, the armpit shape of waki-gatame may fit better. And if the only way to get the wrist to your neck is to lift your chest and chase it, keep the hold.
04 / HOW IT WORKS
Anchor the wrist, cup the elbow, keep the base, then press
Ude-gatame is a lever with three contact points. The wrist is fixed by your shoulder and neck. The elbow is under your two hands. The shoulder is fixed by uke lying on the back with your knees and chest stopping a turn. Pressure on the elbow from above, with the other two points still, acts against the joint. If any of the three moves, the load moves with it, so the order of work is anchor, cup, base check, then pressure.
What is definitional and what is not: the IJF fixes uke’s left wrist between tori’s shoulder and neck, thumb-side down, and both of tori’s hands pressing from above against the elbow. Kneeling at uke’s side, the knee positions, the hand overlap and the direction in which the elbow is drawn are commonly taught details of one form, to confirm with your coach.
Knees against uke’s side
Kneel with both knees close to uke’s left ribs and upper arm, chest leaning slightly over uke. The knee nearer uke’s head sits close to uke’s left armpit, so uke cannot pull the shoulder back toward you or turn in. Check: if uke tries to roll toward you, do your knees meet uke’s body before your hands have to hold on?
Shoulder and neck close on the wrist
Uke’s left wrist rests on the top of your shoulder; tilt your head toward that shoulder so the side of your neck and the shoulder hold the wrist between them. Hold the wrist, not the hand. Your hands are not yet involved. Check: with your hands off, can uke slide the wrist out by pulling the arm back? If yes, the clamp is not closed, or the wrist is too far out on the shoulder.
Thumb-side down
The IJF wording turns uke’s arm so the thumb side faces down. The usual teaching reading is that this rotation brings the back of the elbow up toward your hands, so pressure from above acts across the joint rather than bending the arm. Your coach sets the exact rotation. Check: before any pressure, the coach looks at uke’s thumb. If it points up or toward uke’s head, re-set the arm instead of pressing.
Both hands cup the elbow from above
Your two hands go onto uke’s left elbow, commonly with one hand over the other, palms on the back of the joint. Not on the upper arm above it, and not on the forearm below it: the definition aims at the elbow. Check: the coach touches the point of uke’s elbow; your hands should be on it, not beside it.
Arm straight, line simple
From wrist on your shoulder to elbow under your hands to uke’s shoulder on the mat, the arm should be straight. If the elbow bends, the lever is gone and pressing will only fold the arm. Check: from uke’s head end, the observer sees a straight arm before you begin; any bend means rebuild.
Press slowly, hands only
Pressure comes from your hands drawing or pressing the elbow from above in small steps while your shoulder-and-neck clamp and your knees stay still. Do not lean your body weight down through your arms or bounce. Check: the coach calls “hold” mid-pressure; can you stop instantly with nothing else moving?
Release is part of the mechanics
On a tap, a spoken “stop” or any sign of pain, take the pressure off with the hands first, then lift your head to open the shoulder-and-neck clamp, then let uke’s arm come down. Lifting your head first while your hands are still pressing removes the anchor and lets the arm drop under load. Rehearse this order on every repetition.
05 / KEY POINTS
Five cues about stillness and order
Section 4 checks each contact on its own. These cues check what must stay still while something else moves, which is where ude-gatame repetitions usually fail. Use one cue per set, with zero or minimal pressure.
The arm comes to you
You lower your shoulder and tilt your head to the wrist; you do not lift your chest to chase it. Check: the observer watches uke’s left shoulder blade. If it rises from the mat as you reach, you have released the pin.
Clamp before hands
The shoulder-and-neck clamp is closed before either hand leaves its pinning job. Check: the observer says which came first: your head tilting or your first hand moving to the elbow.
Say “thumb down” aloud
Before pressing, say the rotation you see. Check: said and true. If the thumb is not down, the word is “reset”, not “press”.
Only the hands move
During pressure, knees, hips, head and shoulder stay still. Check: film from the side. Any movement other than the hands means the load is coming from your body weight or from a drifting anchor.
Hands off, then head up
Release in the trained order. Check: on the coach’s “release” call, does your head stay tilted until your hands have opened?
If a cue fails twice in a set, return to stage 1 of section 10. In ude-gatame most pressure problems are anchor or base problems that surfaced late.
06 / PROBLEMS & ADJUSTMENTS
Why the arm slips, bends or loads the wrong joint
Diagnose from the first unintended movement, not the final outcome; each entry is a hypothesis to test with your coach.
“The wrist slides off my shoulder as I press.”
Possible causes: your head was not tilted, so the clamp was open; the wrist sat out near the edge of the shoulder; or you pressed before the clamp was closed and the pressure pushed the wrist out.
Tell them apart: freeze before pressure and let uke pull the arm back gently. If it slides with your hands off, the clamp is the problem; if it only slides when you press, the sequence is.
Adjustment: bring the wrist closer to your neck and tilt your head before the hands move (key point 2). Assess: five repetitions with the same gentle pull-back test before any pressure; count wrists that stay.
“Uke bends the elbow and the arm folds.”
Possible causes: your hands were on the forearm, so pressing bent the arm instead of acting on the joint; the thumb was not down, so the elbow faced sideways; or uke bent the arm before your hands arrived.
Tell them apart: watch where the arm folds. A fold at the elbow under your hands suggests rotation; a fold with your hands below the elbow suggests hand placement; a fold before your hands arrive is timing.
Adjustment: correct only the identified cause. If uke has bent the arm, stop: a bent near arm is not this lock’s shape. Keep the pin and wait for the next push. Assess: count repetitions that reach a straight-arm, thumb-down, hands-on-elbow shape before any pressure.
“Uke feels it in the shoulder, not the elbow.”
Possible causes: your hands were too high, on the upper arm; uke’s shoulder had lifted off the mat, so the arm was being pulled rather than levered; or the arm was angled across uke’s body instead of straight up to your shoulder.
Tell them apart: at zero pressure, the coach checks hand position and whether uke’s shoulder blade is on the mat.
Adjustment: stop, release, rebuild from the knees and the anchor. Do not press harder to “find” the elbow. Assess: uke reports the location of the first sensation at minimal pressure on every repetition of the next set.
“Uke feels it in the wrist.”
Possible causes: your shoulder-and-neck clamp is on the hand rather than the wrist, bending it; or your head is pressing the hand backwards as you tilt.
Tell them apart: ask uke whether the sensation is a bend of the hand or pressure across the wrist bones; look where the hand sits on your shoulder.
Adjustment: move the clamp up onto the wrist and tilt only enough to hold. A wrist lock is not ude-gatame and not part of this drill. Assess: same location report as above.
“Uke turns toward me and the lock disappears.”
Possible causes: your knees were away from uke’s side; you lifted your chest to reach the wrist; or the pressure started fast enough to provoke a turn.
Tell them apart: film from uke’s feet. Hips turning first points to your knees; shoulder lifting first points to your chest; a turn that starts at the first pressure points to speed.
Adjustment: close the knees to uke’s ribs and armpit before anything else, and never continue pressure once uke has started to turn: the elbow has rotated off the line. Assess: uke gives the same slow turn on five repetitions; count turns stopped by your knees alone.
“I got the arm but lost the hold-down.”
Possible causes: both hands left their pinning job at once; you rose to a high kneel to get above the elbow; or you treat the lock as the end of the exchange.
Tell them apart: after each attempt, note whether uke was still flat on the back and whether you could return to the hold without moving your knees.
Adjustment: make “uke still pinned” part of success. Lower your shoulder to the wrist rather than rising to it. Assess: over a set, count attempts ending in a tap, in a kept pin, or in an escape; the escape count should fall.
07 / ENTRIES & COMBINATIONS
Read the push before choosing the lock
Each route below names the arm it waits for and where it is abandoned. They are editorial practice patterns, not descriptions of the linked videos.
READ THE PUSH
Side hold: ude-gatame, juji-gatame, ude-garami or keep the pin
Start: side control from uke’s left side. Partner response, four cases: (a) uke’s near (left) arm straightens to push your neck or collar; (b) the near arm straightens but pushes low, at your hip; (c) uke’s far (right) arm comes up bent to push your head, with space under the elbow; (d) uke keeps both elbows tight. Next action: (a) is this guide’s opening: lower the shoulder and tilt the head to clamp the wrist, then cup the elbow. (b) is a juji-gatame shape, but it requires moving the hips to uke’s shoulder; do it only as your coach teaches. (c) is the ude-garami reference opening. (d) offers no lock: keep pinning. Stop or reset: if you cannot name the case before your hands move, stay in the hold for one more push.
AFTER THE LOCK FAILS
Ude-gatame → back to the hold
Start: you have the wrist clamped and hands on the elbow. Partner response: uke bends the arm and pulls it back toward the chest. Next action: let the arm go, keep your knees where they are and lower your chest back onto uke into the side hold or kesa-gatame as your coach has taught from that angle. Stop or reset: if uke has turned onto the side, reconnect to the pin first; do not chase the arm with your hands while uke turns.
UKE TURNS AWAY
Ude-gatame → waki-gatame route
Start: you are working uke’s straight left arm. Partner response: uke turns away from you, onto the right side or front, leaving the left arm extended toward you. Next action: the shoulder-and-neck anchor no longer lines up, because the elbow has rotated. If your coach has taught it, the extended arm of an uke on the front is the reference situation of waki-gatame, with both hands on the wrist and the armpit over the elbow, approached from uke’s side on your knees. Stop or reset: otherwise release the arm and follow uke into top control; uke turning to the front has given you their back, which is a different task.
THROW TO LOCK
Controlled throw → side position → ude-gatame
Start: a throw you already control lands uke on the back with you close at uke’s left side. Partner response: uke pushes your neck away with the left hand to stop you settling. Next action: kneel first, knees to uke’s ribs; only then clamp the wrist and bring the hands to the elbow. Stop or reset: if you are still on your feet, you are still in a standing position: the IJF rules penalise kansetsu-waza applied from the standing position (see section 11), and in practice the arm is loaded while your base is unsettled. Kneel or let it go. Agree in advance whether the drill continues on the ground.
For each attempt record two facts besides the result: which case (a–d) you named, and whether uke was still pinned at the end. Most failures show up in one of those two columns.
08 / DEFENCES & ESCAPES
Do not push straight at the neck, and tap early
Each defence removes one of the three contact points from section 4: the wrist anchor, the straight thumb-down arm, or the flat shoulder.
Prevention: frame with a bent arm
Under a side hold, the straight push into tori’s neck is the opening. Frames taught with the elbow bent, forearm against tori’s neck or shoulder rather than the hand, give tori nothing to anchor and no straight lever.
Early defence: take the wrist back or bend the elbow
Before tori’s shoulder and neck close, pulling the wrist back toward your own chest or bending the elbow removes the shape. Once the wrist is clamped, bending can still work if tori’s hands have not reached the elbow, but it may leave a bent arm that suits ude-garami from another angle.
Escape: change the elbow’s direction
Escapes that work act on the rotation: turning the arm so the thumb no longer faces down, or turning the body so the elbow no longer faces up, as your coach shows. Each needs tori’s knees to be loose. Once the arm is straight, the wrist clamped and both hands pressing, the right decision is to tap.
Counter exposure for tori
A tori who rises to get over the elbow lifts the chest; the bottom player can turn in or recover a knee. That is the main tactical cost of ude-gatame from a hold (problem 6 in section 6).
09 / TRANSITIONS FROM HOLDS
Which hold offers a straight arm to the neck
Ude-gatame is almost always reached from a pin that uke is trying to break. This map shows where a straight arm tends to come to the neck and what must stay controlled while you take it; it is a study aid, not a list of guaranteed entries.
| Starting hold | Straight arm that may arrive | What must stay controlled |
|---|---|---|
| Yoko-shiho-gatame | Uke’s near arm pushing at your neck or collar (reference form) | Knees to uke’s ribs and armpit; chest low enough that the far hip cannot turn in |
| Kesa-gatame | Uke’s free (far) arm pushing at your face; the near arm is already held | Head-side control and base; locking the free arm means leaving the hold, so treat it as a coached route |
| Kuzure-kesa-gatame | A free arm pushing at your face or shoulder | The arm already trapped under your arm and your hip contact |
| Kata-gatame | Rarely: the near arm is already trapped against uke’s head by the hold | The hold itself; it already controls that arm |
| Tate-shiho-gatame | Either arm pushing straight up at your chest or shoulder | Your weight over uke and your leg position; the “from above” direction differs |
| Kami-shiho-gatame | An arm pushing at your shoulder from underneath | Upper-body pressure from the head end |
Choosing between the pin and the lock
Ude-gatame is the arm lock that asks least of the pin: from the side it needs only a shoulder lowered and two hands moved, and your knees can stay. That makes it tempting to attempt on every push. Ask instead: is the push really straight, and are my knees really on uke? In a round whose task is to keep the pin, a lock attempt that frees uke’s hips is a wrong decision even if it would have worked.
After the lock
If uke escapes the lock but stays on the back, you are still beside uke: re-establish the hold. If uke turns away onto the front, you are behind a turtle or flat uke; the task is top control, a turnover or, if taught, the waki-gatame route above. If uke recovers a knee between you, reset. Broader session design is in the ne-waza drills guide.
10 / PRACTICE PROGRESSION
From a still arm to a decision under the pin
Advance only when the criterion is met with the coach watching. Progress means control, correct choices and clean releases, not taps.
Anchor and cup without pressure
Uke lies on the back and places the straight left arm with the wrist on tori’s shoulder. Tori builds knees, clamp, rotation and hands with no pressure. Uke tests a slow pull-back, a bend and a turn toward tori. Criterion: all three are stopped by the structure, with tori’s hands still only cupping.
Minimal pressure to first signal
From the checked shape, tori presses in small steps; uke reports the location of the first sensation and taps; tori runs the release order. The coach can call “hold”. Criterion: the first sensation is always at the elbow, and every tap produces immediate hands-off, then head-up.
From the hold with one defence
Start in side control from uke’s left side. Uke pushes at tori’s neck with the straight left arm; tori takes it. Uke then chooses one agreed defence: bending the elbow or turning toward tori. Tori either completes slowly or declines and keeps the pin. Criterion: tori never presses once the arm has bent or rotated, and uke is still pinned after every declined attempt.
Positional rounds with a choice
Short rounds from side control. The bottom player tries to escape and may push with either arm. The top player may keep the pin, take ude-gatame on a straight near arm at the neck, or take ude-garami on a bent far arm. Tap or loss of control ends the round. Criterion: the coach judges that the top player’s choices match the case read in section 7 in most rounds, with no pressure applied after the shape was lost.
Free ne-waza randori including locks comes after stage 4, once the coach judges the release order dependable and confirms eligibility.
11 / COMPETITION REPLAYS
Two IJF replay leads, and the rules context
We checked two IJF technique-library entries on October 14, 2026. Each is a replay lead: the contest is listed under the athlete’s ude-gatame tag; what happened in it is not verified.
Krpalek vs Snippe, Grand Prix Upper Austria 2025
The IJF page headed “Ude-gatame by KRPALEK Lukas” lists the Grand Prix Upper Austria 2025 contest between Lukas Krpalek (CZE, white) and Jelle Snippe (NED, blue) under that tag. The same page lists two other contests.
Conway vs Prokopenko, Budapest Grand Prix 2018
The IJF page headed “Ude-gatame by CONWAY Sally” lists the Budapest Grand Prix 2018 contest between Sally Conway (GBR, white) and Alena Prokopenko (RUS, blue) under the same tag, among four listed contests.
Verified: page titles, events, pairings, colours and tags; each title credits the tagged action to the athlete it names. Not verified: whether it scored, the timestamp, whether it happened in ne-waza or during a transition, the preceding position and any tactics. We have not watched the footage.
Rules context for the replays
The current IJF Sport and Organisation Rules refereeing text (the document the IJF lists as version 21.01.2026) treats kansetsu-waza in standing judo separately from ne-waza. Article 11.2(g) lists, among the situations for “Mate!”, an athlete performing or attempting kansetsu-waza or shime-waza from the standing position, with a shido. Article 18.1.2 point 29 gives shido for kansetsu-waza or shime-waza in tachi-waza where uke “has the possibility to escape”, and Article 18.2.2 point 5 gives hansoku-make (the group whose athlete cannot continue in the competition) where there is a “higher risk of injury” and uke has no possibility to escape. A straight-arm lock taken from a standing grip is therefore a refereeing question, not a scoring option; replays from earlier seasons reflect the rules of their event.
Viewing questions to take to the replays
- Origin: was uke on the back under a hold, turning out of one, or still in a transition from standing?
- Anchor: where was uke’s wrist when tori’s hands reached the elbow: on tori’s shoulder, trapped by an arm, or held by the hands alone?
- Rotation: which way did uke’s thumb face as the pressure came on?
- Base: was tori kneeling, and did tori’s knees stay against uke?
- Ending: how quickly did the action stop after the signal, and what position followed?
Answer only what the camera shows; mark the rest “not visible”.
12 / VARIATIONS & COMPARISONS
Ude-gatame and the other elbow locks
The Kodokan list names several ude-hishigi locks as separate techniques. They share the elbow as the target; the IJF definitions differ in what anchors the arm and what applies the pressure.
| Technique | Arm shape | Anchor / what applies pressure (IJF wording, summarised) | Typical opening in this guide’s terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ude-hishigi-ude-gatame | Straight | Wrist between tori’s shoulder and neck; both hands press the elbow from above | A straight arm pushing at your neck while you kneel beside uke |
| Ude-hishigi-juji-gatame | Straight | Both hands on the wrist; upper arm trapped between tori’s thighs | A straight arm you can reach with your hips at uke’s shoulder |
| Ude-hishigi-waki-gatame | Straight | Both hands on the wrist; arm pinned under tori’s armpit | An extended arm of an uke on the front or knees |
| Ude-hishigi-hiza-gatame | Straight | Tori’s knee presses the elbow | See that guide |
| Ude-garami | Bent | Both of tori’s arms entangle one arm and twist it | A bent far arm with space under the elbow |
The practical difference from juji-gatame is the cost: juji-gatame moves your hips and legs and takes you onto your back; ude-gatame keeps you kneeling at uke’s side. The practical difference from waki-gatame is uke’s orientation: ude-gatame’s “from above” works on an uke lying on the back, waki-gatame’s armpit pin on an uke facing the mat. Ude-hishigi-sankaku-gatame, the triangle armlock, is a further Kodokan lock studied in its own guide.
Variations within ude-gatame
Anchor variations, where the wrist is held by an arm or a hand instead of the shoulder and neck, change the IJF shape; ask your coach whether the result is still called ude-gatame in your syllabus. Position variations, from above in tate-shiho-gatame or from the head end, change the direction of “from above” and the base. Standing applications exist in self-defence and other systems, but in IJF judo a lock from the standing position is a rules matter (section 11), and this guide does not teach one. In every variation, if pressure is not arriving at a straight elbow from above while the wrist is anchored, it is probably a different technique.
13 / YOUR NEXT PRACTICE
One session: the clamp before the hands
Task: with your coach’s agreement, run stage 3 of the progression: side control from uke’s left, uke pushing at your neck with the straight left arm, then choosing between bending the elbow and turning toward you. Pressure, if any, is slow and stops at the first tap.
- Situation
- Side control from uke’s left; uke pushes your neck with the straight left arm.
- My focus
- Shoulder-and-neck clamp closed before either hand moves; knees on uke.
- What I noticed
- Did I lift my chest? Was the thumb down? Which defence did uke choose, and did I stop?
- Coach question
- “When the arm escapes, is it my clamp, my hand position or my knees?”
- Next decision
- Keep the task, return to anchor-and-cup without pressure, or add the ude-garami case.
A worked review record
Illustrative example, not measured training data: “Ten pushes, seven straight. I clamped six of those. On two, my hands went to the elbow before my head tilted and uke pulled the wrist out. On one, uke turned in as I rose onto my knees, and the coach stopped me because I was still pressing. Next session: head first, hands second, and I stay low.”
The note separates counts, coach observations and the next change, and logs the safety stop as information. Keep it in the practice-log template or with Judo AI so the next session starts from the clamp, not from a new technique.
14 / SOURCES & REVIEW
Sources, authorship and review
- Kodokan: Names of Judo Techniques — official name and kansetsu-waza classification.
- IJF: Ude-gatame definition and technique library — definition and “arm lock” label quoted in section 1; checked October 14, 2026.
- KODOKAN: 腕挫腕固 / Ude-hishigi-ude-gatame and Shintaro Higashi: The Other Judo Armlock: Ude-Gatame — identity, publisher, upload date, length and publisher description verified (YouTube oEmbed and player data); not transcribed or analysed shot by shot.
- IJF replay selections: Krpalek and Conway — listing and tag only.
- IJF Referee Commission documents: IJF SOR Refereeing Rules, listed as version 21.01.2026 — Articles 11.2(g), 18.1.2 point 29 and 18.2.2 point 5, checked October 14, 2026.
By Judo AI · Editorial review: October 14, 2026. The essentials (uke’s left wrist between tori’s shoulder and neck, thumb-side down, both hands pressing the elbow from above) come from the IJF definition. Kneeling at uke’s side, knee placement, hand overlap, the reading of “thumb-side down” and the release order are editorial readings of commonly taught practice, flagged for coach confirmation against the Kodokan demonstration. Drills, diagnoses and stage criteria are Judo AI editorial proposals 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. The rule provisions cited in section 11 are paraphrased from the IJF text listed above; referees apply them to specific actions, and national, youth and event rules can differ. We found no cadet-specific kansetsu-waza provision in that IJF text and did not review national rules; check age-group and grade restrictions with your coach before using any kansetsu-waza in randori or shiai. Tap means immediate release in every context.