01 / AT A GLANCE
A straight-arm lock where the armpit is the clamp
Ude-hishigi-waki-gatame, usually shortened to waki-gatame, is the armpit arm lock. Waki is the armpit or side of the body; ude-hishigi (“arm crush”) is the family name of the straight-arm locks. It is one of the kansetsu-waza within katame-waza in the Kodokan list of technique names. The IJF technique library gives the English label “armpit lock” and this definition: “A lock. From your opponent’s right side, use both hands to grip his right wrist and pin his arm under your armpit, then control it by applying pressure against his elbow joint.”
That sentence fixes the essentials: tori works from uke’s right side; both hands grip uke’s right wrist; uke’s arm is pinned under tori’s armpit; and the pressure acts against the elbow joint. It does not say whether uke is standing, kneeling or lying, which of tori’s armpits is used, or how tori’s body is supported. Those are the questions that decide whether a waki-gatame is safe, and they are also where the competition rules focus, so this guide is explicit about them.
Names you will meet: waki-gatame, ude-hishigi-waki-gatame, “armpit lock” and “armpit armlock”. Generic labels such as “armbar” or “straight armlock” also cover juji-gatame, ude-gatame and hiza-gatame, so write the full name in your notes.
Who this guide is for: judoka in supervised ne-waza who have been introduced to kansetsu-waza by a coach. Waki-gatame carries a specific risk the other locks share less: when it is attempted from a standing grip and tori drops, uke’s trapped arm cannot be used to break the fall. Section 11 states what the current IJF rules say about standing locks and what changed from the previous edition. Safety rules are stated once, at the end of section 4.
02 / WATCH THE TECHNIQUE
The official form and a coaching drill
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; we have not analysed it frame by frame and do not describe the demonstrators’ positions. Watch it with four questions:
- Where is uke when the armpit arrives: standing, kneeling or on the mat? Does that change during the clip?
- How is tori supported at the moment of control: on the knees, on the feet, or partly on uke?
- Which armpit covers uke’s arm, and how close to the elbow is it?
- What do the two hands do with the wrist: hold it still, lift it, or turn it?
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
The publisher describes athletes drilling waki-gatame “as a reaction to the opponent’s leg grab or judo switch”. We have verified the title, publisher, date, length and description, not the content, and attribute no cue to the presenter. Note the context before borrowing anything: under current IJF rules, grabbing the legs in tachi-waza is itself penalised and kansetsu-waza from the standing position is a prohibited act (section 11), so a drill built around a leg grab reflects a different rule set or training purpose. Use the clip for one question only: when the arm is caught, how does the top player get to the ground, and is the arm loaded during that descent? Then compare with the kneeling base in section 4.
03 / WHEN TO APPLY IT
The opening is an extended arm on an uke facing the mat
Waki-gatame needs an arm that is straight or nearly straight, away from uke’s body, and on an uke whose chest faces the mat, so that the back of the elbow faces up toward your armpit. Three questions decide whether the opening is real: Can both your hands reach the wrist without you leaving your knees? Is the elbow pointing up? Can your armpit arrive over the elbow while your weight stays on your own base?
Uke on hands and knees reaches or posts forward
A defending uke on all fours often extends the near arm to post, to grip your sleeve or belt, or to crawl away toward the edge. If you are kneeling at uke’s right side and uke’s right arm is extended, the wrist is in front of you and the elbow points up: the reference opening. The window lasts while the arm stays out; once uke tucks the elbow under the chest, the lock is not there.
Uke turns onto the front to escape a hold
From side holds, a bottom player who turns away and flattens out often leaves the top arm extended on the mat. You are already beside uke, close to that arm. Before taking it, check that uke’s chest is really facing the mat; a half-turned uke has an elbow pointing sideways, and the armpit would then load the shoulder.
Uke lands on the front after your throw or uke’s escape from it
When a throw ends with uke spinning out onto the front, your sleeve grip may still hold the right arm extended. This is a ne-waza opening only after you have come down to your knees beside uke. The IJF rules distinguish tori in a standing posture attacking an uke who is already in a ne-waza position from kansetsu-waza applied in tachi-waza (section 11); whichever way a referee would classify your action, the training rule here is simpler: kneel first, then lock.
Standing: where this guide stops
Waki-gatame from a standing grip, against a stiff straight arm, appears in older judo literature and other grappling systems. In current IJF judo it falls under the rules on kansetsu-waza from the standing position, with penalties up to hansoku-make (section 11), and it carries the falling risk described above. This guide does not teach a standing entry. Discuss standing applications only with your coach, for the rule set you actually train under.
When waki-gatame is not the answer
If uke is on the back, the elbow faces down into the mat; the straight-arm options there are ude-gatame or juji-gatame. If the arm is bent with the hand near uke’s head, a bent-arm lock such as ude-garami may apply from the appropriate position. If the elbow is tucked under uke’s body, work on a turnover or a hold instead of prying the arm out.
04 / HOW IT WORKS
Wrist held, armpit settled, base on your knees, then pressure
Waki-gatame is a lever with three points. Your hands fix uke’s wrist. Your armpit sits on the back of the arm just above the elbow. Uke’s shoulder, held near the mat, is the other end. Pressure on the elbow comes from a small change in the relationship between hands and armpit while your base stays still. Your body weight is not the pressure; it is what must be kept off the arm.
What is definitional and what is not: the IJF fixes the side (uke’s right), both hands on uke’s right wrist, the armpit pin and pressure against the elbow joint. Uke’s face-down starting position, your kneeling base, the choice of the left armpit and the direction of the small lift are commonly taught details of one form, flagged for your coach.
Kneel beside uke’s right shoulder
Before anything else, your knees are on the mat at uke’s right side, close to uke’s right shoulder, with your hips low enough that you could stay there without touching uke. Check: if uke suddenly disappeared, would you stay where you are? If you would fall forward, your base is on uke, and later it will be on the arm.
Both hands on the right wrist
Both your hands hold uke’s right wrist, as the IJF definition specifies. Hold the wrist, not the hand or fingers; turning or bending the hand is not part of this lock. Check: if uke tries to bend the elbow or rotate the forearm, can your two hands stop it?
Elbow pointing up
Uke’s arm is straight with the point of the elbow facing up toward your armpit. In a face-down uke with the arm extended on the mat this is the natural orientation; if uke has started to turn, the elbow faces sideways. Check: the coach looks at the point of uke’s elbow before the armpit lowers; if it faces sideways, reset.
Left armpit over the back of the arm, just above the elbow
Your left armpit settles over the back of uke’s upper arm, close to the elbow, and your upper arm lies along uke’s arm. The armpit pins; it does not yet press. Check: too far toward uke’s shoulder and the lever is short and loads the shoulder; on the forearm and the elbow can bend. The coach touches the elbow and your armpit should be just on the shoulder side of it.
Shoulder near the mat
Uke’s right shoulder stays low. If uke’s shoulder rises, the arm pivots at the shoulder instead of the elbow. Check: uke tries a small lift of the right shoulder; does the armpit pin alone keep it down without you adding weight?
Small, slow pressure
Pressure comes from a small lift of the wrist with the hands, or a small settling of the armpit, while your knees and hips stay still, in steps uke can follow. Check: the coach calls “hold” mid-pressure and you can stop at once. If you cannot stop because you are falling, the base failed in step 1.
Release is part of the mechanics
On a tap, a spoken “stop” or any sign of pain: stop the lift first and lower the wrist, then raise your armpit off uke’s arm, then open your hands. Lifting the armpit while the hands are still lifting the wrist can leave the elbow loaded. Practise this order on every repetition.
05 / KEY POINTS
Five cues about base and order
Section 4 checks each contact on its own. These cues check the order and the base, which is what makes waki-gatame safe or dangerous. Use one per set, at zero or minimal pressure.
Knees down before hands
Both knees touch the mat before both hands are on the wrist. Check: the observer watches your second knee landing and your second hand arriving, and says which came first.
Hands before armpit
Both hands hold the wrist before the armpit lowers. Check: if uke bends the elbow the moment the armpit touches, the hands arrived late.
Point the elbow, then pin
Say “up” only when the point of the elbow faces your armpit. Check: said and true; “sideways” means reset, not more pressure.
Weight stays home
During pressure, your hips do not move toward uke and your knees stay planted. Check: film from the side. Hips drifting forward means your weight is moving onto the arm.
Lower, lift, open
Release in the trained order: lower the wrist, lift the armpit, open the hands. Check: on the coach’s “release” call, is the wrist already moving down before the armpit rises?
If cue 1 or cue 4 fails even once, stop the set and return to stage 1 of section 10: those two are about falling, not about technique quality.
06 / PROBLEMS & ADJUSTMENTS
Why the arm escapes, the shoulder takes the load, or tori falls
Diagnose from the first unintended movement; each entry is a hypothesis to test with your coach.
“Uke bends the elbow and pulls the arm under the body.”
Possible causes: your hands held the forearm rather than the wrist; your armpit landed on the forearm, below the elbow; or the armpit arrived before the hands had control.
Tell them apart: freeze when the armpit lands and let uke try a slow bend. If the elbow folds under your armpit, the armpit is low; if the forearm swings in your hands, the grip is; if uke bent before you landed, it is order.
Adjustment: fix only the identified cause; usually hands on the wrist first (key point 2), armpit just above the elbow. Assess: five repetitions against the same slow bend; count elbows that stay straight with no pressure applied.
“Uke feels it in the shoulder.”
Possible causes: your armpit was too far up the arm toward the shoulder; uke’s shoulder lifted off the mat; or uke was half on the side, so the elbow faced sideways and the lever acted at the shoulder.
Tell them apart: at zero pressure the coach checks armpit position, shoulder height and the direction of the elbow point.
Adjustment: stop, release, rebuild: armpit closer to the elbow, uke’s chest facing the mat. Never press harder to “find” the elbow. Assess: uke reports the first sensation location at minimal pressure on every repetition of the next set.
“I lose my balance and drop onto the arm.”
Possible causes: you started from a crouch or from your feet; your knees were far from uke, so you had to lean over; or uke moved and you followed with your body instead of letting the arm go.
Tell them apart: look at where your knees were when the armpit landed, and at what moved first when you lost balance: uke or you.
Adjustment: this is a safety failure, not a technique detail. Return to stage 1 and rebuild the base: knees beside uke’s shoulder, hips low, no lean. If uke moves, release the arm and re-establish position. Assess: the coach watches a full set; any drop onto the arm ends the set.
“Uke rolls forward over the shoulder and the lock disappears.”
Possible causes: uke’s shoulder was free to lift; your armpit was loose; or the pressure came on fast enough to make uke try to roll away from it.
Tell them apart: did the roll start before or after the first pressure? Before suggests the pin; after suggests speed.
Adjustment: keep the shoulder low with the pin, not with weight, and apply pressure slowly. Whether uke is allowed to roll as a defence in your drills is a coaching decision; never chase a rolling uke with a loaded arm. Assess: uke attempts the same slow roll on each repetition; record whether the pin alone stops it.
“Uke turns toward me and the elbow points sideways.”
Possible causes: uke’s free (left) arm or knee pushed off to turn; your hands let the wrist rotate; or you were kneeling so far forward that uke’s hips were free.
Tell them apart: ask uke what started the turn: hips, shoulder or wrist.
Adjustment: a wrist-first rotation is a grip issue; a hip-first turn means your position left uke’s hips free, which a coach may address with knee placement. In either case stop the pressure as soon as the elbow turns. Assess: count turns that rotated the elbow before you stopped.
“The pressure arrives suddenly.”
Possible causes: uke’s arm was already near full extension when you pinned it; you lifted the wrist in one movement; or your weight shifted onto the armpit.
Tell them apart: time pin-to-first-sensation. Very short with a still base points to the starting extension or lift speed; any hip movement points to weight.
Adjustment: pin with no lift at all, pause, then lift in small steps; uke taps at the first clear sensation, not at pain. Assess: the coach watches one set; any sudden arrival at end range returns you to pinning without pressure.
07 / ENTRIES & COMBINATIONS
Follow the arm that leaves the body
These are editorial practice patterns that start and end in ne-waza. They are not descriptions of the linked videos.
TURTLE: READ THE ARM
Uke on hands and knees: waki-gatame, turnover or keep control
Start: uke on hands and knees, you kneeling at uke’s right side with chest contact on uke’s back. Partner response, three cases: (a) uke extends the right arm forward to post or crawl; (b) uke keeps both elbows tucked to the knees; (c) uke turns toward you to sit through. Next action: (a) is this guide’s opening: both hands to the right wrist while your knees stay planted, then the armpit settles. (b) offers no arm; work the turnover or control your coach teaches. (c) changes the task to stopping the turn. Stop or reset: if uke’s elbow returns under the chest before your armpit is on, let it go and keep chest contact.
HOLD ESCAPE TO LOCK
Side hold → uke turns onto the front → waki-gatame
Start: you hold uke from the right side in yoko-shiho-gatame. Partner response: uke turns away onto the front and leaves the right arm extended on the mat. Next action: stay on your knees, move them close to uke’s right shoulder, take the wrist with both hands, then settle the armpit. Stop or reset: if uke is only half-turned, with the elbow facing sideways, do not pin; follow uke into control from the back or return to the hold as taught.
LOCK TO LOCK
Ude-gatame → waki-gatame
Start: you are working ude-gatame on an uke lying on the back. Partner response: uke turns away onto the front, taking the elbow off the shoulder-and-neck line but leaving the arm extended. Next action: release the ude-gatame anchor, keep your knees beside uke and rebuild the waki-gatame shape from step 1. In this guide the lock is defined from uke’s right side; if the arm you were working is uke’s left, you are on the mirror side. Stop or reset: if uke keeps rolling, let the arm go; do not hold a straight arm while uke rotates.
AFTER THE LOCK FAILS
Waki-gatame → control or a hold
Start: your armpit is on uke’s arm. Partner response: uke rolls onto the back or turns in toward you and frees the elbow. Next action: release the wrist, then follow uke’s turn into a side hold such as yoko-shiho-gatame or kesa-gatame, whichever your coach has taught from that angle. If uke lands on the back with an arm straight toward your neck, the next option is ude-gatame. Stop or reset: if uke comes to the knees facing you, the round’s task has changed; follow the agreed positional rule.
For each attempt record two facts besides the result: whether your knees were down before your hands, and whether uke ended under control. Those two numbers say more than the tap count.
08 / DEFENCES & ESCAPES
Keep the elbows home on the front, and tap early
Every defence removes one of the conditions in section 4: the held wrist, the elbow pointing up, the armpit above the elbow, or uke’s shoulder near the mat.
Prevention: don’t post a straight arm away from the body
On hands and knees or flat on the front, an arm reaching forward or out to the side is the opening. Defensive postures taught with elbows close to the knees or under the chest leave no arm to pin.
Early defence: bend and retract before the armpit arrives
While tori’s hands are still reaching, bending the elbow and pulling the arm back under your body removes the lock. Once both hands hold the wrist, bending is harder but may still work if the armpit has not settled.
Escape: change the direction of the elbow
Turning so the elbow no longer points up changes the line, as does rolling, but rolling with a trapped arm is a technique your coach must teach and permit; it is not a reflex to try once pressure is on. Against a settled armpit pin with the elbow straight, tap.
Counter exposure for tori
Waki-gatame commits both your hands to one wrist. Your chest is not on uke and uke’s hips are free, so a failed attempt can let uke turn in and face you. That is why the failed-lock route in section 7 goes straight back to control.
09 / TRANSITIONS & FOLLOW-UPS
Where the extended arm appears, and what comes after
Waki-gatame mostly appears when uke is defending face-down. This map shows where the opening tends to occur and what you must keep; it is a study aid, not a list of guaranteed entries.
| Situation | Arm that may extend | What must stay controlled |
|---|---|---|
| Uke on hands and knees | The near arm posting forward or reaching for your sleeve | Your knees planted beside uke’s shoulder; chest contact until the hands move |
| Uke flat on the front | The near arm extended on the mat | Uke’s chest facing the mat; your hips low |
| Escape from yoko-shiho-gatame | The top arm left out as uke turns away | Your position beside uke as the hold breaks |
| Escape from kesa-gatame | The arm you were holding, if uke turns out toward the front | Your base; the arm is already in your hands, so the risk is chasing it |
| After a throw, uke spins to the front | The sleeve-side arm still in your grip | You on your knees before any lock; see section 11 |
After the lock
When uke escapes, name the new position: uke on the back (a hold, or ude-gatame if a straight arm reaches your neck), uke on the knees facing you (reset or stand up as the round allows), or uke still on the front (control from the side or back). In a round whose task is control, an armlock attempt that lets uke face you is a lost position, even if it nearly worked.
For broader ne-waza session design, see the ne-waza drills guide.
10 / PRACTICE PROGRESSION
From a kneeling base to positional rounds
Each stage begins on the knees. Advance only when the criterion is met with the coach watching.
Base and pin without pressure
Uke lies face-down with the right arm extended out to the side. Tori kneels, takes the wrist with both hands and settles the left armpit, with no lift. Uke tests a slow bend, a shoulder lift and a turn toward tori. Criterion: all three stopped by the structure, and tori’s hips never move toward uke.
Minimal pressure to first signal
From the checked pin, tori lifts the wrist or settles the armpit in small steps; uke reports where the sensation starts and taps; tori runs the release order. Criterion: the first sensation is always at the elbow, every tap brings immediate release, and the coach never sees tori’s weight shift.
Entry from hands and knees with one reaction
Uke on hands and knees, tori at the right side. On the coach’s signal uke either extends the right arm or keeps it tucked. Tori takes the lock only on an extended arm, from the knees, or keeps control. Criterion: no attempt on a tucked arm, knees down before hands every time, and uke under control after every declined attempt.
Positional rounds from the turtle
Short rounds: uke on hands and knees tries to stand up or turn in; tori tries to keep control and may attempt waki-gatame on an extended arm or a turnover into a hold. Tap or loss of control ends the round. Criterion: the coach sees no attempt started from the feet, no drop onto the arm, and choices that match the arm uke offered.
Standing work is not a stage in this progression. If your coach teaches a standing-to-ground transition, the first drill is lowering safely to the knees with no arm trapped at all.
11 / RULES & COMPETITION REPLAYS
What the IJF rules say now, what changed, and two replay leads
We read the IJF Sport and Organisation Rules refereeing text that the IJF Referee Commission currently lists as version 21.01.2026 (pages 125–191 of that document), and compared it with the earlier edition dated 12.03.2024, on October 14, 2026.
The earlier explicit waki-gatame rule
The 12.03.2024 edition listed, in Article 18.2.2 (“Hansoku-make for Acts against the Spirit of Judo”), point 5: to fall directly to the tatami while applying or attempting to apply techniques such as ude-hishigi-waki-gatame. That group’s hansoku-make means the athlete cannot continue in the competition. Many existing references, including well-known encyclopedia articles, still describe this clause.
The current text
We found no mention of waki-gatame by name in the 21.01.2026 refereeing text. The provisions that now govern standing locks are general to kansetsu-waza and shime-waza:
- Article 11.2(g): “Mate!” when an athlete performs or attempts kansetsu-waza or shime-waza from the standing position; “shido will be given.”
- Article 18.1.2, point 29 (shido): kansetsu-waza or shime-waza in tachi-waza, without a judo throwing technique or with one of “lower risk of injury”, where uke has the possibility to escape, performed with one or two hands on one arm.
- Article 18.2.2, point 5 (hansoku-make, athlete cannot continue): the same actions with a “higher risk of injury”, where uke has no possibility to escape.
- Article 18.2.2, point 7(a): any action that may endanger or injure the opponent, especially the neck or spinal vertebrae.
The same text notes that tori in a standing posture can apply kansetsu-waza or shime-waza when uke is in a ne-waza position. What this means for study, not for refereeing: a waki-gatame attempted from a standing grip and finished by falling directly to the mat is the kind of action the current provisions address, and under the earlier edition it was named outright. How a particular action is classified (shido or hansoku-make) is the referee’s decision. National, youth and event rules can differ; we found no cadet-specific kansetsu-waza provision in the IJF text and did not review national rules.
Two IJF replay leads
We checked two IJF technique-library entries on October 14, 2026. Each lists contests under an athlete’s waki-gatame tag; what happened in them is not verified.
Ceric vs Yamakawa, Baku Grand Slam 2017. The IJF page headed “Waki-gatame by CERIC Larisa” lists the Baku Grand Slam 2017 contest between Larisa Ceric (BIH, white) and Camila Yamakawa (BRA, blue), among three listed contests.
Ozturk vs Vladimirova, Grand Prix Portugal 2024. The IJF page headed “Waki-gatame by OZTURK Hilal” lists the Grand Prix Portugal 2024 contest between Hilal Ozturk (TUR, white) and Daria Vladimirova (AIN, blue), among three listed contests.
Verified: page titles, events, pairings, colours and tags. Not verified: whether the action scored, was penalised or happened in ne-waza; the timestamp; the preceding position. We have not watched the footage. Both events precede the 21.01.2026 text, so they were refereed under earlier editions.
Viewing questions
- Starting position: was uke standing, on the knees or flat when the arm was caught?
- Tori’s base: at the moment of control, was tori kneeling, standing or falling?
- Armpit and elbow: did the armpit sit just above the elbow, and did the elbow point up?
- Referee action: was there a score, a “Mate!” or a penalty?
Record only what the camera shows; mark the rest “not visible”.
12 / VARIATIONS & COMPARISONS
Waki-gatame and the other elbow locks
The Kodokan list names the ude-hishigi locks as separate techniques. Their IJF definitions share the elbow as the target and differ in what anchors the arm.
| Technique | Arm shape | Anchor / what applies pressure (IJF wording, summarised) | Uke’s usual orientation in these guides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ude-hishigi-waki-gatame | Straight | Both hands on the wrist; arm pinned under tori’s armpit | Face-down or on hands and knees |
| Ude-hishigi-ude-gatame | Straight | Wrist between tori’s shoulder and neck; both hands press the elbow from above | On the back |
| Ude-hishigi-juji-gatame | Straight | Both hands on the wrist; upper arm between tori’s thighs | On the back |
| 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 | On the back |
Waki-gatame and juji-gatame begin the same way, with both hands on the wrist; the difference is the second anchor (armpit versus thighs) and uke’s orientation. Waki-gatame and ude-gatame both keep tori on the knees beside uke; the difference is whether the elbow faces up because uke is face-down (armpit from above) or because the arm has been turned thumb-side down on an uke lying on the back. Ude-hishigi-sankaku-gatame, the triangle armlock, is a further Kodokan lock studied in its own guide.
Variations within waki-gatame
Starting-position variations: uke flat, on hands and knees, or turning out of a hold; each changes how the shoulder is kept low. Armpit side: some forms use the other armpit with a different body orientation; ask your coach which your syllabus uses and do not mix them within a drill. Standing applications belong to the rules discussion in section 11 and to other systems; they are not a variation this guide teaches. If the result does not pin the arm under the armpit with pressure on the elbow, it is probably a different technique.
13 / YOUR NEXT PRACTICE
One session: knees before hands
Task: with your coach’s agreement, run stage 3: uke on hands and knees, you at the right side, uke choosing on the coach’s signal between extending the right arm and keeping it tucked. Pressure, if any, is slow and stops at the first tap.
- Situation
- Uke on hands and knees; tori kneeling at uke’s right side.
- My focus
- Both knees down before both hands; hips never move toward uke.
- What I noticed
- Did I take a tucked arm? Where was my armpit relative to the elbow? Did my weight shift?
- Coach question
- “When the arm escaped, was it my grip, my armpit position or my base?”
- Next decision
- Keep the task, return to base-and-pin without pressure, or add the side-hold escape route.
A worked review record
Illustrative example, not measured training data: “Ten signals, six extended arms. I declined all four tucked arms. On the six, my knees were down first five times; once I reached from a crouch and the coach stopped the set. Two arms bent because my armpit landed on the forearm. Next session: knees first, and armpit just above the elbow.”
The note separates decisions, base and armpit placement, 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 base, not from a new entry.
14 / SOURCES & REVIEW
Sources, authorship and review
- Kodokan: Names of Judo Techniques — official name and kansetsu-waza classification.
- IJF: Waki-gatame definition and technique library — definition and “armpit lock” label quoted in section 1; checked October 14, 2026.
- IJF Referee Commission documents — IJF SOR Refereeing Rules listed as version 21.01.2026 (Articles 11.2(g), 18.1.2 point 29, 18.2.2 points 5 and 7) and the earlier IJF SOR edition dated 12.03.2024 (Article 18.2.2 point 5); both read October 14, 2026.
- KODOKAN: 腕挫腋固 / Ude-hishigi-waki-gatame and welcomematstevescott: Waki Gatame (Armpit Lock) — identity, publisher, upload date, length and publisher description verified (YouTube oEmbed and player data); not transcribed or analysed shot by shot.
- IJF replay selections: Ceric and Ozturk — listing and tag only.
By Judo AI · Editorial review: October 14, 2026. The essentials (uke’s right side, both hands on uke’s right wrist, the armpit pin and pressure against the elbow) come from the IJF definition. Uke’s face-down starting position, the kneeling base, the left armpit, the elbow-up check and the release order are editorial readings of commonly taught practice, flagged for coach confirmation against the Kodokan demonstration. Drills, diagnoses and criteria are Judo AI editorial proposals for supervised practice, not a validated 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. Section 11 paraphrases the IJF provisions listed above; referees apply them to specific actions, and national, youth and event rules can differ. Check age-group and grade restrictions with your coach before using kansetsu-waza in randori or shiai. Never fall onto a trapped arm, and tap means immediate release in every context.