Grips with the Gi

Gripping methods fits into two categories within jacket work:
1 Hikite (the main pull) Sleeve grip “the working hand” or “Long pull”
2 Tsurite (the drawing hand) Lapel grip “the playing hand” or “short pull”.

Tsurite comes from the word tsuri meaning to fish and incorporates the idea of drawing an opponent off balance, just as a fishing rod bends when it draws a fish out of the water.
During competition gripping techniques supply the preliminary technique before executing a throwing method and to aid in countering the opponents attack. The outcome of the match usually depends if one opponent gains the first secure gripping position.
Every practitioner has his or her favourite gripping pattern and if achieved is more confident in leading the match.
It is important for the mastery of gripping techniques within training, so you are able to successfully apply and counter techniques.
A survey of 82 judo players was taken to determine their most favourite gripping position in hanging and pulling actions and whether they are a right- or left-hander, as well as their best or strongest technique.

Group	Method	Use	Surveyed No.	Favourite Techniques
A	Back grip / back collar grip	Hanging action	31	O soto gari, Uchi mata, Hari goshi
B	Side collar	Hanging action	30	O soto gari, Uchi mata, Ippon seoi nage, Tai otoshi
C	The front collar	Hanging action	21	Ippon Seoi nage, Tai otoshi, Ko uchi gari
A	Collar or armpit	Pulling action	12	O soto gari, Uchi mata, Harai goshi
B	Near the elbow joint	Pulling action	41	O soto gari, Uchi mata, Hari goshi, Ippon seoi nage, tai otoshi,
C	Area near the sleeve	Pulling action	29	Ippon seoi nage, Tai otoshi, O uchi gari, Ko uchi gari, Tomoe nage

Group B (hang) is most effective of all the hanging grips in breaking the opponent’s stance and can lead to every kind of subsequent technique. The grip in Group C (hang grip is considered more effective than any others in breaking the opponent’s stance by holding him by the front collar and actively using hanging actions to facilitate throwing down the opponent after creeping under him.
In Group A (pull) - gripping the collar or the area around the armpit in a pulling action will most facilitate a player to apply the subsequent Maki komi waza or Katsugi waza trick including the Ippon seoi technique achieved by gripping one-side of the collar.
In Group B (pull), grip position in the pulling action allows a player to most effectively use his power and also plays an important role in protecting himself from the opponent’s techniques. Further this grip position offers a stable basis to easily apply all subsequent techniques to the opponent.
In Group C (pull), this grip position allows more frequent use of Katsugi waza and Ashi waza techniques than others as gripping the opponent’s sleeve in the pulling action will restrict his free and active use of hanging actions and make his armpit area defenceless.

Method	Description
Basic sleeve grip	One handed grip to the end of the sleeve
Cross sleeve grip	Left hand on right shoulder, right on right sleeve end
Standard lapel grip (inside control)	Left hand on right lapel inside of opponent’s, right hand on top side of sleeve end
Standard lapel grip (outside control)	Left hand on right lapel outside of opponent’s, right hand on top side of sleeve end
Cross lapel grip	One hand grip i.e. Left hand on opponent’s left lapel
Power grip (high collar grip)	Left hand to form arm brace on opponent’s right side with right hand on left sleeve end
Back grip	Left hand to gripping opponent’s jacket at rear from under opponent’s right arm, with right hand on left sleeve end
Overhand grip	Left hand reaches over opponents back to take hold of opponents rear of jacket or belt
Double lapel grip	Left hand high lapel grip, right hand lower lapel grip
Double sleeve grip	Left hand on top opponent’s sleeve end grip, right hand on lower sleeve end grip
Punch grip	As indicated positioned with thumb down, to generate power.
Normal grip	As indicated positioned with thumb up, to maximum push or pull power.

Within Judo grips to the pants, lower jacket and belt have a time limit when standing, but are powerful grips within Jujitsu grappling both standing and the ground.

Grips without the Gi

Another area of gripping is used within bareback fighting and wrestling, where natural anchor points of the body are used to maintain grip, i.e. neck, elbow control, waist, knee, ankle, wrist, and armpit. It can be seen that these points are located at the joints of the body. They are used to off balance and lever the opponent to create movement or to inhibit mobility. These points are used especially within grappling where you are able to slide your hand into the natural voids of the body, for example if the opponent is laying on their back - under neck, knee or waist. These points the opponent has no power over you in stopping the grip being taken.

These natural anchor points are combined with a series of manual grips to strengthen your position. They are:
- Monkey – fingers hooked to each other
- Palming – both § Cup and Saucer – first of one hand sits in the other that is flattered
- C-grip – one hand griping the other to the wrist.
- Clasp – One hand grips to the other’s wrist without the use of the thumb.
- Hooking / Bracing – 1 or 2 arms hook the opponents without using their hands.

These techniques are used to overcome slippage during the transition between techniques and to stop sweat interfering with the ability for the opponent to counter your movement.
Gripping your opponent in various ways will create accelerated movement or to disable movement. This is also found within throwing techniques; the open hand (palming) is used to slow the rotation of the opponent when executing their technique. For example, “Major hip throw”, if you apply too much pressure to the back of the opponent they will feel this and be able to counter you much more swiftly. But if you slow the motion of the technique by offering an open handgrip to the same point the opponent will still think they are able to successfully execute the technique. This open handgrip creates friction or resistants to the opponent’s rotational motion, providing you a split second to attack with a counter technique.
This method is used in many other areas of training - grappling, self-defence and free sparring.

Combination Gripping
Using a combination of clothing and natural anchor points will maximise your gripping strategy. For example, within the pinning technique – “broken side four quarters hold”, (if pinning opponents right knee) grip the opponent’s pants from the outside and wrap across the opponent’s knee (above) to lock the knee stopping them from using the power of his or her leg.

Gripping Strategies

You will find when under pressure within a competition you and your opponent can be forced to take a grip involuntarily. If you are being punched you will punch back, this is the same case with gripping. If you do not practise grip fighting, when to pull, hang or take a natural grip your opponent will soon defeat you. This is due to being moved into his or her power grip for their favourite technique and then it will be too late to counter. Sometimes faking certain grips can create your opponent to rethink their attack or defence, by doing so will off balance him or her mentally.

Most practitioners are right handed?

Well this is a false statement, we train right handed and many left-handers do this because they are mimicking the movements of their instructor when learning. If you take a left handed grip when doing randori you will find most people will be put off and sometimes change grips forcing them to fail in their own defence.
From childhood we learn to do things with different hands better or stronger i.e. throw a ball right hand, but bat left-handed. This is another reason why sometimes people change grips during randori. They sometimes can execute an O goshi well left-handed and are stiff and jerky right handed. The power grip might be right handed and defence grips left-handed.

The question is really, why do so many players choose to use a specific fighting posture? The answer is obvious and very simple. The players aren’t just choosing which power hand to use; the players are employing personal gripping strategies.

A gripping strategy is much more than which power hand you prefer to use. Your gripping strategy, the way you manage your hands, shoulders, hips and footwork, is nothing less than your chosen method of controlling the attacking space.
The question now becomes; how does each gripping strategy control the attacking space and, by extension, the over-all match?

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