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Vocabulary Technique 9 – Ground Technique

Vocabulary Technique 9 – Ground Technique

Ground Techniques
Ne waza — Ground techniques — 寝技 Lie down / technique
Ground techniques are the continuation of tachi waza. In the logic of the work, ground techniques follow standing techniques: they are the continuation on a horizontal plane of what is first sought on a vertical plane.

Ground work has a particular educational value, because it allows beginners as well as advanced practitioners to mobilise their hips in constant contact with the tatami. The perception of the void is less immediate than when standing. Likewise, movements require less amplitude on the ground than when standing.

In this way, it is possible to construct a junomichi class from ground work (ne waza) towards standing work (tachi waza).

Ne waza includes two kinds of techniques: katame waza and katame ura no waza.
Control Techniques
Katame waza — Control techniques — 固め技 Keep, make firm / technique
Control is a constant presence and vigilance of the practitioner upon themselves. To transmit and make this presence act, the practitioner has techniques at their disposal.

Control techniques do not consist in stopping or preventing the partner’s actions, but in always being “before” them.

This way of being “before” and of compensating for Uke’s attacks is particularly visible in the katame no kata, in the attitude and techniques deployed by Tori. The notions and elements involved in ground control techniques are the same as for standing control techniques.

Katame waza are divided into osae waza, shime waza and kansetsu waza.
Osae waza
Osae waza — Holding techniques — 抑え技 Hold / technique
Osae waza allow the practitioner to keep the partner on their back without constraining them, that is to say through an action on a horizontal plane.

Through control of oneself, the one who holds is able at every moment to feel and anticipate the action and the position of the partner.

The effectiveness of an osae waza depends on a link between the back of the head and the pelvis, which gives the action its cohesion. The knees are spread in order to bring the hara as close as possible to the ground. The hands, placed without tension and open on the partner’s dôgi, serve as relays of the hara.

These elements make it possible to exercise control within a circle inside which the partner is included. The partner is thus left free to exercise their own “escape techniques”, or more exactly their osae ura no waza.

Kesa gatame — Control through the crosswise scarf — 袈裟固め Buddhist monk’s crosswise garment / keep, make firm
Hon gesa gatame — Fundamental control through the crosswise scarf — 本袈裟固め Fundamental / Buddhist monk’s crosswise garment / keep, make firm
Kuzure gesa gatame — Variant of control through the crosswise scarf — 崩れ袈裟固め Variant / Buddhist monk’s crosswise garment / keep, make firm
Ushiro gesa gatame — Control through the crosswise scarf to the rear — 後袈裟固め Rear / Buddhist monk’s crosswise garment / keep, make firm
Makura gesa gatame — Pillow crosswise scarf control — 枕袈裟固め Pillow / Buddhist monk’s crosswise garment / keep, make firm
Kata gatame — Control through the shoulder — 肩固め Shoulder / keep, make firm
Shihô gatame — Control in four directions — 四方固め Four directions / keep, make firm
Yoko shihô gatame — Control in four directions on a horizontal plane — 横四方固め Side / four directions / keep, make firm
Kuzure yoko shihô gatame — Variant of control in four directions on a horizontal plane — 崩れ横四方固め Variant / side / four directions / keep, make firm
Kami shihô gatame — Control in four directions from above — 上四方固め Above / four directions / keep, make firm
Kuzure kami shihô gatame — Variant of control in four directions from above — 崩れ上四方固め Variant / above / four directions / keep, make firm
Tate shihô gatame — Control in four directions on a vertical plane — 縦四方固め Vertical / four directions / keep, make firm
Shime waza
Shime waza — Techniques of pressure on the blood flow — 絞め技 Pressure / technique
Shime waza are control techniques applied to the neck of the partner. They help reduce the circulation of blood to the brain through a slow and continuous pressure on the carotid arteries.

They are in no way a compression of the airways, a pressure on the larynx, or a twist of the cervical vertebrae — all actions that would risk injuring the partner.

A properly executed shime waza may lead to loss of consciousness. Before that point, the one receiving the technique gives a signal to warn the partner, who stops immediately. The one applying the shime waza does so without any wish to force the partner to “submit”, but in order to continue the control and the relation.

Nami jûji jime — Ordinary cross pressure on the blood flow — 並十字絞め Ordinary / cross / pressure
Kata jûji jime — Cross pressure on the blood flow from one side — 片十字絞め One side / cross / pressure
Gyaku jûji jime — Reverse cross pressure on the blood flow — 逆十字絞め Reverse / cross / pressure
Hadaka jime — Bare pressure on the blood flow — 裸絞め Bare / pressure
Ryô te jime — Two-arm pressure on the blood flow — 両手絞 Two / upper limb / pressure
Tsukkomi jime — Diving pressure on the blood flow — 突っ込み絞め Dive in / pressure
Okuri eri jime — Pressure on the blood flow by accompanying the collar — 送り襟絞め Accompany / collar / pressure
Kata ha jime — Wing pressure on the blood flow from one side — 片羽絞め One side / wing / pressure
Sankaku jime — Triangular pressure on the blood flow — 三角絞め Triangle / pressure
Morote jime — Pressure on the blood flow with both arms — 双手絞め Two upper limbs / pressure
Ashi gatame jime — Pressure on the blood flow while controlling with the leg — 足固め絞め Lower limb / keep, make firm / pressure
Ushiro jime — Rear pressure on the blood flow — 後絞め Rear / pressure
Sode guruma — Wheel through the sleeve — 袖車 Sleeve / wheel
Kansetsu waza
Kansetsu waza — Joint techniques — 関節技 Joint / technique
Kansetsu waza consist in exerting control through one of the partner’s joints. This control, transmitted by the hara, never goes against the joint or into torsion, but in the direction of elongation.

As with shime waza, the one receiving a kansetsu waza may give a signal to interrupt the technique when it reaches a dangerous intensity.

Ude garami — Binding with the upper limbs — 腕緘 Elbow / bind
Ashi garami — Binding with the lower limbs — 足緘 Lower limb / bind
Ude hishigi jûji gatame — Cross control in the direction of elongation of the arm — 腕挫十字固め Elbow / dislocate / cross / keep, make firm
Ude hishigi waki gatame — Side control in the direction of elongation of the arm — 腕挫腋固め Elbow / dislocate / side / keep, make firm
Ude hishigi ude gatame — Arm control in the direction of elongation of the arm — 腕挫腕固め Elbow / dislocate / arm / keep, make firm
Ude hishigi hara gatame — Belly control in the direction of elongation of the arm — 腕挫腹固め Elbow / dislocate / belly / keep, make firm
Ude hishigi hiza gatame — Knee control in the direction of elongation of the arm — 腕挫膝固め Elbow / dislocate / knee / keep, make firm
Ude hishigi mune gatame — Chest control in the direction of elongation of the arm — 腕挫胸固め Elbow / dislocate / chest / keep, make firm
Reverse of Control Techniques
Katame ura no waza — Reverse of control techniques — 固め裏の技 Hold, make firm / reverse / of / technique
Katame ura no waza are the set of attacking techniques that allow a practitioner, when held in katame waza, to reverse the situation and control the partner in turn.

These techniques are commonly referred to as “escape techniques”. Each of them is the reverse of a katame waza, and they exist within the very structure of those techniques.

A practitioner is not necessarily controlled simply because they are held on the ground, or because a technique is applied to a joint or to the blood flow. In reality, they may exercise a control over the partner — initially invisible, then increasingly evident — until the reversal occurs.

The “escape” itself is not the essential aspect, although it is the most visible. Katame ura no waza apply to all three forms of katame waza: osae waza, shime waza and kansetsu waza.
Osae ura no waza — Reverse of holding techniques
Osae ura no waza — 抑え裏の技 Hold / reverse / of / technique
Osae ura no waza are ground attacking techniques similar to standing throwing techniques. Once the situation is reversed, they naturally continue into osae waza.

The form and orientation of the body are the same as in shizentai: whether projecting towards the feet or towards the head, the actions are directed forward and downward.

Their practice contributes to freeing the body and developing awareness of the hara, within a context where contact with the ground is constant.

These techniques may be practised through uchi komi, kata, geiko or randori.

Osae ura no waza are specific to junomichi. They were developed to refine a body action applicable to all holding techniques.
Shime ura no waza — Reverse of strangulation techniques
Shime ura no waza — 絞め裏の技 Pressure / reverse / of / technique
Shime ura no waza are practised as soon as the partner initiates a shime waza.

By removing all tension and undoing what has been established by the control, the practitioner follows the direction of the partner’s action in order to continue into osae ura no waza.
Kansetsu ura no waza — Reverse of joint techniques
Kansetsu ura no waza — 関節裏の技 Joint / reverse / of / technique
Kansetsu ura no waza are executed at the very moment of the partner’s attack with a joint technique. They are therefore themselves attacking techniques, not simple defences.

Rather than escaping by contracting the limb, the practitioner accompanies the action: offering the arm in order to maintain control, and continuing into osae waza.

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