Kibisu-gaeshi

Tori lowers his body and takes hold of Uke’s heel from the inside (or outside) with one hand, and quickly reaps his foot. Similar techniques are covered in this section.

 

Kibisu-gaeshi – taking hold of Uke’s right heel from the inside with the right hand: Tori and Uke grapple in right natural posture. Tori steps forward with his left foot, then right foot, then left foot again, and begins to push Uke backward and break his balance. Uke, being pushed, steps back with his right foot, then left foot, then right foot again. He assumes a left defensive posture to hold his ground, pushes Tori back, and begins to return to a stable posture. At this moment, Tori lessens the pushing action of both hands, and pulls with the left hand, so that Uke, pushing back, begins to step the right foot forward. At this moment, Tori lowers his body while stepping back with the left foot, then the right foot, and drops the right knee to the mat. Tori then hooks Uke’s right inside heel with the right hand. At this point, Tori’s left foot is positioned outside of Uke’s right foot, and Tori’s body is slightly open to the right. At the moment Uke transfers his weight onto his right foot, Tori pulls the right hand towards himself, and reaps the ankle while pulling straight down with the left hand, so that Uke is thrown on the spot.

It is not essential for tori to drop his knee to the mat in this technique. However, it is crucial that he lowers his body close to the base of uke’s right leg, enabling him to hook his right heel effectively. At the instant uke steps his right foot onto the mat and shifts his weight onto it, tori must seize that ankle and reap it with his right hand, while simultaneously pulling straight down with the left hand, ensuring that uke is thrown cleanly and swiftly. If tori mistimes this action, uke may be able to support his body with his left foot and lift his right foot, evading tori’s reap. Moreover, reaping uke’s right foot becomes challenging if uke has firmly planted it onto the mat and transferred his weight onto it.

 

Tori should focus on pulling toward himself with his right hand, rather than pulling upward in a large motion. This action causes uke’s legs to open wide, reducing his ability to defend from the rear. The principle of this technique closely resembles that of kouchi-gari, with the key difference being that tori uses his hand instead of his foot to reap uke’s foot.