Uchi-mata-sukashi

Tori dodges Uke’s Uchi-Mata and immediately throws him in the direction towards which his balance breaks by twisting with both hands. Similar techniques are covered in this section.

Uchi-Mata-Sukashi – Tori maneuvers to the right side to dodge Uke’s Uchi-Mata: Tori and Uke assume a right natural posture. Uke steps back with the right foot, then the left foot, and pulls Tori forwards, coming to a halt while pressing Tori’s upper body down slightly with both hands. Tori steps forward with his left foot as he is pulled forward, steps forward with his right foot and stops, then straightens up and begins to return to a stable posture. At this moment, Uke lessens the pulling action of both hands, and Tori reacts by straightening up and begins to step back with the right foot. At the instant his right foot passes behind his left foot, Uke steps his right foot between Tori’s feet to assume a right Han-Mi posture, while lifting and breaking Tori’s balance with both hands. He then moves his left foot and, changing step, he swings his right leg with momentum between Tori’s legs and springs it up using Uchi-Mata. At this instant, Tori steps his left foot back behind his right foot in a right Han-Mi posture, and dodges Uke’s attacking leg, so that it cuts through the air. Uke’s right leg misses its target and his balance breaks with his weight over his left supporting leg. Tori steps in with his right foot and, while lowering his waist, uses the energy from the momentum of Uke’s right leg to further lift him and break his balance over the tip of his left foot. He then throws Uke down by pulling downwards with the right hand and pushing the elbow with his left hand. Uke is thrown forward in a large sphere around the fulcrum of his left foot.

If tori’s left leg is drawn up to dodge uke’s leg, his posture will become unstable. If uke then executes a different waza, such as osoto-gari, tori will be unable to defend and likely be thrown. It is essential for tori to develop a sharp mind, one capable of making quick and correct judgments at the instant uke executes uchi-mata.

In such a situation, tori should respond not by moving his entire body, but by swiftly moving his left leg and slightly twisting his hips to dodge the right attacking leg. Immediately after dodging with his left leg, tori should step forward with his right foot into a right defensive posture and, without interrupting the momentum of uke’s right attacking leg, twist and throw him down.

In this scenario, tori steps back with his left leg, maneuvers his body, and while dodging the technique, steps in with his left foot, assumes a left posture, and throws uke down. This can be used at the moment uke tries to maintain his posture after tori has withdrawn his left leg, or if the distance between them is slightly too wide. If uke’s leg enters inside tori’s thigh, it is already too late for tori to dodge it.

In a technique commonly referred to as ‘kenken uchi-mata’, uke swings his right leg in a slow movement, which can be difficult for tori to dodge. In such cases, tori can respond by maneuvering his body.

The following situation is distinct from uchi-mata-sukashi. If tori dodges uke’s uchi-mata and immediately steps his left leg forward across the front of uke’s left foot, and then throws him by pulling down with both hands, this technique is known as tai-otoshi.