Matte
待った
Referee's command in judo, literally “wait”. It stops the match and the clock, the fighters return to their marks and the match resumes with the command hajime.
Quick Facts
Word breakdown
Definition
Matte (待て) is the imperative form of the verb matsu, to wait, and means “wait”. In judo it is the referee's command that temporarily stops the match. The match clock stops with it. The fighters return to their places and the match resumes with the command hajime, begin. The referee calls matte, for example, when the fighters leave the contest area, when the groundwork is not progressing, or when the kimono needs to be adjusted, a penalty given or an injury treated. With the command the referee raises a hand to shoulder height, palm toward the timekeeper. A coach also uses the same word to stop free practice, randori.
Common mistakes and confusions
Matte is not a command that ends the match. The end of a judo match is announced by the referee with the word “sore-made”. In karate the command yame is used to stop a match, not matte. The command “sono-mama”, on the other hand, freezes fighters on the ground in their position and “yoshi” resumes the match from the same spot.