Osaekomi-waza
抑え込み技
A group of judo techniques in which the opponent is held on the back on the ground. Twenty seconds of uninterrupted holding means ippon in competition.
Quick Facts
Word breakdown
Definition
Osaekomi-waza (抑え込み技) are holding techniques: osaekomu means to hold down, to suppress. They belong to katame-waza, the immobilization techniques, and the Kodokan lists ten of them. They include, for example, kesa-gatame, kata-gatame, kami-shiho-gatame, yoko-shiho-gatame and tate-shiho-gatame. In competition under IJF rules, a hold lasting uninterrupted for twenty seconds gives ippon and a hold longer than ten seconds gives waza-ari. Different limits used to apply: waza-ari was awarded for more than fifteen seconds and yuko for more than ten seconds. Yuko was abolished in 2017.
In practice
A hold begins with the referee's command “osaekomi” and from that moment the clock runs. When the held fighter escapes, the referee calls “toketa” and the timing ends. A valid hold requires that the opponent lie on the back or on the shoulder blades and that the attacker's legs not be clamped by the opponent's legs.
Relations to other terms
See also
The highest score in Japanese martial arts competitions, “one full point”. In judo it ends the match, in kendo it is the basic unit of scoring.
Waza-ari技ありSecond-highest score in judo and karate, literally “technique is here”. In judo two waza-ari give ippon, in WKF karate it is worth two points.