Part 3 of 3 · Gripping manual
Judo Gripping: A Practical Manual
Jason A. Hoffman, PhD • Version 4.0 • September 16, 2026 • 14 pages • ~30 min
Control space, starting with your own.
Practical help with stance, hand and wrist position, recovering from bad grips, and making room to move and throw.
Contents
Eight chapters for problems on the mat
Find the problem you keep having, try an adjustment, and work through it with a partner.
Start with your own position
Stance, posture, and noticing the attack
3 min
Take and keep a useful grip
Fabric, fingers, wrists, and contact
4 min
Make room for your throw
Move your arm and body into position
3 min
Get out of a bad grip
Recover posture, free the arm, and move
4 min
Same stance and opposite stance
Lapel arms, sleeve control, and footwork
4 min
Use the grip to move and throw
O-soto, ko-uchi, sasae, and uchi-mata
5 min
Common grips
What each grip helps you do
4 min
Practice
Partner exercises, randori, and competition rules
3 min