Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi

[BKR]

My instructor has this extremely odd idea that STA must be done when uke's foot is planted and by pulling straight down. He's extremely insistent about this and doesn't seem to realize why tsurikomi is part of the throw's name. I really want to correct him on this, but with him being a sandan and me just a sankyu I don't think I'd be able to convince him when he criticizes a nidan in our club for doing the throw correctly and beautifully.

Sounds like you have a winner there in the Hoosier state. Do it the right way when he isn't looking. I've had to fake my through a lot of crap judo at clinics and when visiting other clubs so as to not be rude.

But then when randori time comes, things can change.

Ben

[BKR]

Well the 'offset' thing is something I first noticed and worked out when people were doing O soto as I talked about in my O soto thread. Then I started picking it up on Sasae and Hiza as well and noticed people were using it.

Yeh what I'm saying is that in uchikomi you need to start 'offset' so that you replicate the positioning which stems from tai sabaki and natural movement which creates the debana. Its just the same as for the O soto starting slightly off step and doing the chasse step to get yourself out to the side.

I get it. Following is for general audience, not you in particular.

I'd like to point out to that this is a common method in Judo of doing uchikomi. We will position uke where the relative positions/grips of uke and tori create a moment of frozen debana, or opportunity/opening for the technique. It is critical to understand this, because it is a simplification that allows one to focus on the techique alone and not on how to get there. It's an ideal situation.

This seems to be how most people practice Judo, and then when in randori, get frustrated because nothing works, then go back and do more uchikomi in an ideal(ized) situation, then it still doesn't work, etc ad nauseum. Then it's "fucking uchimomi suck, just dead training".

For example, with uke and tori in square/shizenhontai stance, the easiest direction throw is straight to the front or back. This is basically where tori ends up of he "t's up" to uke correctly. More realistic is when uke and tori have offset stances, right vs right/left vs left or right vs left. In that case, tori has to do various things to "t up" to uke as illustrated by the Adams videos and Judoka_UK's various posts.

Point is, at some point you have to drill non-idealized situations statically and then with increasing amounts of movment and resistance in a progressive manner. But you have start somewhere, and the idealized situations are OK for that. Just understand how and what your are training.

Ben