How To Do The Te Guruma In Judo – The Hand Wheel Throw

The Te Guruma is a judo throw classified as a nage-waza. It is sub-classified as a te-waza which is a hand technique. A lot of hand techniques (including te guruma) have currently been banned since the rules of Judo changed in 2011. As you are not allowed to touch the opponent below the belt, this makes the te guruma almost impossible to do inside competition rules.

Te guruma is often confused with sukui nage since the two throws follow almost exactly the same concept. This concept is trapping the arm of the uke whilst scooping under their center of gravity and throwing them. However, when the throws are done outside of competition (at least when they were legal) and performed at a lower speed, the difference is somewhat obvious. This is due to the angle of picking up and throwing the uke.

Sukui nage will drop the opponent backward after scooping up their legs. Te guruma throws the uke over their own shoulder after grabbing through the inside of the opponent’s leg from behind.

Variations of te guruma are often used in other leg-centric grappling sports such as wrestling where the techniques are 100% legal. The move is often referred to as a “high crotch” throw in these circles.

Why Te Guruma Is Banned In Judo Competition

Leg grabbing in judo was initially banned in 2010 and rules became stricter over time until they are completely banned in 2013. There is speculation that Russian athletes were taking advantage of the rules relying purely on counterattacking throws. Whilst this may be true, athletes will always find a way to win regardless of the ruleset. Perhaps banning leg grabbing seemed like a good idea at the time, but as a result a lot of judo hand techniques have been lost as a result.

Another theory is that the matches were not exciting enough for a casual spectator. This was almost certainly the reason behind double collar grips becoming banned. Leg takedown techniques very rarely scored ippon, which is perhaps the main reason why they got banned.

In conclusion, it was nothing against the te guruma specifically, but the IJF decided to put a blanket ban on gripping below the belt.

Entries To Te Guruma

The te guruma can be entered from a couple of different grips. It either requires a standard collar sleeve (high grip on collar) in which you duck around to the sleeve side, or you can have a full sleeve control of one arm and duck around to the opposite side. Both grips are different from one another, but still look the same style entry as one another.

Once the high collar or deep sleeve grip is controlled, you must try to duck under your opponent’s other arm. If they have something like a particularly loose Georgian grip or any other kind of high grip, this is ideal. The only other way to get under the arm of the opponent is baiting them into thinking they can have a grip such as this and then quickly ducking underneath.

You do not want to go around the legs of your opponent to the back when attempting te guruma. You can stand directly in front of their nearest leg and grip around the back of this in a “high crotch” manner.

Counter To Seoi Nage

Te guruma is a natural counter to seoi nage. As soon as you are aware that your opponent is entering a seoi nage, you should hop around their hips and away from danger. This saves you from the risk of being thrown, whilst also opening doors to counter throws such as the te guruma. Once you are safe from being thrown, you should be in a stance where you are faced with a sideways facing opponent.

The adversary who initially attempted the seoi nage may think they’re safe from most throws since you’re not behind them and maybe worried about other throws such as tani otoshi.

Since the opponent has missed a seoi nage, they have already given you 90% of the entry. Most times you’re in this position you will simply need to kneel down for a brief moment and pick up the nearside thigh of your opponent.

Mechanics Of The Throw

Although te guruma looks very different from a lot of modern-day judo throws, the mechanics are surprisingly similar. You are essentially performing a wheel motion with your arms, although the wheel is a lot larger than a standard sleeve + collar grip.

Once you have controlled the leg and collar of the opponent you are in a good position to attempt the throw.

For the most part, your arm which attacks the legs is going to do most of the lifting. Your collar grip should still pull the opponent in the direction you want, but this will be a lot more difficult. The collar gripping hand is pulling but should be used as more of a guide to putting the uke into the position you want.

As you lift the opponent’s leg into the air you will realize that they feel very lightweight. This is because you are almost directly underneath their center of gravity. At first, you should lift the uke directly upwards and then move their upper body with your collar grip. This will cause an uneven weight distribution and force them to fall forward towards their head. The uke is forced to roll for an ippon if they do not want their head to be spiked into the ground.

How To Defend Against Te Guruma

After the opponent has gained control of your sleeve, you are already in a bad position. However, even though this position is bad, it doesn’t mean you are anywhere near getting thrown yet.

The first line of defense is to get an underhook on the opponent’s body. If you take a deep underhook there is absolutely no chance that the opponent will be able to duck under your arm and get to your back or side. The underhook stops the opponent’s body from going anywhere and they simply will have to try something else.

If you are unable to get an underhook you must get a very tight overhook. Something like a Georgian grip will likely not be enough as your opponent has a chance of getting underneath your arm and an entry to a good angle.

Lastly, if you have failed at all of these defenses you must sprawl as hard as you can and drop your hips to the mat. Whilst this may put you in a defensive position such as turtle, you will be able to work a recovery from here. If you let the opponent lift you into the air, the match could well already be over if you land flat on your back.

Potential Danger & Safety Of Uke

The te guruma offers a potential danger to the uke in that it is relatively easy to spike them onto their head and neck compared to other throws. Due to the fact that you have full control of the uke’s arm and are lifting their legs into the air first, this causes their head to drop down to the ground.

An inexperienced training partner may not know how to roll properly when being thrown or you may just not give them enough time to do so.

This is why it’s always good etiquette to be responsible for the safety of your training partners. If you are going to lift their legs over their head, then you should also be responsible for making them land safely.

Te Guruma In Other Grappling Sports

Te guruma is reasonably common in other grappling sports. Whilst it’s not a “bread and butter” throw by any means. It is certainly more common to find te guruma in other forms of grappling such as sambo and wrestling since it’s not banned under these rules.

The te guruma is not seen all too often since there are often other options available from a similar position. Particularly in grappling rulesets where stand up chokes are allowed, it may be a better option to duck completely under and hunt the back of the opponent, rather than try the throw. This is because outside of judo, ippon scoring throws do not end the match, whereas a strangle will end a match regardless of the ruleset.

In wrestling, a “high crotch” throw is often used when you’re able to get a side angle on the legs of the opponent. This differs from te guruma since you do not have a high collar grip. In most wrestling scenarios your hands are actually clamped together around the legs of the adversary. With that being said, you are still lifting the opponent into the air in a similar fashion and throwing them towards their back wherever possible.