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    Kumi-kata · grip-set

    Pistol grip

    The hands

    Pulling hand
    The sleeve end. Thumb inside the cuff pointing down, fingers outside, like a pistol.
    Lifting hand
    The lapel at chest height.
    Stance
    Either stance: the set is taken the same way against both.

    The sleeve is taken at the cuff with the thumb pointing down inside it and the fingers wrapped round the outside. It locks the wrist and lets the whole arm be lifted and turned, which is what the one-arm shoulder throw and the sleeve-lifting hip throw want; held without attacking it is a penalty.

    Under contest rules

    Allowed while attacking. A pistol grip is allowed with a positive attitude and time is given to prepare an attack. Held passively, or used to block, it draws a shido.

    Sport and Organisation Rules of the International Judo Federation: refereeing rules, 2026 edition, Article 18.1.2.

    No demonstration is linked yet. Suggest a video.

    Key points

    • Thumb down into the cuff, fingers round the outside
    • The grip lifts and turns the arm; it does not pull
    • Attack straight away, or let it go

    Taking it

    1. Take your partner's cuff with your thumb pointing down inside the sleeve end and your fingers closed round the outside.
    2. Lift and turn the arm with that hand while the other takes the lapel.
    3. Turn in under the lifted arm at once.

    Being held this way

    A thumb inside your cuff means your arm is about to be lifted and you are about to be turned under it. Bend the elbow hard and pull the hand to your hip; the pistol grip is weak against a bent arm.

    VI judo notes

    The thumb inside your sleeve end is a very particular feeling and worth learning to recognise: the attack under that arm follows immediately.

    Throws it feeds

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