Breaking a cross-lapel grip

Key points

• Elbow over the crossing arm, then pin it to your chest
• Or turn your gripped shoulder in and their angle is gone
• The trapped arm is the one you throw on

Step by step

Left-handed: these steps use the standard right-handed form. Swap every left and right.

1. Lift the elbow on the gripped side over your partner's crossing arm.
2. Drop the elbow and pin their arm against your chest.
3. Or turn the gripped shoulder in towards them so their grip loses its angle.
4. Attack on the arm you have trapped.

From the other side

Their elbow coming over your crossing arm and dropping onto it pins your arm across your own chest. Let go before it is pinned and re-grip on the near side.

VI judo notes

You can feel the diagonal of their arm across your chest; the elbow goes over it at the point nearest your shoulder. Once pinned, their arm is under your hand and the throw is on that side.

The techniques involved

• Ippon-seoi-nage
• Tai-otoshi

The grip-sets involved

• Cross lapel