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    Hara-gatame

    腹固 · はらがため · stomach armlock · said HAH-rah gah-TAH-meh

    The Kodokan calls this Ude-hishigi-hara-gatame (腕挫腹固).

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    Demonstrations

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    About this technique

    The armlock levered over the stomach: uke's straightened arm is held across tori's abdomen and the lock comes from tori turning their body, not from pulling with the hands. Reachable standing as well as on the ground, which makes it one to treat with particular care. Competition joint locks are restricted to the elbow and to senior age groups; learn and practise this only under instruction.

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    A technique to stretch and lock the opponent’s elbow joint by grabbing his right wrist with the right hand from the right side of the opponent and pressing his arm on the abdomen.
    The Kodokan's definition

    Key points

    1. Their elbow sits on your stomach, not on your ribs
    2. Hold the wrist with both hands, thumb up
    3. Turn your body to apply; the hands only hold

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    grappling techniques

    At a glance

    , classification, Gokyo set, Kodokan number, contest rules, grades that require it
    What it is
    Katame-waza (grappling techniques).
    Kodokan number
    806 (HGA).
    Contest rules
    No rule singles it out.
    Also written
    Ude-hishigi-hara-gatame.
    Required for

    Step by step

    These steps describe the standard right-handed form without relying on the video.

    1. Take your partner's right wrist in both hands with their palm turned upward.
    2. Draw the arm across the front of your body so their elbow rests against your stomach.
    3. Straighten the arm gently and keep the wrist high, so the joint sits square on your abdomen.
    4. Turn your hips slowly away from them; your body, not your grip, is what applies the pressure.
    5. Stop the moment they tap, and step back to give the arm room rather than simply letting go of the wrist.

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    Receiving it

    Your arm is drawn across their body and your elbow finds a hard surface, then their whole body turns. The lock arrives fast because their hips are stronger than your arm. Tap the instant you feel the elbow load, on their body or the mat, or call out; do not try to spin out of it, which loads the shoulder as well as the elbow.

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    VI judo notes

    The lock comes from your hips, so the joint has to be found with your hands first: run both hands from the wrist to the elbow and set the elbow squarely on your stomach before you turn anything. Turn slowly. This one can also be reached standing, where neither of you has a clear picture of where the arm is, which is exactly why it is taken gently or not at all.

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    In competition

    , how often it scores at IJF level, and two contests where it worked

    Senior IJF competition, 2020 to 2026, from 73,099 contests. Counts scores, not attempts.

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    In combinations, counters and transitions

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    Reference pages elsewhere

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