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    Kata-gatame

    肩固 · かたがため · shoulder hold · said kah-TAH gah-TAH-meh

    Also known as arm triangle choke (BJJ)

    About this techniqueJump to step by stepPlain text version

    Demonstrations

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    Kata-gatame illustration

    The osaekomi clock

    Scores yuko at five seconds, waza-ari at ten and ippon at twenty, which ends the contest.

    Sport and Organisation Rules of the International Judo Federation: refereeing rules, 2026 edition, Article 7.

    About this technique

    Uke's arm is trapped against uke's own neck by tori's head and shoulder: a hold-down that can also become a strangle at senior grades.

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    A technique to hold down the opponent by holding his right arm and neck with the right side of the neck and both arms from the right side of the opponent lying on his back.
    The Kodokan's definition

    Key points

    1. Press uke's arm across the neck with your head
    2. Clasp your hands and keep the elbow to the mat
    3. Keep your legs braced wide, hips low

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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
    604 (KAG).
    Contest rules
    No rule singles it out.
    Osaekomi clock
    Scores yuko at five seconds, waza-ari at ten and ippon at twenty, which ends the contest.
    Required for

    Step by step

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

    1. Begin beside your partner's right side as for the scarf hold, their back on the mat.
    2. Push their right arm across their own neck, folding it at the elbow so their forearm lies against their throat side.
    3. Clamp the arm there with the right side of your head, your temple and cheek pressing their arm against their neck, and slide your right arm around behind their neck.
    4. Clasp your hands together, palm to palm, on the far side, your right knee or leg braced wide for base.
    5. Keep your head pressure constant and your hips low: their trapped arm and your head form the lock, your weight does the holding. Take care in practice; this hold can also compress the neck, so release the moment your partner taps.

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    Receiving it

    Your own arm is pressed across your neck and held there by their head, and the pressure builds on one side. Stay calm and do not hold your breath. Work early, before the position settles: turn towards them and fight the trapped elbow free. Because this hold can compress the neck as well as pin, tap early and clearly the moment it is properly locked; there is nothing to be gained by waiting it out.

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    VI judo notes

    The trap and the lock are both contact. Fold their arm across their own neck and clamp it with the side of your head, so your head, not your eyes, tells you the arm has not slipped out. Because this hold can also compress the neck, stay ready for a tap anywhere and release everything, head pressure included, at the first one.

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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

    , 12 awaiting review

    12 more pairs involving it are recorded and awaiting review before they get a page. A video that shows one of them is what gets it reviewed: suggest one.

    None recorded yet. Nobody has written down a counter to Kata-gatame, or a combination it belongs to. You can suggest one.

    How it is taught elsewhere

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    Reference pages elsewhere

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