Kibisu-gaeshi
踵返 · きびすがえし · heel reversal · said kee-BEE-soo gah-EH-shee
Barred in competition
- 3rd Dan, black belt, British Judo Association
- 4th Dan, black belt, British Judo Association
- 5th Dan, black belt, British Judo Association
- 3rd Dan, black belt, Real Federación Española de Judo y Deportes Asociados
- Shodan (1st Dan), black belt, United States Judo Federation
- 2nd Dan (Nidan), black belt, United States Judo Association
Demonstrations
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Where this technique is not allowed
Penalised in competition: the hand catches the heel, which current IJF rules count as a leg grab and answer with a shido. Outside contest the technique stands unaltered, and the BJA sets it as a 3rd Dan fundamental skill.
Under contest rules
Shido. The hand at the heel counts as a leg grab and draws a shido.
Sport and Organisation Rules of the International Judo Federation: refereeing rules, 2026 edition, Article 18.1.2.
Still taught, demonstrated and examined, so it is written up in full here. The restriction above is a contest rule, not a reason to skip it. See the prohibited techniques list.
About this technique
A hand throw taken at the heel: tori drops, scoops the heel forward and pushes the upper body back, so uke sits down over a foot that can no longer take their weight. Recognised by the Kodokan beyond the Gokyo. Like other leg grabs it costs a shido in current IJF competition, and the BJA syllabus names inside and outside forms of it (Uchi- and Soto-kibisu-gaeshi).
Suggest an edit to About this technique for Kibisu-gaeshi
A technique to throw the opponent by reaping his heel either from the inside or outside with one of the hands.
Key points
- Take the heel, not the knee: scoop it forward
- Push the chest back at the same instant
- Stay low; standing up gives the leg back
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Te-waza (hand techniques)
At a glance
, classification, Gokyo set, Kodokan number, contest rules, grades that require it
- What it is
- Nage-waza (throwing techniques), Te-waza (hand techniques).
- Kodokan number
- 114 (KIG).
- Contest rules
- Shido. The hand at the heel counts as a leg grab and draws a shido.
- Also written
- Soto-kibisu-gaeshi, Uchi-kibisu-gaeshi.
- Required for
- 3rd Dan (British Judo Association)
- 4th Dan (British Judo Association)
- 5th Dan (British Judo Association)
- 3rd Dan (Real Federación Española de Judo y Deportes Asociados)
- Shodan (1st Dan) (United States Judo Federation)
- 2nd Dan (Nidan) (United States Judo Association)
Step by step
These steps describe the standard right-handed form without relying on the video.
Left-handed: these steps use the standard right-handed form. Swap every left and right.
- From a right-handed grip, bend your knees and drop your level as your partner steps.
- Reach your right hand low and cup the back of their right heel, fingers behind the bone.
- Scoop that heel forward and towards you, as if pulling a chair leg out from under them.
- At the same moment push their lapel or shoulder backwards with your left hand.
- They sit down backwards where the foot used to be; keep the heel and lower them rather than letting them drop, and note that this technique is banned in current IJF contest rules.
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Receiving it
The cue is your partner dropping low and a hand arriving at your ankle rather than your knee. The heel goes forward and your weight has nowhere to sit, so you go straight down and backwards. Round your back, keep your chin tucked, and slap with the free arm; do not throw a hand behind you to catch the mat.
VI judo notes
Penalised in contest with every other leg grab, so this is a practice and dan-grade technique rather than a contest one. Find the heel by running your hand down the back of their leg to it instead of reaching for the floor, and let the push with the other hand leave at the same moment. Keep hold of the heel as they sit down: that grip is how you know where they have landed.
In competition
, how often it scores at IJF level, and two contests where it worked
No score recorded in senior IJF competition between 2020 and 2026, across 73,099 contests. That is a fact about modern contest judo rather than a gap in the data: the technique is taught, examined and classified, and it does not score at this level.
In combinations, counters and transitions
, none recorded yet
None recorded yet. Nobody has written down a counter to Kibisu-gaeshi, or a combination it belongs to. You can suggest one.
Reference pages elsewhere
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