Step by step
The whole movement in words, so no part of it depends on watching a video. Described in the standard right-handed form.
Left-handed: these steps are written right-handed, as the syllabuses write them. Read every left as a right and every right as a left, and the throw is yours.
- From the scarf hold position at their right side, work your right leg forward so your thigh slides beneath their head and neck: their head now rests on your leg as on a pillow.
- Keep their right arm trapped under your left armpit, pinned to your side.
- Wrap your right arm around their head or grip your own right thigh, closing the circle around their neck and your leg.
- Brace your left leg back behind you, sole planted, and settle your chest and side onto theirs.
- The pillow leg takes away the space their bridge needs; ride any turn with your hips and keep the weight down.
Receiving it
Your head is lifted onto their thigh and the familiar escape space behind your neck is gone; the hold feels closer and more smothering than the ordinary scarf. Stay calm, breathe low, and work for the trapped arm and the far-side turn; tap clearly if you need to stop.
About this technique
The scarf hold with uke's head resting on tori's thigh, like a pillow: tori sits deeper under the head and shoulders, which closes the space behind uke's neck that the ordinary scarf hold leaves.
Key points
- Slide your leg under their head; their neck rests on your thigh
- Their arm stays trapped under your armpit as in any scarf hold
- Sit tall and heavy; the pillow leg kills the bridge
hold-downs
In combinations, counters and transitions
None recorded yet. Nobody has written down a counter to Makura-kesa-gatame, or a combination it belongs to. You can suggest one.