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    Ura-gatame

    裏固 · うらがため · reverse hold · said OO-rah gah-TAH-meh

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    Demonstrations

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    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

    The reverse hold: tori lies back across uke's chest facing the ceiling, the reverse of a normal side hold, controlling the head and near arm from underneath. Added to the Kodokan's recognised hold-downs, and often the natural landing place after a rolling entry or a failed turnover.

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    A technique to hold down the opponent under the back region by holding his right arm with the right arm from the right side of the opponent lying on his back and grabbing his leg with the left hand.
    The Kodokan's definition

    Key points

    1. Your back across their chest, facing the ceiling
    2. Wrap the head and the near arm together
    3. Sprawl your legs wide: the roll comes from behind you

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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
    610 (URG).
    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. Your partner is on their back and you lie back across their chest, facing the ceiling rather than down onto them.
    2. Slide your right arm under their neck and your left around their near arm, then clasp your hands.
    3. Press down on their chest with your back and keep your hips low and heavy.
    4. Spread both legs wide behind you so you cannot be rolled over your own shoulder.
    5. Hold their shoulders to the mat and keep your back on their chest as they turn; move your feet, not your back.

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    Receiving it

    The weight is on your chest but the head above you is facing the wrong way, which makes the usual escapes read strangely. Your near arm and head are wrapped together, so work on freeing the arm and bridging towards their head, which is the direction their legs cannot defend as well. Tap if pressure builds on your neck rather than your chest.

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    VI judo notes

    You often arrive here by accident, at the end of a roll or a failed turnover, so the first job is working out which way you are facing. Their neck under one arm, their near arm under the other and their chest under your back is the answer: you are lying back across them, facing up. Clasp your hands, press down with your back, spread your legs wide, and move your feet rather than your back.

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

    Reference pages elsewhere

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