How To Do Kata Gatame – Shoulder Lock or Hold/Arm Triangle
Kata Gatame is commonly called shoulder lock or hold or, in recent years, arm triangle. When applied, it can be painful, can choke and smother, and can result in a tap out.
The basic ground hold is straightforward:
To do a right-sided kata gatame,
1) Place your right arm under uke’s head at the same time as you take his right arm and move it across his face.
2) Put your head down beside uke’s, as close to the floor as possible, holding his right arm in place.
3) Grasp your left hand with your right. Do not interlace your fingers. Place your left hand palm up and put your right hand into it. (You can also do the hand clasp which involves the right thumb between the first and second fingers of the left hand – a very strong grip.)
4) Bring your right knee up to his waist.
5) Post your left leg out straight (on your toes) about 90 degrees from uke’s body. The higher up toward his head you can get your leg, the less likely he is to be able to escape. Make sure that your butt is low to the ground. If you need to flatten your right leg, do so, but without moving the knee from the waist of your opponent. The objective is to hold your opponent securely and still have as much of your own body weight away from him to ensure that he cannot topple you.
6) Take your right arm and torque it such that the side of your wrist bone is jutting into his spine under his neck. This is where the pain comes in.
7) Maintaining a strong grip with your hands and arms, move your arms together toward the left just a few degrees and move your body forward into uke to tighten the hold.
Uke’s own right arm aids in blocking the carotid artery on the right side of his head. Your right bicep will block the left carotid. On occasion, you might find that uke cannot breathe because his arm is covering his mouth and nose.
If uke manages to move a bit to attempt an escape, move your body, changing leg positions if need be, but once you have control again, go back to the correct position.
Kata Gatame is one of the first ground holds we learn in judo and one of the most powerful.
Click here to go to our Traditional Kata Gatame video
Click here to go to our video showing a transition from Kesa Gatame to Kata Gatame
ayjay
December 2, 2009
Tags: arm triangle, ground hold, how to do kata gatame, judo, kesa gatame, mma, shoulder lock or hold, transition