Juji-gatame (cross hold) is the armbar of judo. Tori sits tight against uke's shoulder, traps the arm between the thighs and straightens the elbow against the hips. It is the most common submission in judo and one of the first that beginners learn in ne-waza. In Brazilian jiu-jitsu it is simply the armbar, and the mechanics are the same.
How to finish juji-gatame
Start with the end position before learning any entry. Uke is flat on his back. You sit against his shoulder at a right angle to him, his arm running between your thighs.
- Squeeze your knees together on his arm. Leave no gap at his shoulder.
- One leg lies across his chest and the other across his head or neck. Pull your heels toward the mat.
- Hold his wrist against your chest with his thumb pointing up.
- To finish, lift your hips slightly and pull the wrist toward you.
Thumb up is the detail that matters. If his thumb points sideways, the elbow is not lined up and the lock fails. Uke rotates the arm and slips out.
Finish slowly. The lock works fast and elbows get hurt fast. Extend gradually and let go as soon as uke taps twice.
Entry from tate-shiho-gatame
This is the most natural entry. You are mounted in tate-shiho-gatame and uke pushes your chest with straight arms to escape. Clamp one of those arms to your chest with both hands, come up onto your feet and pivot around his head. Your leg swings over his face, you sit down next to his shoulder and fall back.
The classic mistake is sitting down too far away. Your backside must touch his shoulder. Otherwise he turns into you and escapes.
From side control the logic is similar: knee on the belly, he pushes, you step over the head. The yoko-shiho-gatame page covers that transition.
The rolling entry from the turtle
This is the signature judo entry, and the one you see most in competition, because so many players turtle after a failed attack.
Uke is on all fours and you are at his side. Slide one foot under his hip so your instep hooks the inside of his thigh. Thread an arm under his near arm and grab his lapel or your own leg. Roll over your shoulder and take him with you. When the roll ends he is on his back with his arm already between your thighs.
It takes a lot of reps. It only works when the foot under the hip goes deep. Otherwise you roll alone.
Breaking the grip
Uke will almost never hand you a straight arm. He clasps his hands, grabs his own lapel or hooks his leg. The most reliable way to break that grip is to put a foot on his arm nearest your head and push with it while pulling the target arm with your whole body. Avoid yanking with your arms alone. It burns you out and warns uke.
On defense, the strongest option is to turn toward tori, pull your head free from under his leg and come up on top of him. The longer the arm stays bent, the more time you have.
What the rules allow
In judo competition, only locks on the elbow are legal, and juji-gatame is the textbook example. Chokes and armlocks are not allowed for young children. The age at which they open up depends on the judo age categories and on your national federation, so check its current rulebook. The page on illegal techniques in judo also lists ways of applying a lock that are penalized. A tap from uke scores ippon.
Juji-gatame and the BJJ armbar
Same legs, same thumb up, same hip pressure. The difference is context. BJJ players often attack it from closed guard, on their back. That is rare in judo because the referee quickly calls matte when the ground work stalls. Judo players set it up from the top or from the turtle instead. Either way, training one makes you better at the other.
This lock is central to judo ground work. It pairs well with ude-garami: when uke bends his arm to defend juji-gatame, the bent-arm lock becomes available. To see how the Kodokan organizes the standing syllabus next to it, read the gokyo page.
Our advice: in randori, hunt juji-gatame from only two entries for a month, the mount and the turtle roll. Two entries that work against everyone beat six that only work against beginners.