Yoko-guruma (side wheel) is a side sacrifice throw from the fifth group of the gokyo, mainly used as a counter. When uke bends forward, tori wraps an arm around his back, slides a leg between uke's feet and drops onto his side. Uke turns over tori's shoulder.
Where the name comes from
"Yoko" means side and "guruma" means wheel. The name describes exactly what a spectator sees. Tori drops sideways and uke makes a full turn around him, like a wheel rolling over an obstacle.
The Kodokan classes it among the yoko-sutemi-waza of nage-waza, in the fifth group of the gokyo. It also appears in the nage-no-kata, where it follows a blocked ura-nage.
The typical scenario: uke bends forward
The whole technique depends on uke's posture. He has to be bent over, chest forward, often because he just blocked one of your rear attacks. The textbook case: you try an ura-nage and he folds in half to avoid going backward. Now his back is above you.
That is the moment for yoko-guruma. You stop fighting his defense and start using it.
How to do yoko-guruma (right side)
The arm
Your right arm goes over his back or around his waist. Your left hand holds his right sleeve or comes onto his belly. You need solid control of his upper body, or uke escapes by straightening up.
The leg
Your right leg slides deep between his feet, as if you wanted to get underneath him. Your body goes down at the same time, onto your right side. The further the leg goes, the easier the wheel turns.
The rotation
As you hit the mat, pull uke over your left shoulder with both arms. Your right leg can lift his thigh slightly to help the turn. Uke does a rolling forward breakfall and lands on his back on the other side of you.
The most common mistakes
- A leg that does not go in far enough. Tori lands next to uke instead of under him, and nothing turns.
- Landing on the back instead of the side. Tori ends up crushed.
- A loose arm around the back. Uke straightens up just as tori goes down.
- Trying it against an upright uke. With no forward bend, there is no wheel.
Yoko-guruma in randori and competition
The most frequent context is still a counter on a failed hip or shoulder throw. An opponent who goes in for uchi-mata or seoi-nage without kuzushi ends up bent in front of you, chest forward. If you are quick enough to get your arm over his back, yoko-guruma wins.
It also works against judoka who defend folded in half, in a very deep jigotai. That posture protects them from rear throws but turns their back into a target.
Size matters here. It suits small and medium builds better, since sliding under a taller opponent comes naturally. Against a shorter opponent, the leg struggles to get through and the rotation is short.
In opposite grips, the principle does not change. Adapt the side you fall to the shoulder uke is leaning over.
Yoko-guruma vs sumi-gaeshi and ushiro-goshi
Sumi-gaeshi also starts from a bent-over uke, but tori falls onto his back and lifts with the foot inside the thigh. Yoko-guruma goes to the side, with the leg sliding between the feet. Ushiro-goshi, another fifth-group counter, needs the opposite: an uke who straightens up.
If you already have a rear counter like ura-nage, yoko-guruma rounds out your options well. The opponent who blocks one falls into the other.
Drills
- Uke static in a bent position, hands on his knees. Tori gets the arm over and slides the leg in, without falling.
- Same start, tori drops onto his side and rolls uke over on a thick mat.
- Blocked ura-nage into yoko-guruma, as slow uchi-komi.
- Uke attacks with a hip throw without kuzushi, and tori counters.
Track the moments when opponents bend forward during your matches, in a training journal or on paper. Those are your yoko-guruma chances, and they come up more often than you would think.