Guruma-no-kata

I remember practising this drill 25 years ago - without the kata opening formalities of course...

Reference: http://www.judoforall.org.uk/documents/syllabus/kata/guruma-no-kata-katame-waza

The groundwork wheel consists of 10 hold down techniques. Tori starts to hold Uke down and begins to rotate around Uke’s body, anti-clockwise, changing from one hold down technique to the next. It is important in maintaining body contact to control Uke at all times.

This kata is devised by Sensei Sampson Sampson, the JFAUK Technical Director in order to help judoka see the transition of one hold down into another and as a way to learn the techniques.

Regular view


Overhead view

Strange that he wants to purport this as 'kata' when really this is standard newaza renraku-waza. What else would renraku-waza in newaza be ?  This has been around for many decades even from before he started doing judo, although obviously the order of techniques depends on preference and reactions of uke. In this case it defeats the purpose a little bit since the uke is remaining mostly passive, making the rest into basic kihon (rather than 'kata') exercise.

As said previously, something doesn't because a 'kata' just because any Westerner takes a a Japanese word, sticks the suffix "no-kata" behind it and thaen blends in bowing before and afterwards. Otherwise, I could as well bow, go to the bathroom in different ways, come back, bow again and call it "Toiretto-rûm-no-kata", alternative name "O-tearai-no-kata".

I even made a modest start with it; here's an extract from the official DVD:

Beside of the "dead" uke, the transitions to and from Tate-Shiho-Gatame are crap...
There is nothing which uke prevents from catching the leg of tori...

As a basic drill, I like it well enough. With the name, I expected throwing techniques using the 'kuruma' principle (?).

Coming soon to a national testing requirement near you....

NBK