Sumi Gaeshi Variation From Travis Stevens

By Corey Kuropas, February 17, 2017

The sumi gaeshi is one of the excellent throwing techniques from the art of Judo. It is a sacrifice throw, which means that even though you’re throwing your opponent, that you will go down as well. But just because it is a sacrifice throw does not mean it should be ignored. Sacrifice throws can be some of the most effective throws in all of grappling. It is a deceiving looking throw, where your back will hit the mat first, but you will end up in the dominant position when it is over. Olympic Judo silver medalist has a great variation on the sumi gaeshi that is not only applicable for Judo, but for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as well. See how it is done…

Travis starts with a left handed grip on his opponent’s left side collar. He steps over to his left and turns his elbow downward. This causes the opponent’s elbow to somewhat collapse. By doing these simple things, he gets an avenue to see his opponent’s back. Travis then takes his right arm and goes over his opponent’s back (by way of the right shoulder) and grabs the belt. After he grabs the belt, he pulls up on it and clamps his elbow down. He does this so that his opponent cannot regain the proper posture to defend against the throw.

Once the proper grips are in place, Travis will take his left leg and step in between his opponent’s legs. He points his foot off to the right, to get the correct angle. He makes sure that both of his legs are bent so that he will be able to get the proper momentum. Travis sits down and pulls up on his opponent’s belt. He pulls him towards his head and uses his right leg to catch and assist with his opponent’s body going over him. He continues to use the momentum to roll right up into side control.

This is a great take down because you’re not putting yourself in a position of total vulnerability if you do make a mistake. Because it is a sacrifice throw, you will end up going down anyway. Worst case scenario is that you don’t hit it correctly, and you re-guard so that now your opponent has to work out of your guard. Travis is a master of both Judo and BJJ, and knows what throws can work for both arts. If you want to explore more Judo style throws for BJJ, then check out…

The Takedown Blueprint by Travis Stevens. Click here!