throwing to the lapel side

[tshadowchaser]

Big Nick, you mentioned this so how about starting the disussion on this way of throwing

 

[bignick]

I believe my reference was in regards to Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi. It's a habit picked up directly from my instructor. My reason for preferring the lapel side is that it gives me a much stronger pull on the opponents body, I've always had more luck breaking their balance pulling on the lapel than on the sleeve. The arm can move somewhat independently of the rest of the body and that seems to make it easier for someone to spoil your kuzushi when trying to use the sleeve. Sometimes I actually won't grip the lapel at all. I'll use a grip similar to Toshihiko Koga. I'll grab the lapel with one hand and the gi around the other armpit area. This grip makes it very easy to hold out an oppent without stiff-arming. Just about everything can be thrown to lapel side, some may take a little more work than others, but any time you can pull off something the other person does expect, you're having a good day...

I'll try to come back later some more concrete examples...

 

[bignick]

Ok, for a Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi to the lapel side you set up exactly like you would if you were throwing to the sleeve side, I'm right handed, so I usually throw to my right. Break their balance to their front left and pull them forward. When you're doing this to the collar side you will have a tendency to pull down instead of pulling them forward. You do not want their weight on that foot. Draw them forward making them take a step with their left foot. When you begin to sense them stepping block their ankle with the bottom of your foot. It's the same principle as what happens when you walk through a doorway and catch your foot on the threshold, it's the exact same fall. Their body is moving forward but because you have blocked their foot they will have nothing to put their weight on. As you are drawing them forward with the lapel and causing them to step forward, also, make sure you don't forget about the sleeve or that arm. You should be lifting that arm to help off balance and bring their upper body forward and to their left.

A rushed explanation, I'll come back with a different throw later...

 

[bignick]

So there's nothing really "special" about throwing to the collar side, and I actually thought they were pretty standard variations, I wonder if this is not the case.

How many people practice throwing techniques to the sleeve and lapel side? Not just left and right grips, but to both sides from the same grip?

Also, how many people here use alternative forms of grip other than the standard kumi kata?