Titan Judo

Kosei Inoue’s Top Tips: #3

Use your strengths to your advantage

Inoue’s Uchimata and Ouchi gari are feared so much by his opponents that, even if not throwing with the particular technique concerned, he is still able to get them to work to his advantage. For example, when fighting those who are weary of his Uchimata, Inoue uses his Ouchi gari to sucker his opponents in for it.

Likewise when, fighting an opponent who tries to narrow the angle for Uchimata by standing in an extreme right stance, Inoue recognises that they are leaving themselves open for techniques like Osoto gari and Harai goshi and takes advantage of this. Even if not throwing with a favoured technique, Inoue’s judo shows that a player’s Tokui waza can still be used to their advantage, simply by exploiting an opponent’s fear of it.

Thanks to Fighting Films

Kosei Inoue’s Tip 2

Tip 2. Use your head

Your head is the pilot of your body. Inoue insists that whatever direction he is throwing in, his head must be looking and driving in that same direction. He also points out the importance of his head at each point of a throw. For example when turning in for Uchimata, his head flies downwards at first to help lift his opponent. It then rotates around at the last moment, in the direction that he wants his opponent to land.

Thanks to Fighting Films

Kosei Inoue’s Top 10 Tips: No. 1

Fighting Films are releasing a triple DVD boxset produced by Kosei Inoue. To help advertise it, each week they are publishing a new top tip from the great man himself.
I thought these were just too good to not put on here.

TIP 1. Always remain faithful to the fundamentals of judo

Inoue insists that it is essential when practising judo to always keep the fundamentals of the sport to mind, regardless of what technique you are executing. By remaining faithful to these fundamentals a judoka can gain the ability to adapt to any situation and successfully apply their skills. For Inoue this means always keeping perfect, upright judo posture and making sure everything he does on the mat is technically flawless.

With Uchikomi every repetition needs to be 100 percent perfect. Inoue says that any imperfections in your form, even if only slight, can compound errors and come through in your technique. It is pointless doing hundreds of Uchikomi at a fast pace unless every single repetition is perfect. Only once you have achieved this level of perfection should you progress on to repetitive training. And then its repetition, repetition, repetition!