Judo Techniques Counters & Combinations, Misconceptions

You'll probably catch me saying this repeatedly throughout this blog but any counter or any combination is going to require you to practice repeatedly over many sessions.

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It is a common misconception that if you know the throws associated then you know how to combine them and therefore don't have to practice Judo combination throws and Judo counter throws as much.

A combination is of no use to you if you practice it in only one training session. Even if you you are convinced that you have it down pat.

Effective Counters & Combinations Judo Techniques

To be effective, any throw, including any combination or counter must become second nature; a natural reaction, practiced to respond to a particular set of movements made by your opponent with any kind of regularity; even if it is only twice during a contest.

I am always intrigued when I visit some clubs to see Judoka practicing half a dozen different combinations or counters in the one training session. Whilst this is fun for the casual Judo player, it is in my opinion, quite useless to you as a contestant. Your reactions must be automatic and unless you practice the same thing many times, over many sessions, they will not be.

You may think this obvious but it is apparently not to too many judo contestants. I know this because I have talked to players who can't figure out why they can't get a particular movement to work. When they are asked how many times they have practiced the move, they are usually very sheepish in their response as it dawns on them just how little practice they have put into it.

Counters & combinations are particularly error prone

Counters & combinations judo techniques are particularly prone to this error. Because they are more complex than a single throw by definition then they require more practice to get them correct. You need to practice a combination or counter many more times than a standard throw if you are going to succeeded with it. This applies equally to ground work as standing work.

Effective Counters
& Combination 

There are no shortage of options available. I actually have a list upon list of these throws. Each one is perfect for a unique situation. But a good judo player will only ever know a few of them because they require more practice.

More than that however, if you want your particular combination or counter to be effective in competition you need to make sure that there is something different about it. You can't just practice the same thing that everyone else does. If you practice the same as everybody else you can expect to be blocked in a contest because they can tell what is coming.

Try to practice the unusual

Try to practice something that is not usually what everybody else is doing; or add a twist to it.


For example: you could make yours a set of three instead of the usual two moves. That is, you start with one throw and when you miss that, move into the next and then when you miss that, move into the next to complete the throw.

Perhaps when you practice, you could practice throwing on the second throw of a combination the first time you do it and the second time you practice, throw on the third throw.

Counters & Combinations Judo Techniques are extremely useful if you know what you are doing but you have to work for them to be effective.

Enjoy
    Sensai
        Richard