My favorite Uchi Mata

[Kung Fu Wang]

You can "leg twist" on your opponent's leg first before "leg lift" his leg up. Is the "leg twist" still illegal in Judo today?

I can't find "leg twist" in this list.

Animations of Judo Throws | Judo Info

Select the following Judo throws (nage waza) to see an animated drawing of how to do the technique. The Judo techniques are listed in alphabetical order by the

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[Kung Fu Wang]

1. Inside of my partner left leg.

When you have left leg forward and your opponent has right leg forward (mirror stance), your left leg is closer to his right leg than his left leg. If you consider the

- outside of his right leg as side 1.
- inside of his right leg as side 2.
- inside of his left leg as side 3.
- outside of his left leg as side 4.

Since the distance between your left leg to his sides are:

1 < 2 < 3 < 4,

this is why to use Uchi Mata is easier than to use Hane Goshi. If your opponent has wide horse stance, to use your left leg to reach to his 3rd side may be difficult.

 

[wab25]

It's relative and not absolute. The longer your legs are, the easier for you to use leg lift. The longer distance between your hand grips and your leg contact point, the more power that you can generate in your leg lift.

I can't change the length of my legs.....

Its about being in the right position. Being in the right position, makes the technique work. Sure, you change the position a bit if the guy is taller than you compared to when the guy is shorter than you... but if I am throwing a straight right punch to his head, I have to change the position of the punch if the guy is taller than me or shorter than me.

If I have to throw a guy that is a lot bigger than me... I would prefer to use uchi mata as opposed to o'goshi. With o'goshi I have to transfer his weight across my hips, being under him for a time. If I mess up, he comes down on me. With uchi mata, his weight is out in front of me, and I only need to lift his leg. If I mess up, he steps out of the throw (set up for leg sweep) or he face plants.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Old saying said, "If you use single leg or double legs to take me down, you may be lucky. But if you use hip throw or shoulder throw to throw me, you are better than me."

Agree that body contact throws such as hip throw or shoulder throw are riskier. You require having better counter skill (skill to deal with pull/push down).

As long as you are facing your opponent (non-body contact throw), you are safer.

 

[Jeff_Beish]

This is the approach to Uchi Mata that I like to do when fighting someone with the opposite grip (left × right)

What do you do to approach and enter the Uchi Mata of someone who is far from you or with the opposite grip?
*I know in the end it looked like a Hane Goshi, but it was supposed to be Uchi Mata.
@kaizenkanjudo

Yes, look very much like Hane Goshi. My tokui waza as well, and Toshi Seino's as well. I was matched up against Toshi in 1961 (USAF shiai) and after he bounced me on the tatami he explained his method of confusing me with hane goshi I thought was uchimata. So I follows suit from that time on.