- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 47 minutes ago
Officially, the Kodokan calls it Ude Hishigi Juji Gatame.
Most judoka prefer to use a shortened version of that moniker, referring to it as simply juju game. Nondenominational grapplers tend to use the minimalist English translation: armbar.
Marti Malloy falls into the camp that calls the ubiquitous technique “juji gatame.” Even more important for our purposes, she describes it as her favorite move for competition. And that means something. Malloy, 29, has practiced judo since she was 6.

During those decades on the mat, she’s bagged a bunch of gold and silver medals in, among other events, the World Judo Championships, the Pan-American Games and the Pan-American Judo Championships. And then there’s her haul from the six times she was a USA Judo national champ. And the icing on the cake: the bronze medal she earned at the 2012 Olympics in London.
We asked Malloy, who’s trained under Black Belt Hall of Fame Mike Swain since she was in high school, to share her secrets for scoring with the armbar. She chose to focus on the five ways she likes to transition into juju gatame.
The results are in front of you.
TECHNIQUE: ONE

Nutshell: Neutralize the throw, roll the opponent, lock the arm.
Her Words: “In judo, one of the best opportunities for ground work comes when your opponent tries an attack and fails, then ends up in front of you in the turtle position.”
Step by Step: The opponent approaches you and grabs your right sleeve (1), then begins pivoting counterclockwise for a hip throw (2). “Because you know what he’s attempting, you’re able to block it by pushing him away and dropping your hips,” Malloy says (3).
Once he’s on all fours, get to his back and insert your right leg between his torso and right thigh and then around his waist (4). “Hook your leg across his abdomen like a seat belt,” Malloy says.
Use your left arm to overhook his right arm (inset A) while you roll onto your left shoulder (5) and then your left side (6). While rolling, your left foot hooks behind his neck (inset B).
“If you feel some looseness in his right arm, use your right hand to grab your left wrist and pull,” Malloy says (7). “After that, you want to grab his left ankle with your right hand (8). If you can’t reach it, grab his right ankle and pull him closer before going for his left ankle. Then roll him over your hips (9).”

At that point, your right arm has control of his legs and your left arm has control of his right arm, which he’s probably “protecting” by clasping his hands. Your right leg is across his torso, keeping him from escaping before the finish (10).
“Move your hips out so you can place your left leg across his face and lock your feet at the ankles,” Malloy says (11). “Use both your arms to try to extend his arm.”
If his grip is strong, you might not be able to break it by lying straight back (12). “In that case, insert your left arm between his locked arms and lean diagonally backward toward the corner,” she says (13).
As soon as the angular pressure overpowers his grip (14), hyperextend the arm for the submission — or, if it’s a self-defense situation, for the break (15).
TECHNIQUE: TWO

Nutshell: Neutralize the throw, take the back, extract the arm.
Her Words: “When you do juji gatame the way I just demonstrated, your opponent probably will expect you to roll him over completely, and that can make him leave his arm exposed. This technique will give you an opportunity to take the arm without doing that, which means you catch him by surprise.”
Step by Step: It starts the same way the previous technique did — with your opponent grabbing you and closing the distance (1), then initiating a hip throw (2). Once again, you nullify it by pushing with your hands and lowering your hips (3). That puts him in the turtle position, which is your cue to take his back and wrap your right leg around his torso (4).
As before, lean down and overhook his right arm while you place your left foot against the back of his neck and roll forward (5).
“At this point, he thinks he knows what you’re going to do, so he’ll probably relax the trapped arm, anticipating that he doesn’t need to worry about the juji gatame until after you’ve rolled him,” Malloy says (6). He couldn’t be more wrong.
“Reach into the opening between his right thigh and your right knee (7) and grab his hand (8),” Malloy says. “Pull it out, using all four fingers to control it as much as possible (9).”
Once you get both hands on his arm, position his hand so the thumb is pointing away from your body, Malloy says. Arch your back and thrust with your hips to hyperextend the limb while he’s still in the turtle position (10).
TECHNIQUE: THREE

Nutshell: Close the gap, throw the opponent, hyperextend the arm.
Her Words: “In judo, one way to win a match is by throwing your opponent flat on his back with speed and force. Sometimes, if you don’t throw him fast enough or hard enough, you don’t get a full point. When that happens, you can transition to ground work, or ne waza. My favorite throw that transitions into juji gatame is the one-arm shoulder throw.”
Step by Step: Approach your opponent (1). Grab his lapel with your right hand and control his right arm by grasping his sleeve with your left hand (2). Release the lapel and use your right arm to underhook his right arm — your elbow should be in contact with his armpit — then quickly turn counterclockwise and execute the throw by thrusting your hips back and leaning forward (3).
“During the throw, keep your grip on his right arm with your left hand,” Malloy says (4). “Then use your right hand to hook his arm (5) as you step over his head (6). Now that you’re using both your arms to hold his arm, sit back to the corner (7). If he’s not ready to tap, raise your hips and tighten your knees (8).”
TECHNIQUE: FOUR

Nutshell: Sweep the leg, dump the opponent, take the arm.
Her Words: “This technique is a transition from ashi barai, a foot sweep, to juji gatame. The key is quickly moving from the sweep to the ground work. If you wait too long after sweeping your opponent’s foot, he’ll hit the mat and either move away from you or turn into you. Either way, you won’t be able to get the arm.”
Step by Step: When your opponent is close enough, use your left hand to grab his right sleeve (1) and your right hand to control his lapel (2). Move your feet together (3), then transfer your weight to your right leg so you can use your left foot to sweep his right foot (4) out from under him (5).
“When he hits the mat and lands on his back, immediately step toward him with your right leg while maintaining control of his right arm (6),” she says. “Hook his upper arm with your right arm while holding his forearm with your left hand. At the same time, step over his head with your left leg (7).”

From this position — your right knee is against his rib cage and your left leg is against his neck (8) — you can sit back to extend the trapped arm (9).
“Make sure his thumb points to the ceiling when you do juji gatame,” Malloy says. “Then squeeze your knees and raise your hips for the finish (inset).”
TECHNIQUE: FIVE

Nutshell: Attack the leg, circle the shoulder, snatch the arm.
Her Words: “This is another one of my favorite foot techniques that can be used to transition to juji gatame. It’s called sasae tsurikomi ashi. The technique works best when your opponent is fighting the throw. Your goal, of course, is to throw him flat on his back for the point, but he’s not letting you do that.”
Step by Step: Start at close range. Your right hand has ahold of his left lapel, and your left controls his right arm by gripping his sleeve (1).
“Use the lapel to pull him forward as you sweep his left leg with your right foot (2),” Malloy says. “That should send him to the mat (3).”
The opponent will probably land on his face or his left side because you have control of his right arm, which you maintained from the sweep.
“From that position, it’s a fairly simple move,” Malloy says. “Circle clockwise around the extended arm (4) and straddle it (5). Pinch your knees together so he can’t pull the arm away. Then just sit back and pull on his wrist to finish the armbar (6).”



























































































