Judo Peoples

20/08/2026

27 seconds. One perfectly timed attack. 🥋🔥

Adriana Rodriguez Salvador 🇪🇸 produced a spectacular ippon against Mayra Solis 🇨🇴 in the women’s -57 kg Round of 16 at the Lima Grand Prix 2026. The official result: ippon after just 27 seconds.

What makes this throw impressive is not simply its power.

This is a modern reverse kata-guruma variation built around timing, body positioning and rotational control.

Rodriguez Salvador first uses Solis’ forward pressure for kuzushi, taking her centre of mass beyond a stable base.

For the tsukuri, she suddenly lowers her own centre of gravity and enters underneath the opponent’s shoulder line while maintaining control of the upper body.

Then comes the key detail: rotation.

Instead of trying to lift Solis vertically, Rodriguez Salvador turns underneath her and converts the opponent’s forward momentum into rotational force. Once Solis loses support from her feet, there is almost no opportunity to recover.

During the kake, Rodriguez continues the movement all the way through the throwing direction, sending Solis completely over the axis and onto her back for ippon.

Power matters — but timing, kuzushi and body positioning make the power effective.

Would you classify this as reverse kata-guruma, or do you use another name for this variation in your judo school?

Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin

19/08/2026

Uta Abe vs Amandine Buchard is a great lesson in high-level timing.

What makes this attack special is not only the throw itself, but the way Abe prepares it.

She first creates pressure in the grip exchange, disturbs Buchard’s posture, and waits for the exact moment when the balance starts to shift. Only then does she enter.

That sequence is the real technical point:
kuzushi, compact entry, and immediate commitment.

Abe’s attack works because the timing is clean. She enters before Buchard can fully reset her base, gets under the centre of gravity, and finishes with sharp rotation and control.

At this level, the difference is often not power, but precision.

What do you think was the decisive factor here: the grip work, the timing, or the entry?

Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin

19/08/2026

OLD JUDO SCHOOL 🥋

Judo has changed with every generation — rules, tactics, gripping strategies, and competition styles.

But the old school was built on something deeper than winning.

Respect for your opponent.
Discipline in every practice.
Technique before shortcuts.
Character on and off the tatami.

Those values shaped generations of judoka — and many believe they are still the heart of real judo today.

Do you think old school judo still matters?
And what do you miss most about the judo of the past?

👇 Share your opinion in the comments.

Judo story & analysis by Yerdos Khamzin

19/08/2026

Why Shohei Ono Beat Soichi Hashimoto | Technical Judo Analysis

Shohei Ono vs Soichi Hashimoto — one of the most fascinating Japanese −73 kg battles of 2019.

This contest was not decided by power alone.

For more than nine minutes, the real battle was taking place through kumikata, posture, distance, pressure and reactions.

Hashimoto constantly challenged Ono with his unpredictable gripping style, while Ono remained disciplined, protected his posture and waited for the right moment.

The decisive action came 5:30 into Golden Score: Sumi-otoshi for waza-ari.

But the final throw was only the last part of the story.

In this technical analysis, I look at how Ono controlled the gripping exchanges, how both athletes tried to create kuzushi, and why the final reaction allowed Ono to complete the winning Sumi-otoshi.

What was the most important factor in this contest — grip control, physical conditioning, patience, or timing?

Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin

18/08/2026

One of those throws that looks like pure power — until you study the mechanics.

Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko 🇺🇦 against Beatriz Freitas 🇧🇷 at the 2023 Upper Austria Grand Prix, −78 kg.

Freitas commits her weight forward. Instead of trying to stop that pressure, Lytvynenko closes the distance, establishes a tight body connection and lowers her centre of gravity.

That is the critical moment.

The opponent’s forward momentum contributes to the kuzushi. Lytvynenko then converts it into lift and completes the action with an explosive backward sacrifice and rotation.

Mechanically, I would describe this as an ura-nage-style counter.

Power makes the throw spectacular.
Timing makes it possible.

What do you see as the decisive element here — strength, timing or kuzushi?

Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin

17/08/2026

FROM MONGOLIA TO KAZAKHSTAN — AND HOME AGAIN 🇲🇳🇰🇿

Otgontsetseg Galbadrakh has one of the most remarkable stories in modern judo.

Born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, she first competed for her native country before beginning a new chapter with Kazakhstan in 2015.

The transition was not simply a change of flag. It meant rebuilding her international career in one of the most competitive weight categories in women’s judo.

The results came quickly.

In 2016, Galbadrakh became Asian Champion, won the Paris Grand Slam and then achieved the biggest result of her career — an Olympic bronze medal for Kazakhstan at Rio 2016.

She later added World Championship bronze medals in 2017 and 2018, confirming her place among the elite athletes of the –48 kg category.

Galbadrakh became an important part of Kazakhstan’s judo history. Her aggressive gripping, physical pressure, strong balance and ability to fight effectively at close distance made her an extremely difficult opponent for many of the world’s best judoka.

After completing her international career, she returned to Mongolia and moved into coaching, beginning another chapter of her life in judo.

Her story connects two strong judo nations — Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

She was born in Mongolia, reached some of the greatest achievements of her career representing Kazakhstan, and eventually returned home with an Olympic medal and years of experience at the highest level of international judo.

What is your strongest memory of Otgontsetseg Galbadrakh — Rio 2016, the Paris Grand Slam, or her World Championship medals?

Judo story & analysis by Yerdos Khamzin

17/08/2026

Teddy Riner vs Ryu Shichinohe: How Grip Fighting Won the 2015 World Final

Teddy Riner vs Ryu Shichinohe was more than a heavyweight final. It was a tactical battle for posture, sleeve control, the dominant high grip, and the right moment to attack.

In this technical breakdown, I examine how Riner used kumi-kata, forward pressure, and a sumi-gaeshi-style sacrifice action to turn Shichinohe’s defensive structure against him.

The first score gave Riner control of the tactical clock. The second proved that the same weapon can work again when the scoreboard forces an opponent to change his behaviour.

Riner won the 2015 World Championship final in Astana with a waza-ari and a yuko, claiming his historic eighth world title.

But the most important part of this victory happened before the throws — in the battle for the sleeve, the high grip, and control of the shoulder line.

What decided the final: Riner’s grip control, his timing, or Shichinohe’s defensive choices?

Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin.

17/08/2026

16/08/2026

Champions are made before the first hajime.

This footage shows Uta Abe preparing with her coach at the 2023 World Championships in Doha. On the tatami, she produced a complete championship performance:

Puljiz — two uchi-mata scores.
Kocher — koshi-guruma for ippon.
Buchard — o-soto-gari with four seconds remaining.
Krasniqi — seoi-nage into osaekomi.
Keldiyorova — turnover and hold-down for gold.

Five contests. Multiple solutions. A fourth world title.

What makes Uta Abe more difficult to stop: her explosive tachi-waza or her transitions into ne-waza?

Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin.

16/08/2026

History is not always made with ippon.

At the 2025 Lima Grand Prix, Brillith Gamarra made history for Peru in the under 52 kilogram category.

Her bronze-medal contest against Khadizha Gadashova was decided through tactical pressure: two shidos for avoiding the grip, followed by a third for non-combativity at 3:22.

No scoring throw was needed. Disciplined grip fighting, initiative and constant pressure made the difference.

With this bronze, Gamarra became the first Peruvian woman to win an IJF World Judo Tour medal.

Do you appreciate tactical victories like this, or do you prefer a spectacular ippon?

Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin.