Judo technique
Ashi-guruma
- Pronunciation
- ah-shee goo-roo-mah
- Meaning
- Leg wheel
Recognize a wheel over the leg rather than a sweep from the hip.
Understand the technique
is a leg wheel in . stretches one leg across the front of leg at about knee level, and the hands and turning upper body wheel Uke forward over that line. The leg stays still while Uke rotates over it, unlike the sweeping leg of , and it sits lower than the leg line of .
How it works
Turn and set the leg line
In the right-sided example, Tori leads Uke toward Uke’s right front corner and turns to the left. Tori extends the right leg so the back of the lower leg lies across the front of Uke’s right leg, around knee level.
Wheel over the leg
The hands and turning upper body carry Uke forward and around, so Uke rotates over the extended leg like a wheel. The leg is the line, not the engine. The other side mirrors this example.
Common mistakes
Kicking into the knee
Swinging the leg into Uke’s knee or twisting sideways against it turns the line into a kick that risks the joint. Set the leg in place, then let the hands and upper body make the wheel.
Sweeping like Harai-goshi
Turning the hip in tight and sweeping the leg away shifts the action toward Harai-goshi. In Ashi-guruma, Uke rotates over a leg that stays put.
First learning focus
First watch where the leg ends up: across the front of Uke’s leg near the knee, and then still. Then check whether Uke rotates over that leg or has the support swept away.