Judo technique

Hiza-guruma

Pronunciation: hee-zah goo-roo-mah
Meaning: Knee wheel

Recognize the knee wheel as a block, not a sweep.

Tori, in white, blocks Uke’s leg with the sole of the foot while pulling with both hands. — Technique image: Look for where the bodies touch and which way Uke goes in Hiza-guruma. The lesson describes the right side; the left side mirrors it.

Understand the technique

is a knee wheel in . stops stepping leg with the sole just below the kneecap, and the hands wheel Uke’s upper body forward over that blocked leg. The foot blocks rather than reaps, and the contact sits higher than in : below the knee instead of at the ankle.

How it works

Stop the step below the knee

In the right-sided example, Tori draws Uke toward Uke’s right front corner, so the right leg has to step. Tori’s left sole meets that leg just below the kneecap and stops it. The sole only blocks; it never kicks or pushes sideways into the knee.

Wheel the upper body over the block

With the step stopped, the hands turn Uke’s upper body in a circle over the blocked knee, like turning a steering wheel. The knee is the pivot, and the upper body travels around it. The other side mirrors this example.

Common mistakes

Kicking instead of blocking

Striking the knee or trying to knock the leg away turns the block into a kick that can injure the knee and still leaves Uke standing. Keep the sole quiet at the contact point and let the hands make the wheel.

First learning focus

First place the sole just below the kneecap as a quiet stop, with no kick. Then add the hands and check that they turn Uke in a circle over the knee rather than pulling straight down.