Judo technique

Uchi-mata

Pronunciation: oo-chee mah-tah
Meaning: Inner-thigh throw

Tell Uchi-mata’s inside leg path from Harai-goshi’s outside sweep.

Tori, in white, stands on one leg and throws Uke, in blue, with the other leg swung high. — Technique image: Look for where the bodies touch and which way Uke goes in Uchi-mata. The lesson describes the right side; the left side mirrors it.

Understand the technique

is an inner-thigh throw in . draws toward a front corner, turns in, and lifts the leg up between Uke’s legs against the inner thigh while the hands and torso carry Uke forward. The inside leg path distinguishes it from , whose leg sweeps outside Uke’s leg.

How it works

Open the front corner

In the right-sided example, Tori draws Uke toward Uke’s front corner before turning in. The grips stay connected as the hips come into the entry, so Uke’s weight is already moving forward when the leg rises.

Lift up the inside

Tori’s right leg swings up between Uke’s legs toward the inner thigh, not outside as in Harai-goshi, while the hands and torso keep directing Uke forward. The other side mirrors this example.

Common mistakes

Diving in head-first

Dropping the head toward the mat to force the throw puts Tori’s neck at risk and breaks the forward line. Keep the head up and let the rising leg and the hands finish together.

First learning focus

First watch where the leg passes: between Uke’s legs for Uchi-mata, outside for Harai-goshi. Then check whether the hands keep the same forward direction as the leg rises.