Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi Defender

Defending Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi requires early recognition and proactive posture management rather than reactive scrambling once the throw is in motion. The technique depends entirely on kuzushi - if the attacker cannot break your balance forward, the foot block has no effect. Your defensive priority is to deny the off-balancing by maintaining a strong base with low hips and active grip fighting that prevents the attacker from establishing the lifting pulls they need. When you feel the characteristic circular pull and forward pressure that precedes Sasae, your immediate response must address the direction of force rather than the foot placement itself. Experienced defenders recognize that the foot block is merely the final element of a three-part sequence (circular movement, kuzushi, block), and that disrupting any earlier element makes the technique impossible to complete. Understanding this sequence gives you multiple defensive windows rather than a single desperate reaction at the moment of the sweep.

Opponent’s Starting Position: Standing Position (Top)

How to Recognize This Attack

• Opponent establishes a high collar grip and begins pulling upward while simultaneously creating circular stepping movement to one side
• You feel a distinct forward-and-upward pulling force through both grip points that shifts your weight toward the balls of your feet
• Opponent’s lead foot begins moving toward your ankle or lower shin while their hands lift and rotate your upper body
• Circular movement pattern accelerates as opponent positions at a 45-degree angle relative to your centerline
• Opponent’s sleeve grip hand pulls wide in an arc while their collar grip hand drives upward, creating a rotational force on your torso

Key Defensive Principles

• Maintain low center of gravity with bent knees and hips slightly back to resist forward kuzushi
• Fight grips aggressively to deny the collar-and-sleeve configuration needed for the lifting pull
• Recognize circular movement patterns early as a precursor to the sweep attempt
• Keep weight centered over your base rather than allowing it to shift onto the balls of your feet
• React to the pulling force direction rather than focusing solely on the foot placement
• Use counter-gripping to disrupt the attacker’s pulling mechanics before the block is set
• Maintain awareness of combination attacks that follow a defended Sasae attempt

Defensive Options

1. Retract the targeted foot and circle away from the blocking attempt while breaking the collar grip

• When to use: Early in the attack sequence, when you feel the initial forward pull and circular movement but before the blocking foot is placed
• Targets: Standing Position
• If successful: Returns to neutral standing with grip advantage since attacker’s positioning is disrupted
• Risk: If you retract too aggressively backward, you load weight onto the rear leg, making it vulnerable to Osoto Gari or Ouchi Gari follow-ups

2. Lower your hips and widen your base while driving forward into the attacker’s space to kill the circular momentum

• When to use: When you recognize the circular movement pattern and feel the kuzushi attempt beginning but still have your base intact
• Targets: Standing Position
• If successful: Collapses the attacker’s spacing and denies the angle needed for the foot block, potentially creating your own offensive opportunities
• Risk: Driving forward aggressively can be exploited if attacker switches to a sacrifice throw like Tomoe Nage or pulls guard

3. Strip the collar grip using a two-on-one grip break and immediately establish your own dominant grips

• When to use: At the earliest stage of the setup, when you feel the attacker securing the high collar grip that enables the upward lift
• Targets: Standing Position
• If successful: Eliminates the attacker’s primary lifting mechanism, making the throw mechanically impossible without re-establishing grips
• Risk: Momentarily occupies both of your hands with the grip break, creating a brief window where the attacker could switch to a different attack

4. Sit to guard by pulling the attacker into your preferred guard position as the throw initiates

• When to use: When the sweep is already in motion and you cannot defend standing, converting the momentum into a controlled guard pull rather than an uncontrolled fall
• Targets: Standing Position
• If successful: You land in a guard position of your choice rather than flat on your back in a scramble, maintaining some tactical control
• Risk: Concedes the standing exchange and may give up advantage points if the referee scores the action as a takedown before the guard is established

Best-Case Outcomes for Defender

→ Standing Position

Deny the kuzushi by maintaining a strong base with low hips, actively breaking the high collar grip before the attacker can generate the upward pull, and circling away from the blocking foot while maintaining your own grip advantage. When the sweep fails, the attacker is momentarily out of position with committed weight, creating your window for counter-attacks.

→ Standing Position

If the sweep catches you partially off-balance, convert the falling momentum into a deliberate guard pull by securing sleeve control and sitting into De La Riva or Reverse De La Riva guard. This requires accepting the sweep is partially successful but controlling where and how you land rather than being thrown flat onto your back into a bad position.

Common Defensive Mistakes

1. Standing tall with locked knees and weight on the balls of feet when opponent initiates circular movement

• Consequence: Makes the kuzushi trivially easy for the attacker since your center of gravity is already high and forward, requiring almost no additional force to complete the throw
• Correction: Lower your hips by bending your knees and sit your weight slightly back over your heels when you sense circular pulling patterns; this creates a strong base that resists the forward off-balancing

2. Focusing on the blocking foot and looking down to avoid it rather than addressing the grip-based kuzushi

• Consequence: The foot block is the last element of the technique; by the time it arrives, the throw is nearly complete. Looking down breaks your posture and actually helps the attacker’s kuzushi
• Correction: Address the pulling force through your grips by stripping the collar grip or stiffening your arms to resist the lift. The foot block is harmless without the upper body kuzushi driving you into it

3. Stepping over the blocking foot by lifting your knee high

• Consequence: While this avoids the immediate block, it briefly puts you on one leg with elevated center of gravity, making you vulnerable to follow-up attacks and combination throws
• Correction: Rather than stepping over, retract the foot backward and to the side while simultaneously breaking the forward pull through grip fighting. Keep both feet moving on the ground rather than lifting one high

4. Pulling backward in a straight line away from the attacker

• Consequence: Loads all your weight onto the rear leg, setting up perfectly for Osoto Gari, Kouchi Gari, or Ouchi Gari follow-up attacks on the weighted leg
• Correction: Circle laterally rather than retreating straight back. Move to the side opposite the blocking foot direction while maintaining your base width and grip control

Training Progressions

Week 1-2: Recognition drilling - Identifying the attack setup and grip patterns Partner slowly performs Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi setup sequence (grip establishment, circular movement, kuzushi attempt) while you practice identifying each phase. Call out the phase verbally as you recognize it. No defensive action yet, purely building pattern recognition at slow speeds progressing to normal speed.

Week 3-4: Grip defense drilling - Breaking the collar grip and denying kuzushi Partner attempts to establish the grip configuration and circular movement needed for Sasae. Practice stripping the collar grip using two-on-one grip breaks, and stiffening against the forward pull while maintaining your base. Partner resets and tries again after each successful defense. Build automatic grip-fighting responses.

Week 5-8: Defensive movement drilling - Footwork defense and counter-positioning Partner executes full Sasae attempts at moderate speed. Practice the full defensive sequence: recognize the setup, strip or resist grips, retract the targeted foot while circling laterally, and reset to neutral. Include guard pull bail-out option when the sweep partially succeeds. Partner provides progressively stronger kuzushi attempts.

Week 9+: Live standing defense - Defense against combinations and live application Positional sparring from standing where partner attempts Sasae and follow-up combination attacks. Practice defending the initial sweep and the follow-up technique. Develop ability to recognize when counter-attacking is available after a defended Sasae. Track which defensive responses work best against different training partners and body types.

Test Your Knowledge

Q1: What is the earliest recognition cue that your opponent is setting up Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi? A: The earliest cue is the establishment of a high collar grip combined with the initiation of circular stepping movement. Before any foot technique happens, you will feel an upward pull through the collar grip and a lateral pull through the sleeve grip creating rotational force. This circular movement pattern is the setup phase that precedes all foot sweep variants and gives you the longest window to defend.

Q2: Why is breaking the collar grip more effective than simply avoiding the blocking foot? A: The collar grip provides the upward lifting force that is essential to the throw’s mechanics. Without it, the attacker cannot elevate your center of gravity above your base of support. The foot block alone does nothing if your weight is not being driven forward and upward into it. By stripping the collar grip early, you remove the mechanical prerequisite for the throw rather than reacting to its final element.

Q3: Your opponent attempts Sasae and you successfully retract your foot, but now they are shifting into a different attack - what follow-up attacks should you anticipate? A: After a defended Sasae, the most common follow-ups are Ouchi Gari or Kouchi Gari targeting the rear leg that now bears most of your weight from the retraction, Osoto Gari if you stepped backward loading the same side leg, or an upper body throw like Harai Goshi if you raised your leg high. You should also anticipate a snap down to front headlock if your posture broke during the defense. Immediately reset your base and grip position rather than staying in the defensive posture.

Q4: When is pulling guard the correct defensive response to Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi? A: Pulling guard is appropriate when the kuzushi has already caught you partially off-balance and you cannot recover standing base in time. Rather than being thrown flat and conceding a clean takedown with your opponent landing in top position, you control the descent by gripping sleeves, sitting through, and establishing a guard like De La Riva before you hit the mat. This converts a potential three-point score into a contested guard engagement.

Q5: How should you adjust your stance and weight distribution when you recognize your opponent favors foot sweep techniques? A: Lower your center of gravity by increasing knee bend and shifting weight slightly toward your heels rather than the balls of your feet. Narrow your stance slightly to reduce the target for blocking techniques. Move with shorter, quicker steps rather than long strides that create extended moments of single-leg balance. Prioritize breaking their collar grip repeatedly to deny the lifting mechanism. Consider initiating your own attacks or guard pull to prevent them from establishing the circular movement pattern they need.