Jimmy Pedro Shows You How To Develop A One Handed Tai Otoshi

The one-handed tai-otoshi is a technique many people associate with the Koreans because many of their top champions use this. What some people might not realize is that this is also a technique that’s associated with American champions. World Champion Jimmy Pedro used this technique in the final of the 1999 World Championships. Former World Champion Mike Swain was also known to have used this technique.

Some people may wonder why it’s called the “one-handed” tai-otoshi because strictly speaking, two hands are used to execute the throw. It’s called a one-handed throw because when tori does it, he doesn’t have a grip on uke’s lapel. He only has a sleeve grip. Yes, he eventually places his tsurite (lapel hand) onto uke’s sleeve but at the start of the throw, it’s one-handed. Thus, its name.

In this video, Jimmy explains the basics of the throw and the gripping situation involved. Then, he shows how it’s done with both players moving, which more closely mimics a randori or contest situation. In real life, uke won’t be static but moving about. Finally, Jimmy emphasizes the importance of good form in doing nagekomi.