Difficulty Level
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Yoku Guruma

Yoko-guruma is a sacrifice counter executed when uke commits to a forward-loading throw (typically a hip throw or uchi-mata) and exposes their back/side to tori. Rather than resist or sprawl, tori sl…

Alternative Names
  • Japanese: 横車
  • BJJ: Side Wheel, Side Wheel Throw, Lateral Wheel
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Description

Yoko-guruma is a sacrifice counter executed when uke commits to a forward-loading throw (typically a hip throw or uchi-mata) and exposes their back/side to tori. Rather than resist or sprawl, tori slips one leg between or outside uke's stance, drops their body to the side along uke's flank, and uses uke's already-loaded forward momentum to wheel them up and over in a lateral rotation. The throw ends with tori landing on top, perpendicular to uke, often in a kesa-gatame–style pin or transitioning directly to side control.
The wheel imagery is literal: uke rotates around tori's prone body as if around an axle, with tori's pulling-hand grip and the slipped leg serving as the spokes that drive the rotation.

Common Applications

Counter to Harai-goshi — the classical and most-taught setup; uke's harai entry exposes the side perfectly.
Counter to Uchi-mata — particularly against an opponent who lifts high but lacks finish.
Counter to deep O-goshi or Tsurikomi-goshi entries.
Rare but legal in modern IJF competition; mostly seen at high-level judo rather than in BJJ rulesets.

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