Uchi Mata

Manage injuries →Position map Connects to 2 positions across 2 relationshipsOpen in the map →123←Enters from

is the inner thigh throw — an inner thigh reap against the opponent’s near standing leg, combined with hip rotation and upper body pull, that sends the opponent over the attacker’s hip and onto the mat. It is one of the highest-percentage throws in judo at all competition levels and has become increasingly dominant in elite no-gi grappling, where wrestlers and BJJ competitors have adopted it as a primary takedown.

The throw family is defined by two elements: the hip insertion (the attacker pivots to place their hip in front of the opponent) and the inner thigh reap (the attacker’s near leg sweeps the inner thigh of the opponent’s load-bearing leg upward). These two elements act simultaneously — the hip insertion creates the fulcrum and the thigh reap applies the force that rotates the opponent over it.

is related to Harai Goshi (sweeping hip throw), which uses the same hip insertion but attacks the outside of the thigh rather than the inner thigh. The two throws are often confused and chain well as alternates from the same clinch position — see the Harai Goshi note in the related pages section.

INV-ST01Invariant "Destabilising the opponent requires controlling the secondary leg — the leg that is not the primary base. Moving the secondary leg removes the opponent's ability to rebalance."

Why it works hereThe kuzushi loads the opponent's near leg as their primary base — the upper-body pull forces weight onto that foot. The reap then attacks that very leg, lifting the inner thigh upward while the hip insertion provides the fulcrum. Once the loaded leg is reaped upward, the far leg cannot reach the line where rebalancing is possible; the rotation completes over the attacker's hip with no leg available to stop it.

See full invariant page → The throw’s mechanical logic: the hip insertion places the attacker’s hip below the opponent’s centre of mass, creating a fulcrum. The upper body grip pulls the opponent forward and over that fulcrum. The inner thigh reap lifts the opponent’s base (their near leg) upward while the upper body rotation completes the throw. All three elements — hip insertion, upper body pull, inner thigh reap — must happen simultaneously. A hip insertion without the reap is a stall; a reap without the hip insertion is a trip with no rotation.

INV-07Invariant "Establishing connection is the prerequisite for all control. Where INV-01 describes what sustained connection achieves, INV-07 describes the prior requirement: control cannot begin until connection exists. Distance — whether created by the opponent deliberately or allowed to develop accidentally — returns initiative to the opponent and must be closed before control can be re-established."