Ground Kachinuki: Winner Stays on the Mat

A team ground-judo competition using the traditional kachinuki format: the winner stays and faces the next opponent. It forces students to pace their effort and teams to choose their lineup.

How to play

1. Teams of four or five by level and briefing: 1-minute kneeling bouts, you win by a 10 s hold or by the most advantage; a draw sends both off (4 min).
2. Strategy huddle: each team sets its lineup and picks a captain who calls substitutions (3 min).
3. First match on two mats: A vs B and C vs D, with referee and timekeeper from the resting teams (9 min).
4. Adjust: teams check how many bouts each fighter lasted and change the lineup if needed (3 min).
5. Second match against new opponents, results on the whiteboard (9 min).
6. Debrief: each team explains how they spread the workload among fighters (2 min).

Rules

• Bouts always on the knees: nobody stands up.
• No one fights more than three bouts in a row: after the third, they leave even if they win.
• No neck, head, fingers or joint locks; double tap = stop.
• The referee may stop the bout for roughness and award it to the opponent.

Variations

Adaptations

• Injury that rules out fighting: the student is the permanent referee or timekeeper and part of team strategy.
• Big size differences: the referee matches within each team; if no match, the bout uses a 30% control rule.
• Visual impairment: always start with grips already set on sleeve and lapel or on the arms.

Learning goals

• Apply ground techniques against real opposition.
• Pace effort according to opponent and team.
• Take on referee and timekeeper roles fairly.

Equipment for a class of 25

• mats: 16
• stopwatch: 4
• whiteboard: 1
• pinnies: 30

Teacher tip

Kachinuki is a traditional format in Japanese team judo tournaments. The usual problem is the strongest student winning everything; the three-in-a-row rule prevents it.

More main activities for High School