Uke at 30, 60, 90: Pins with Graded Resistance

Students learn two judo groundwork pins where the person underneath (uke) chooses how hard to resist: 30, 60 or 90 percent. It works on controlling another body and taking responsibility for regulating one's own strength.

How to play

1. Demo of hon-kesa-gatame: sitting beside uke, trap their arm under the armpit and wrap the other arm under the back of the neck without squeezing (5 min).
2. Tori sets the pin and uke resists at 30%: barely moving so the partner can adjust (6 min).
3. Uke at 60%: tries to roll or bridge for ten seconds while tori shifts weight to keep control (6 min).
4. Uke at 90% for 20 seconds, stop signal always on; switch roles after each attempt (6 min).
5. Learn yoko-shiho-gatame (side control across the chest) and repeat the 30 and 60% scale (5 min).
6. Debrief: which percentage helped you learn most? (2 min).

Rules

• Never squeeze the neck or pull the head.
• Two taps on the mat or partner, or saying "stop," means let go at once.
• Uke chooses the percentage and tori respects it.
• When letting go, tori helps uke sit up.

Variations

Adaptations

• Blind or low-vision students: learn the position by touch, with the teacher guiding their hands.
• Shoulder injury: only plays tori, keeping weight off the injured arm.
• Students who don't want ground contact: referee with a stopwatch and start and stop signals.

Learning goals

• Control a partner on the ground.
• Regulate one's own strength as agreed.
• Respect the tap-out signal every time.

Equipment for a class of 25

• mats: 15

Teacher tip

Pair students by similar size and level, and only rotate partners when the class handles it well. The usual mistake is tori squeezing the neck to make up for poor position: fix it by moving weight onto uke's chest.

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