Reverse seoi nage with a cross-grip twist

Judo analyst Oon Yeoh spotted something unusual. “Nice cross-grip reverse seoi by Lima (BRA),” he wrote. “Not a very commonly seen technique though Pantano (ITA) and Rekhiazishvili (GEO) were known to do this kind of reverse seoi as well. Good, innovative stuff.” Two rare things meet in that observation: a reverse seoi nage, and a reverse seoi nage that starts from a cross grip.

Why the reverse seoi is rare

In a classic seoi nage tori turns in and throws uke forward over the shoulder on the same side as the turn. In the reverse version tori turns the other way, so the arm that uke expects to be loaded is not the one that carries the throw, and uke travels in a direction they have not prepared to defend. As our earlier analysis of the reverse seoi explained, tori turns against the pressure instead of with it. That surprise is the whole point, and it is also why the technique spent three years outside the rulebook. Between 2022 and the end of 2024 the IJF gave no score and a shido for reverse seoi nage. The rules introduced at the Paris Grand Slam in 2025 allowed it again for seniors and juniors, while cadets still receive a shido for it. Diving onto the mat head first remains a hansoku make in every age group, so the throw only works when tori stays on the feet or drops under control and uke can still break the fall.

What the cross grip adds

A cross grip, with one hand reaching across to the far side of the opponent’s jacket, is already a signal in itself, because the rules demand that it leads straight into an attack. Most opponents know that and brace for the obvious options from that grip, usually a drop or a sacrifice to the side of the grip. A reverse seoi from the same position turns that expectation around: the grip that looks like a set up for one direction becomes the anchor for a rotation in the other, and the hand across the body helps to keep uke attached during the turn. Timing decides everything. Tori has to start the rotation the moment uke reacts to the grip, before uke can square up again or break the hold.

Why athletes build unusual weapons

At World Tour level every leading judoka is scouted on video, and the standard entries of a well known opponent are rarely a secret. A variation that few others use gives an athlete a moment of uncertainty in the opponent, and at the highest level that moment is often enough. The names Oon mentions show that this idea is not new, but that it stays rare, which is exactly why it keeps working when it appears. The return of the reverse seoi to senior judo was welcomed widely, as the JudoCrazy and JudoInside analysis of the 2025 rules showed, and Lima’s cross-grip version is a reminder of how much creativity that decision opened up again.

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