Counters to Sasae | Private Lesson with Shintaro Higashi

 

Sasae tsurikomi ashi is one of those classic judo foot sweeps that can shut you down fast if you’re caught off-guard. But if you know how to read it—and more importantly, how to time your response—you can not only shut it down but turn it into a scoring opportunity.

In this private lesson breakdown, I go over exactly how I deal with sasae attacks, especially when they’re coming hard from the weak side or from an opponent who overcommits their body weight.

Watch the full video here ↓

Understanding the Setup

The key to defending sasae is understanding the attacker’s intention. Most players try to lean and throw their body weight backward to load the throw, but the moment they do that, they’re vulnerable.

“If you’re doing sasae to this weak side, see how I drive the shoulder over this way—that’s a counter.”

When I feel that exaggerated pull or lean, I immediately push my weight across their momentum and start timing an entry for a counter. One of my favorites in this situation is ouchi gari. If the sasae entry is telegraphed and the kuzushi is overcommitted, that inside leg is wide open for attack.

Timing and Redirection

In most of these sequences, it’s not about overpowering your partner. It’s about timing. If you try to brute force your way through sasae, you’re just giving them what they want. Instead, I work with their momentum.

“He’s trying to throw his body here and leaning back. The more he forces it, the more I have to throw my weight backward… so I go to the side, attack ouchi there.”

You can also use that opportunity to pivot into an osoto or even a tai otoshi depending on your opponent’s reaction and your angle of attack. But again—it’s all about reading that commitment.

Disguise Your Own Sasae

One mistake I see all the time is people being too obvious with their sasae. If your entries always look the same—big dominant posture, same step-in, same timing—your opponent is going to anticipate the throw and counter it.

Instead, disguise it. Break rhythm. Stagger your timing. Show a small feint, then go big.

“Showing the little ones, doing big fakes, blasting in the shin, attacking the inside leg… it’s all part of the mix.”

This also helps you avoid the common scenario where your opponent times a counter like kouchi gari or ouchi when they know your sasae is coming. The more variation you have, the less predictable you become.

Reading Your Opponent’s Intention

This is especially effective against players who always try to force sasae with full commitment. Someone like that will throw everything into a sasae attempt—and that makes them predictable.

“Every time he’s like ‘oh here we go,’ he’ll go for one big sasae—and then you’re like okay, he’s coming for it, so you drive this way and time a tai otoshi.”

By reading that intent and reacting with precision, you can shut the throw down before it even takes off—and turn it into your own attack.

If you want to dive deeper into the nuances of foot sweeps, redirection, and strategic timing, check out my instructional series on HigashiBrand.com. And for one-on-one coaching or behind-the-scenes footage, join me on Patreon.

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