Shake that gi!

if you’ve been in a dojo long enough, you will inevitably hear someone shout: “Shake that gi!” or you would have noticed some senior players flapping their opponent’s lapel around. What exactly is going on here? Why are they shaking that gi? Is it to irritate and distract their opponent? Are they just trying to be flashy and attract attention?

Maybe. But those aren’t good reasons to shake the gi. There are three legitimate reasons for doing so though. Let’s have a look at them.

The first one is to keep your arms free, especially your tsurite or lapel hand. By constantly moving it, it makes it hard for uke to take hold of your sleeve and control your arm. And if he can’t control your arm, you are free to attack him!

What if uke has already gotten control of your arm? Well, shaking it can allow you to free your arm. But don’t just shake wildly. Watch the video above and see how it should be done. Once your arm is free, keep it moving so he can’t lock it down again.

A third use of the gi shake it that is disguises your set-up for the reverse seoi-nage (also popularly known as the Korean seoi-nage). Instead of doing it from a static position, keep your lapel arm moving and at the right moment, go in for that Korean seoi.