In this article we look at the Hikiotoshi, a drop down pulling throw, demonstrated by Emily Diana Watts who wrote The Fine Art of Jujitsu in 1906 and was a student of Sadakazu Uyenishi, one of the original instructors at the Bartitsu club.
The pictures below have been up-scaled and edited to try and show in greater detail the throw in action. Before practicing any throw, it is important to make sure you have the right equipment and are versed in break-falling.
1. Initial Engagement & Hold
-
Take a high lapel collar hold with both hands, matching your opponent’s grip.
-
Maintain an upright stance and move dynamically to draw out their forward energy.
2. Initiating the Pull and Knee Drop
-
As the opponent steps forward to push or attack, yield to their energy rather than resisting.
-
Drop quickly to your right knee, extending your left leg outward to maintain balance and anchor your base.
-
Simultaneously, pull sharply downward on the opponent’s lapels to break their balance forward over your dropped knee.
3. Disrupting Balance and Rotation
-
As the opponent’s momentum carries them over your base, continue the downward circular pull with your arms.
-
The opponent’s feet leave the ground as their upper body is pulled past your centre of gravity, causing them to pitch forward into the air.
4. Executing the Takedown
-
Guide the opponent down to the mat, maintaining control of their sleeve or collar to prevent a recovery.
-
Secure your position kneeling on one knee, holding them pinned or controlled on the ground immediately following the impact.
Core Benefits of Hikiotoshi
- Maximum Yielding Efficiency: Hikiotoshi relies almost entirely on taking advantage of the opponent’s forward push or attack, allowing you to use their own momentum against them rather than matching power with power.
- Low Energy Cost: Because it turns the opponent’s force into the throwing action, the movement requires minimal upper-body strength to execute successfully.
Similarity to Taiotoshi
- The Barrier Principle: Both techniques place a physical barrier in front of the opponent’s path while pulling their upper body forward and down.
- Base Extension: Just as in Taiotoshi (Body Drop), where the foot extends across the opponent’s body to block their advance, Hikiotoshi uses the drop to a single knee (with the outer leg extended, as shown in Plate IX) as a fixed fulcrum over which the opponent stumbles.
- Rotational Trajectory: Both throws pull the opponent down and around in a sharp, circular trajectory rather than lifting them into the air.
Why the Knee Drop Favours Smaller Opponents
- Instantaneous Leverage: Dropping to one knee rapidly lowers your center of gravity below the larger opponent’s hip line, instantly destroying their leverage.
- Using Gravity Against Height: By dropping low, a smaller practitioner forces a taller opponent to fall over a much lower pivot point. Gravity does the heavy lifting as their top-heavy balance tips past the point of recovery.
- Exploiting Large Steps: Larger opponents naturally take longer, heavier steps; dropping to the knee interrupts their forward stride mid-step, leaving them no floor space to re-establish their footing
Original Source Information
The Fine Art of Jujitsu - page 15
The Text Book of Jujitsu - Page 62
Learn More About Bartitsu
If you’re interested in learning more, the Bartitsu club webpage seeks to preserve, extend and promote the art of Bartitsu. Below we have included some useful links on our website.