Translated directly as ‘reinforcement' - in Judo, ‘Hokyo’ involves repeating fundamental movements in order to commit them to your body's memory. Highly valued by Kanamaru - you can improve your Judo with or without a partner. ‘Newaza Hokyo’ reinforces important movements and postures used throug...

Here are four static movements that are important for successful Newaza. All are performed from your back with your head up, to engage your core.

Once competent, these exercises can be linked together into a sequence. You can then apply it to a Judo related situation. Here, Kanamaru demonstrates how to perform the sequence:

There is a lot of twisting in Newaza, so this is an exercise Kanamaru thinks is very important. Starting in a prone plank, you suspend your body weight on your forearms and toes, keeping your core tight and back straight.

The ‘sit through’ is an expansive yet precise movement. Starting in a prone position, with relatively straight arms, you support your weight on your hands, with your hips a little higher than your shoulders. As it is so expansive, it requires a great deal of control.

The first drill relates to Kami shio, and Yoko shio gatame. Lying on your front with your legs wide, you reach forward as far as possible - then pull yourself forwards. It’s very important that for the end posture: your hips are down and your chest is up. You must force your weight through your f...

The shrimp, or in Japanese ‘ebi’, reinforces a fundamental movement in Newaza. It is used to create distance between yourself and your opponent, allowing space to either defend or attack. This exercise imitates pushing your opponent away to create the space needed to defend or attack.

Apart from being more explosive, the main difference between the normal and reverse shrimp is that instead of pushing yourself along the tatami, you use your feet to pull. Starting on your side, you drive your top foot down into the tatami, exploding upwards with the hips and using the momentum t...

This side shuffle is another fairly simple, but a fundamental movement for Ne Waza. You start on your back, leaning your legs and hips to one side, with your arms and shoulders turned the other way. The aim of the movement is to switch your hips and shoulders, finishing in the opposite position. ...

The side jump is very similar to the side shuffle, however, in this exercise, both your upper and lower body start facing the same direction. You kick up with your legs and hips and completely leave the tatami, rotating your body mid-flight to land on the opposite side. It’s a short, explosive ex...

This drill is about maintaining control of your opponent at any given moment in Newaza. Lying on your back, core tight, holding your head off the tatami, you hook your feet in. Executing a kind of cycling motion, you move your partner’s legs back and forth. Although Uke must jump slightly, it is ...

Kanamaru says the most important thing about this drill, is to maintain complete control of your opponent. You must keep tension throughout the exercise.