Juji-uke 十字受け
Cross block, X block
The technique, and its job.
Both forearms crossed at the wrists to receive an attack in the fork they make — downward against a kick, upward against a descending strike. The crossed position naturally becomes a grab, which is how it is most often applied.
Application. Receiving and trapping a committed kick or a descending attack, leading directly to a grab or a throw.
Mechanics
What each part of the body does, in the order it does it.
- Starting position
- Both hands chambered or in guard.
- Hips
- Square and driving into the block.
- Trajectory
- Both arms travel together to meet, wrists crossing, either downward to gedan or upward to jodan.
- Contact surface
- The crossed wrists and forearms.
- Kime
- Both arms and the stance on one beat.
- Recovery
- Frequently by grasping the received limb and twisting, rather than by returning to guard.
What survives when the name is forgotten.
- The fork traps as much as it blocks. It is a beginning, not a conclusion.
- It commits both hands, so it is chosen against a threat serious enough to justify that.
Common errors, and how to fix them.
Naming a fault teaches nobody. Each one below carries why it happens and what corrects it.
Why it happens. Reaching, or an imprecise finish.
The fix. Cross at the wrists so the fork is at its narrowest and strongest.
Why it happens. Treating it as a barrier.
The fix. Always follow with the grab. The kata that contain it do.
Drills
- Against a partner’s controlled mae-geri, receiving and then grasping the ankle.
Where it appears.
Kihon is the vocabulary, kata is the literature, kumite is the conversation. Every link below was written down deliberately; none of it was inferred from a name matching.
- Heian Godan Peaceful mind, fifth level
- Bassai Dai To storm a fortress, major
- Jion Compassion and kindness; also the name of a Buddhist temple
- Gankaku Crane on a rock
- Defensive kumite Defence and counter
- Age-uke Rising block
- Soto-uke Outside block
- Uchi-uke Inside block
- Gedan-barai Downward sweep, low-level block
- Shuto-uke Knife-hand block
- Morote-uke Augmented block, two-hand block
- Kakiwake-uke Wedge block, parting block
The Japanese, explained.
- Juji-uke 十字受け
- Cross block. Both forearms crossed at the wrists to receive an attack in the fork they make. Usually becomes a grab.
- Gedan 下段
- Lower level. Below the belt. As a level it names the low blocks and the stamping techniques. Whether it is a permitted target is a matter of the competition rules in force, and so is not stated here as a fixed fact.
- Jodan 上段
- Upper level. The head and the neck — both as a target and as the level at which a technique is named and performed. Jodan-zuki is a punch to that level; jodan-uke is a block against one arriving there.
Video
No recording in the register is tagged to Juji-uke. MMAKF has not filmed this technique, and the discovery pass did not find an external recording specific enough to attribute to it without guessing.
Nothing is shown here rather than a search link dressed up as a demonstration. What has been found, checked and registered is listed in full on the source register.
The video source register →