It’s the signature wrist-lock of Japanese budo style martial arts. It’s seen in traditional aikijujutsu, jujitsu, judo, and aikido.    

The kotegaeshi involves supination of the wrist joint, which in turn, laterally rotates the forearm, creating a twisting of the radius and the ulna. “Kote” is literally “forearm” in Japanese. Since the elbow is only a hinge joint, this torque is delivered directly to the shoulder, which compromises the attacker’s balance- this is the kuzushi principle in action, and is why this wrist lock is an effective takedown.   

With an acrobatic training partner, the kotegaeshi can be a made for action movie fight move – fit for Steven Segal, John Wick, Jason Bourne, and even an Avenger.

It is very common to hear practitioners of Brazilian jiu jitsu talk as if Carlos and Hélio Gracie wholly rejected the wrist locks of traditional Japanese jujitsu. This misconception is understandable, considering that 90+% of BJJ schools are sport grappling gyms that do not teach self-defense.

According to Relia Gracie, and from observation, Carlos and Hélio Gracie did certainly cull a number of techniques from Japanese jujitsu. Some techniques were either found to be ineffective, or required too much energy to be effective. The kotegaeshi was NOT one for those deleted techniques.

Mitsuyo Maeda, Carlos Gracie’s Japanese jiu jitsu teacher, clearly included the kotegaeshi in his self-defense curriculum.  

Grandmaster Helio Gracie’s self-defense curriculum, and the current curriculum at Gracie University  includes at least four attacks for which the kotegaeshi is the technique of choice. 

One attack that begs for the kotegaeshi is the front collar grab where the aggressor partially supinates his own wrist in his attempt to intimidate their intended victim. This kotegaeshi variation appears in the Gracie University Blue Belt Stripe 2 curriculum, Lesson 49.

Another Helio Gracie kotegaeshi indicator is a two-handed neck grab from the rear. This kotegaeshi variation is detailed in Gracie University in the Blue Belt Stripe 3 curriculum, Lesson 52.

Grandmaster Hélio also taught the kotegaeshi for two different knife attack defenses. 

Notice the emphasis FIRST is in creating a shield between the knife and the body. This priority on first preventing being stabbed is a key difference between the Gracie kotegaeshi and the more “Hollywood” versions of this classic jujitsu wristlock.  

Small joint attacks can be very effective in self-defense. The kotegaeshi is a great example. Wrist locks are difficult to practice safely at full speed on a  resisting partner, though. This is probably one reason why wrist locks are not commonly practiced at sport BJJ gyms.

If the serious martial arts student looks closely at Gracie self-defense, it is clear that the techniques of Japanese jujitsu were respected and preserved in Gracie jiu jitsu and are taught today as part of the most effective self-defense system in the world.