One of those throws that looks like pure power — until you study the mechanics.
Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko 🇺🇦 against Beatriz Freitas 🇧🇷 at the 2023 Upper Austria Grand Prix, −78 kg.
Freitas commits her weight forward. Instead of trying to stop that pressure, Lytvynenko closes the distance, establishes a tight body connection and lowers her centre of gravity.
That is the critical moment.
The opponent’s forward momentum contributes to the kuzushi. Lytvynenko then converts it into lift and completes the action with an explosive backward sacrifice and rotation.
Mechanically, I would describe this as an ura-nage-style counter.
Power makes the throw spectacular.
Timing makes it possible.
What do you see as the decisive element here — strength, timing or kuzushi?
Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin
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Judo media • techniques, fight breakdowns, legends and culture. Analysis by Yerdos Khamzin.
17-Year-Old Hifumi Abe vs World Champion Ebinuma | Technical Analysis
He was only 17. Across from him stood Masashi Ebinuma — the reigning and three-time World Champion.
Ebinuma scored first, but Hifumi Abe never lost his tactical discipline.
Instead of rushing, Abe continued to pressure the gripping exchanges, test Ebinuma's reactions and create attacking situations.
The decisive moment came late in the contest. Abe recognised Ebinuma's forward commitment, stayed connected, controlled the centre of mass and converted the exchange into ushiro-goshi for waza-ari.
This fight is an early example of what would later define Abe's elite judo: explosive attacks, constant pressure, tactical confidence and the ability to turn an opponent's reaction into a scoring opportunity.
At just 17, Abe defeated the reigning World Champion and went on to win the Tokyo Grand Slam 2014.
What impressed you most — Abe's aggression, his timing, or his composure under pressure?
Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin.
17/08/2026
FROM MONGOLIA TO KAZAKHSTAN — AND HOME AGAIN 🇲🇳🇰🇿
Otgontsetseg Galbadrakh has one of the most remarkable stories in modern judo.
Born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, she first competed for her native country before beginning a new chapter with Kazakhstan in 2015.
The transition was not simply a change of flag. It meant rebuilding her international career in one of the most competitive weight categories in women’s judo.
The results came quickly.
In 2016, Galbadrakh became Asian Champion, won the Paris Grand Slam and then achieved the biggest result of her career — an Olympic bronze medal for Kazakhstan at Rio 2016.
She later added World Championship bronze medals in 2017 and 2018, confirming her place among the elite athletes of the –48 kg category.
Galbadrakh became an important part of Kazakhstan’s judo history. Her aggressive gripping, physical pressure, strong balance and ability to fight effectively at close distance made her an extremely difficult opponent for many of the world’s best judoka.
After completing her international career, she returned to Mongolia and moved into coaching, beginning another chapter of her life in judo.
Her story connects two strong judo nations — Mongolia and Kazakhstan.
She was born in Mongolia, reached some of the greatest achievements of her career representing Kazakhstan, and eventually returned home with an Olympic medal and years of experience at the highest level of international judo.
What is your strongest memory of Otgontsetseg Galbadrakh — Rio 2016, the Paris Grand Slam, or her World Championship medals?
Judo story & analysis by Yerdos Khamzin
DIyora Keldiyorova vs Reka Pupp | Doha 2023
This semi-final is a very good example of an important principle in high-level judo: when an attack is working, you do not always need to search for another technique.
Keldiyorova found success with seoi-nage and continued to exploit the same problem in Pupp’s defence.
Her entries were fast and compact. She reduced the distance, dropped underneath Pupp’s centre of gravity and immediately converted forward pressure into rotation.
But the most interesting detail was the tactical decision.
After the first successful seoi-nage, Diyora already had important information: Pupp was having difficulty neutralising that entry. Instead of unnecessarily changing direction or searching for a completely different technique, Keldiyorova trusted the same attacking pattern again.
At this level, repeating a technique is not simply repetition. The timing, distance and opponent’s reaction are constantly changing. The athlete has to recognise that the same opening is still available and enter before the opponent can fully reorganise the defence.
Two rapid seoi-nage attacks were enough to take Keldiyorova past the world number three and into the World Championship final.
Simple idea. Excellent ex*****on. High-level tactical awareness.
Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin
Champions are made before the first hajime.
This footage shows Uta Abe preparing with her coach at the 2023 World Championships in Doha. On the tatami, she produced a complete championship performance:
Puljiz — two uchi-mata scores.
Kocher — koshi-guruma for ippon.
Buchard — o-soto-gari with four seconds remaining.
Krasniqi — seoi-nage into osaekomi.
Keldiyorova — turnover and hold-down for gold.
Five contests. Multiple solutions. A fourth world title.
What makes Uta Abe more difficult to stop: her explosive tachi-waza or her transitions into ne-waza?
Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin.
History is not always made with ippon.
At the 2025 Lima Grand Prix, Brillith Gamarra made history for Peru in the under 52 kilogram category.
Her bronze-medal contest against Khadizha Gadashova was decided through tactical pressure: two shidos for avoiding the grip, followed by a third for non-combativity at 3:22.
No scoring throw was needed. Disciplined grip fighting, initiative and constant pressure made the difference.
With this bronze, Gamarra became the first Peruvian woman to win an IJF World Judo Tour medal.
Do you appreciate tactical victories like this, or do you prefer a spectacular ippon?
Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin.
15/08/2026
MARKO SPITTKA — THE COACH WHO FOUND THE SOLUTION
In conversations with former judoka—many of whom are now coaches themselves—I kept hearing the same name whenever Diyora Keldiyorova’s Olympic victory was discussed: Marko Spittka.
Their view was clear: his contribution to this historic gold was decisive.
Diyora earned the medal through her own talent, courage, discipline and fighting spirit. No coach can step onto the tatami in an athlete’s place. But a great coach can build the system, study every opponent and help find a solution when the rest of the world sees none.
Spittka understands Olympic pressure himself. The German is a European champion, a world silver medallist and an Olympic bronze medallist from Atlanta 1996. In Uzbekistan, he brought structure, planning and precise technical and tactical analysis. Importantly, he worked together with Diyora’s personal coach and the wider team—not around them.
The clearest example came against Uta Abe. According to Spittka, the team worked for more than six months on the solution Diyora used against the reigning Olympic champion. In Paris, she found the exact moment, executed it perfectly and scored ippon. She then continued all the way to Uzbekistan’s first Olympic gold medal in judo.
The IJF later honoured Marko Spittka with its Coaching Achievement of the Year award for his role in that historic success.
He found the solution. She made history.
An athlete wins the medal. But behind many great victories stands a coach who saw the path long before the world saw the possibility.
Respect to Marko Spittka—and to every coach whose greatest work is carried onto the tatami by someone else.
Judo commentary and analysis by Yerdos Khamzin
15/08/2026
THE JUDO ROOTS BEHIND KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV
Khabib is known around the world as an undefeated UFC champion, but his grappling was never built on wrestling alone.
Guided by his father and lifelong coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib trained in wrestling, judo and combat sambo. Judo became an important part of his foundation—the balance, grips, trips, throws and control that could be seen throughout his MMA career.
Abdulmanap’s own connection to judo ran deep. He trained in Ukraine and became a Ukrainian champion in judo and sambo. He respected judo so deeply that he hoped Khabib would remain in the Olympic sport. Khabib ultimately chose MMA, but the lessons of the judogi stayed with him.
His greatness did not come from one style. It came from a complete system—a father’s vision, a son’s discipline, and a legacy carried forward.
Where do you see judo most clearly in Khabib’s fighting style?
Yerdos Khamzin
Friends, a quick note: this is an AI-generated video created in CapCut from a script I wrote.
It is simply a creative experiment as I explore new ways to tell stories about judo. Real competition footage, technical breakdowns, and authentic moments will remain at the heart of this page. Experiments like this are an addition—not a replacement.
Relaxed one second. Explosive the next. 🇪🇪
Artak Azarumyan turns a sudden level change into a powerful drop seoi-nage. The decisive detail is the rhythm: forward kuzushi, compact tsukuri, and continuous kake before the opponent can recover his posture.
Power helps—but timing makes the throw.
Would you call this drop seoi-nage or seoi-otoshi?
Technical analysis by Yerdos Khamzin
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