Height-Mismatch Playbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "Throwing Taller Players." Print it. The article teaches the three mechanical facts of the height gap and the answers to each. This book runs them: grip-race cards for the first two seconds…
| Art | Kodokan Judo |
|---|---|
| Family | Kodokan Judo |
| Level | intermediate |
| Format | playbook |
| Topics | throws, gripping, training-plans |
Mat Manual companion guide to "Throwing Taller Players." Print it. The article teaches the three mechanical facts of the height gap and the answers to each. This book runs them: grip-race cards for the first two seconds, entry standards by throw family, knee gates printed where the drop throws live, scenario rounds built around reach, and a four-week block against taller partners.
Name: ______________________________ Club: ______________________________ Coach: ______________________________ My height: ______________ My usual role in this book (shorter / taller / both): ______________
BEFORE ANYTHING: SCOPE AND SAFETY ☐ Ukemi (breakfalling) comes before throws, always. No player in this book receives a full throw until their falls have been checked at the speed and height that throw produces. A taller partner falls further. That fact is checked, not assumed. ☐ Drop throws in this book are gated by knee health (Part 11). A player who has not passed the gate, or whose knees answer badly on the day, trains the standing low entries only. No exceptions for a good round, a grading, or a visiting partner. ☐ The taller player controls every throw to the end: sleeve held, landing guided, own weight clear of the partner. Height adds leverage and fall distance; the control standard rises with both. ☐ Any player may stop any round at any time, with one word, no reason given. A stopped round is a completed round. ☐ Sharp, pinching, locking, or giving-way knee pain ends drop and entry work for the day and is reported to the coach. Muscle effort is training; joint pain is information.
Part 1: The Height Bands: Know Which Problem You Have
Measure the gap in centimeters and in experience. Both numbers matter. A 15 cm gap between two experienced players is a technical problem. The same gap with a beginner on either side is a supervision problem.
| Gap | Band name | Default format |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 cm | Matched | Normal randori |
| 6 to 12 cm | Noticeable | Normal randori with Parts 5 and 7 standards named before the round |
| 13 to 20 cm | Mismatch | This book in full: constrained formats first, free randori only through Part 8 gates |
| 21 cm and over | Major mismatch | Coach-paired only. Constrained formats and nage-komi (throwing practice). Free randori only for two experienced players who both request it |
Experience bands used throughout this book:
| Band | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Beginner | Under roughly a year, ukemi still being built, no reliable control under resistance |
| Developing | Ukemi sound, core throws controlled at practice speed, randori experience against own height |
| Experienced | Controls throws at full speed, falls from all major families, has fed drills for others |
Height is measured standing, in bare feet, at the start of a training cycle. Players record their band on the log (Part 14).
Height-Mismatch Playbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "Throwing Taller Players." Print it. The article teaches the three mechanical facts of the height gap and the answers to each. This book runs them: grip-race cards for the first two seconds, entry standards by throw family, knee gates printed where the drop throws live, scenario rounds built around reach, and a four-week block against taller partners.
What's Inside
- Part 1: The Height Bands: Know Which Problem You Have
- Part 2: The Pairing Matrix: The Coach's Wall Chart
- Part 3: Pre-Round Agreement: The 30-Second Contract
- Part 4: The Shorter Player: Attack Plans by Grip
- Part 5: Grip-Race Cards
- Part 6: The Shorter Player: Movement Standards and Counts
- …and 22 more sections
The full guide is a paid Mat Manual product. Checkout is not connected yet — no payment is taken on this page.
Free companion article: Throwing Taller Players — the full article, free in full.
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