Journal of Sports Sciences

ISSN: 0264-0414 (Print) 1466-447X (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjsp20

Kinematics of judo breakfall for osoto-gari:

Considerations for head injury prevention

Sentaro Koshida, Takanori Ishii, Tadamitsu Matsuda & Toshihiko Hashimoto

To cite this article: Sentaro Koshida, Takanori Ishii, Tadamitsu Matsuda & Toshihiko Hashimoto
(2016): Kinematics of judo breakfall for osoto-gari: Considerations for head injury prevention,
Journal of Sports Sciences, DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1210194

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1210194

Published online: 21 Jul 2016.

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 JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES, 2016
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1210194

Kinematics of judo breakfall for osoto-gari: Considerations for head injury

prevention
Sentaro Koshidaa, Takanori Ishiib,c, Tadamitsu Matsudad, and Toshihiko Hashimotoa
a
Faculty of Health Science, Ryotokuji University, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan; bCentre of Liberal Arts, Ryotokuji University, Japan, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan;
c
Doctoral Program in Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan; dFaculty of Health Science,
Uekusa-Gakuen University, Wakaba-ku, Chiba, Chiba, Japan

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

Previous studies suggest that increasing the skill level of judokas will decrease the number of head Accepted 1 July 2016
injuries sustained during judo. However, the kinematics are poorly understood, making it difficult to
KEYWORDS
establish an effective breakfall teaching programme. Therefore, we studied the kinematic parameters of Judo; martial arts; head
breakfall for osoto-gari to identify the risk of judo-related head injuries by comparing experienced and concussion; motion analysis;
novice judokas. This information will provide insight into developing a better prevention plan for judo- injury prevention
related head injuries.
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A total of 10 experienced and 12 novice judokas volunteered to participate in this study. The
kinematic data of the breakfall motion for osoto-gari were collected using a three-dimensional motion
analysis technique (200 Hz).
We observed a significantly higher peak neck extension momentum in the novice group than in the
experienced group. This suggests that neck extension momentum during breakfall is associated with
the risk of head injuries during judo. In addition, the novice judokas demonstrated a significantly
greater flexed pattern in the trunk and hip movement than the experienced judokas (P < 0.05). The
results suggest that the trunk and lower extremity motion are important kinematic parameters that
determine the skill level in performing the breakfall for osoto-gari.

Introduction injuries (Kamitani, Nimura, Nagahiro, Miyazaki, & Tomatsu, 2013;

Miyazaki, 2012; Nagahiro et al., 2011; Nambu & Noji, 2014). In fact,
The increase in the popularity of judo appears to be related to the
a previous study by Kamitani et al. (2013) reported that approxi-
inclusion of this sport as an official event in the summer Olympic
mately 90% of severe head injuries associated with judo occurred
game in Tokyo (1964), and judo currently ranks among the most
among judokas younger than 20 years of age, with less than
popular oriental martial arts in the world. Recent estimates sug-
3 years of judo experience. Therefore, measures to prevent head
gest that the International Judo Federation (IJF) includes more
injuries during judo participation should be developed to provide
than 20 million individuals from 189 countries that are spread over
a safer environment for young or inexperienced judo participants.
five continents. In addition, the IJF recently commissioned a “judo
Previous studies reported that being thrown with osoto-
for children” initiative that provides a structured worldwide judo
gari, a judo throwing technique, was largely responsible for
programme for children during and after school hours
the most severe head injuries, suggesting that a lack of
(International Judo Federation, 2011). Furthermore, the Ministry
breakfall skills for osoto-gari, particularly among inexperienced
of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan
judokas, is likely a cause for the increased risk of head injuries
mandated instruction in Japanese martial arts, including judo, for
during judo (Kamitani et al., 2013; Miyazaki, 2012; Nagahiro
junior high school students from 2012. In light of the recent and
et al., 2013; Nambu & Noji, 2014; Nishimura et al., 1988).
sustainable growth in the popularity of judo among young and
Osoto-gari involves a thrower pushing an opponent with his/
inexperienced individuals, it is essential to educate athletic direc-
her hands and sweeping out his/her supporting leg, causing
tors, coaches, teachers and health-care providers about injuries
the opponent to fall backward (Imamura & Johnson, 2003;
that frequently occur in judo practitioners, or judokas.
Kano, 1994) (Figure 1). In a parallel motion to the judoka
Participation in judo can induce a great amount of stress on
performing the osoto-gari, the judoka who is being thrown
various anatomical structures during a match or practice, and
executes a breakfall motion, designed to ensure their safety,
injuries can occur at any location in the body (Kujala et al., 1995;
by distributing the applied stress over the extremities and
Pieter, 2005; Pocecco et al., 2013; Souza, Monteiro, Del Vecchio, &
avoiding direct contact of the head to the floor with neck
Gonçalves, 2006). In Japan, head injuries, such as acute subdural
flexion. Previous biomechanical investigations using an
heamatoma sustained during judo participation among young
anthropomorphic test device also demonstrated that the
and inexperienced practitioners, are gaining widespread public
head acceleration associated with the osoto-gari manoeuvre
attention because of the frequency and severity of these types of

CONTACT Sentaro Koshida koshida@ryotokuji-u.ac.jp Faculty of Health Sciences, Ryotokuji University, 5-8-1, Akemi, Urayasu, Chiba 2798567, Japan
© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
 2 S. KOSHIDA ET AL.
Figure 1. Sequence of movements in the osoto-gari technique.
is greater than that for other judo techniques (Hitosugi et al.,
2014; Murayama, Hitosugi, Motozawa, Ogino, & Koyama, 2014).
This may partially explain the greater incidence of head injuries
associated with osoto-gari compared with other judo
techniques.
Several head injury prevention strategies, including protec-
tive equipment, have been recently proposed for use during
judo (Aiba, Omiya, Iteya, Kamitani, & Tomatsu, 2012;
Downloaded by [La Trobe University] at 02:16 02 August 2016
Murayama, Hitosugi, Motozawa, Ogino, & Koyama, 2013). The
use of helmets has been reported to play an important role in
preventing severe head injuries, such as skull fracture.
However, the preventive effect of a helmet or head gear
used to prevent concussions is still inconclusive for collision
sports (Benson et al., 2013; Harmon et al., 2013; McCrory et al.,
2013). The efficacy of such protective equipment for prevent-
ing head injuries in judo remains unclear.
Previous studies suggested that learning the proper
breakfall technique during early judo training is essential for
attenuating the risk for head injury (Hitosugi et al., 2014;
Kamitani et al., 2011; Kano, 1994; Miyazaki, 2012; Nagahiro
et al., 2011; Nambu & Noji, 2014). Therefore, we suggest that
it is critical to understand the biomechanical parameters of
breakfall associated with the osoto-gari throw, particularly
between experienced and novice judokas, to design a safer
and more effective judo teaching paradigm that results in
lower risk of injury. Most studies have demonstrated differ-
ences in the kinematics of the basic breakfall motion (Groen,
Weerdesteyn, & Duysens, 2007; Koshida, Matsuda, Ishii, &
Hashimoto, 2014; Van der Zijden et al., 2012) but few studies
quantitatively investigated the breakfall kinematics associated
with osoto-gari between judokas of different skill levels.
Therefore, we investigated the biomechanics of the judo
breakfall movement in response to osoto-gari and compared
selected biomechanical variables between experienced and
novice judokas. The information will help coaches and tea-
chers to establish better teaching strategies for the osoto-gari
breakfall motion, thereby preventing severe judo-related head
injuries.
Methods
Participants
We recruited 10 experienced and 12 novice male judokas from
Ryotokuji University for this study. The group of novice judo-
kas had no experience in either competitive or recreational
judo, except the physical education class and all attended at
least 10 90-min judo classes offered by the University. In
contrast, the group of experienced judokas participated in
the University’s judo team and had at least 7 years of compe-
titive judo experience by the time of enrolment in the study.
After notifying all the participants of the purpose and risks of
the study, we received written informed consent prior to
conducting this study. The study protocol was approved by
the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Health Sciences,
Ryotokuji University.
Measurements
We assigned 41 reflective markers (diameter: 1.9 cm) to the
anatomical landmarks of the participants to define individual
body segments and their three-dimensional motion. Markers
are placed on the anterior superior iliac spines, greater tro-
chanters, medial/lateral knees, medial/lateral malleolus, heads
of the 1st and 5th metatarsals, calcaneal tuberosities, distal
phalanx of the 1st digit of the feet, medial/lateral epicondyles
of the femur, lateral costal boarders (10th rib), anterior/poster-
ior shoulder, manubrium of sternum and its posterior side,
medial/lateral elbow joints, medial/lateral wrists and the 3rd
metacarpal heads of the hands. Participants were asked to
wear tight-fitting spandex shorts and judo clothes to improve
the visibility of the attached markers (Ishii, Ae, Kobayashi, &
Suzuki, 2012) and headgear, to ensure safety during the mea-
surements (Figure 2).
The measurement protocol included three sets of
breakfall in response to being thrown with osoto-gari onto
the mat by one tester (the thrower) who had more than
20 years of experience in judo (with a 3rd-degree black
belt). The thrower had a left-handed style so the left lower
extremity of the participants was always swept when they
were thrown with osoto-gari.
Data correction and reduction
Three-dimensional marker trajectory data (200 Hz) were
obtained with a 20-camera Mac3D motion analysis system
(Motion Analysis Corp., Santa Rosa, CA, USA). The marker
trajectory data were then low-pass filtered through a
Butterworth digital filter at a 6 Hz cut-off frequency. We con-
ducted data reduction and processing with a video processor/
computer system (Eva software, Version 5.04, Motion analysis
Corp., Santa Rosa, CA, USA). All data analysis was performed
with MATLAB (MATLAB R2014b, The Mathworks Inc., Natick,
MA, USA).
Figure 3 illustrates the 15-segment coordinate system, con-
sisting of the head, right/left upper arms, right/left forearms,
right/left hands, upper trunk, lower trunk, right/left thighs,

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Figure 2. Appearance of the participants during the measurements.
Figure 3. Marker placement and definition of the segmental coordinate system: The grey circles represent the attached makers, and the white circles represent the
virtual markers.
right/left shanks and right/left feet. The centre of the joint of the
neck, shoulder, knee and ankle were defined as the centre of the
two markers across the joints, whereas the hip joint centre was
estimated using the revised estimation method of the Clinical
Gait Analysis Forum of Japan (Kurabayashi, Mochiharu, & Kouchi,
2003). We also defined the virtual joint of the trunk by dividing
the upper and lower trunk at the line connecting the two rib
markers. The neck, trunk, right/left hip and right/left knee joint
angles in the sagittal plane were computed variables in this
study. For example, the lower trunk coordinate system was
defined as follows: the x vector of the lower trunk was defined
as the vector from the left hip joint centre to the right hip joint
centre. We then created a supplementary vector (sLtrunk) from the
centre of the estimated hip joint centres to the centre of the rib
markers. The cross product of xLtrunk and sLtrunk was defined as
yLtrunk, and the cross product of the xLtrunk and yLtrunk was defined
JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES 3
as zLtrunk. The trunk joint coordinate system shares its x-axis with
the lower trunk coordinate system (i.e., the xTrunk axis is the same
vector as xLtrunk, and the vector from the centre of the virtual
trunk joint to the centre of the clavicle was defined as the
supplementary vector [sTrunk]). The cross product of xTrunk and
sTrunk was defined as yTrunk, and the cross product of xTrunk and
yTrunk was defined as zTrunk. The trunk flexion/extension angle
was defined as the angle formed between two vectors, ytrunk and
yLtrunk, in the z–y plane (sagittal plane). In a similar fashion, the
neck joint coordinate system was defined as follows: the x vector
of the neck joint was defined as the vector from the left to right
shoulder markers (xneck). We then created a supplementary vec-
tor (sneck) from the clavicle to the centre of the head. The cross
product of sneck and xneck was defined as yneck, and the cross
product of the xneck and yneck was defined as zneck. The neck
flexion/extension angle was defined as the angle formed
 4 S. KOSHIDA ET AL.
between two vectors, yneck and ytrunk, in the z–y plane (sagittal
plane). The definitions of the hip and knee joint coordinate
system in this study were adopted from a previous study
(Suzuki, Ae, Takenaka, & Fujii, 2014).
Additionally, the head angular momentum in the sagittal
plane was calculated to estimate the magnitude of the
imposed stress to the neck, which may reflect the potential
risk of a head injury from breakfall The directions of neck
flexion, trunk flexion, hip flexion and knee flexion were
defined as positive values in this study.
Most head injuries occurred from being thrown during judo
when the occipital area of the head made a hard contact with
the judo mat (Nagahiro et al., 2011; Nishimura et al., 1988).
Therefore, we speculated that the magnitude of neck exten-
sion momentum was an important biomechanical parameter
that distinguished between the high and low skill of the
breakfall The neck extension momentum was defined as the
sum of the angular momentum around the virtual neck joint
and the angular momentum around the centre of the head in
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this study (Tangi, 1995). For the calculation, we first computed
the angular momentum of the head in the global coordinate
system using the following formula:
P ¼ mv
Lk ¼ r  P
where P and m represent the linear momentum and the mass
of the head segment, respectively. In addition, v represents
the relative linear velocity from the head segment to the neck.
Finally, Lk and r represent the angular momentum and the
position vector of the centre of the head relative to the neck
joint. We then calculated the angular momentum around the
head segment using the following formula:
Lh ¼ Iω
where Lh represents the angular momentum around the cen-
tre of the head segment. In addition, l and ω represent the
moment of inertia reported in the study by Ae (1996) and
angular velocity of the head segment, respectively. Finally, the
neck extension momentum is calculated as the sum of Lk and
Lh. The angular momentum of the neck extension was repre-
sented as a negative value in this study.
We analysed the breakfall motion from the time when the
thrower’s leg first touched the participant to the time when
the head of the participant was at the lowest position on the
vertical axis. The kinematic data were normalised to 100% and
then divided into 10% mark slices. The averaged data for each
bin was used for statistical group comparisons.
Statistical analysis
All statistical analyses were performed with R, a free statistical
software package (http://www.gnu.org/). First, Levene’s test
was performed to confirm the homogeneity of the variance
within the kinematic data. After homogeneity was confirmed,
a repeated measures mixed model with fixed effects regarding
the group, bin number (10 levels) and their corresponding
interactions was performed to test for group differences in
joint angle curves during the breakfall Our analysis focused on
group × bin interaction, a significant interaction was broken
down with pairwise comparisons for the groups in bins 1–10
using the Tukey’s test. Effect sizes were also calculated using a
partial correlation ratio (partial η2). When the homogeneity of
the variables was rejected, the Kruskal–Wallis H test with the
Bonferroni correction was used for the group comparison in
each bin.
In addition, Student’s t-tests were performed to compare
the motion time and the peak angular neck extension
momentum during the breakfall motion between the two
groups. Its effect size was calculated using Cohen’s (1988) d.
Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05 in this study.
Results
The mean (range) for age (19.9 [18.0–22.0] and 21.3 [21.0–22.0]
years, respectively), height (1.68 [1.59–1.84] and 1.74 [1.69–
1.80] m, respectively) and weight (70.1 [56.6–84.7] and 71.3
[62.0–81.9] kg, respectively) were measured for the experi-
enced and novice groups. The mean (range) number of years
of judo experience in the experienced group was 11.1 (7.0–
18.0). The mean ± standard deviation motion time in the
analysed phase of the breakfall motion was 0.64 ± 0.06 s in
the experienced judokas and 0.69 ± 0.08 s in the novice
judokas (P > 0.05).
Figure 4 presents the between-group differences of the
neck, trunk, right/left hips and right/left knee angles during
the breakfall for osoto-gari. We confirmed the homogeneity of
variance in the head, trunk and hip angle data. The statistical
analysis revealed that there were no significant differences in
the neck or right hip angles between the experienced and
novice judokas (neck: F = 0.188, df = 1, P = 0.669; right hip:
F = 0.627, df = 1, P = 0.438).
In addition, we found significant interaction effects in the
trunk and left hip (trunk: F = 3.770, df = 9, P < 0.001,
η2 = 0.159; left hip: F = 6.1921, df = 9, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.257)
between the groups. The pairwise comparison revealed that
there were significant differences in the trunk angle from a
10–30% time of osoto-gari movement and from a 50–80%
time of osoto-gari movement (P < 0.001, except for a 30%
time of osoto-gari movement), indicating that trunk flexion
angle in the novice judokas are greater than that in the
experienced judokas throughout the breakfall motion for
osoto-gari except during the end of the motion phase.
Moreover, there was a significantly greater left hip flexion
observed in the novice judokas from a 50–90% of osoto-gari
movement in the breakfall motion (P < 0.01) (Figure 4), which
differed from that in the experienced judokas. The hip angle
began flexing at the early phase and the flexion angles
throughout the entire motion maintained an increase in the
novice judokas. In contrast, in the experienced judokas, the
hip angles remained in an extended position until the latter
phase of the motion.
Because the homogeneity of variance in the knee data
could not be confirmed, a Kruskal–Wallis H test with
Bonferroni correction was performed to compare the angle-
time data of the knee joint between the two groups. We found
a significant difference in the right knee data from 50% to 90%
 JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES 5
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Figure 4. Mean (standard deviation) angle–time plots in the 10% bins of (a) the neck, (b) trunk, (c) right and (d) left hip and (e) right and (f) left knee during the
breakfall motion for osoto-gari. The solid lines represent the data for the novice judokas, whereas the dotted lines represent the data for the experienced judokas.
The vertical lines for standard deviation represent only the positive or negative direction. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, †P < 0.005, ††P < 0.001 (performed only pairwise
comparisons of groups in bins 1–10).

time of osoto-gari movement between the experienced and

novice judokas (P < 0.005). The right knee flexion angle
increased from the beginning of the throw and remained in
a flexed position in the novice judokas, whereas the knee
flexion angle gradually changed and remained in a less flexed
position throughout the entire motion in the experienced
judokas. On the other hand, there were no significant differ-
ences in the left knee angle in any time bin between the
groups (P > 0.005).
Finally, the mean peak angular momentum of neck exten-
sion in the novice judokas (−1.29 ± 0.23 kg·m2 · s–1) was
significantly greater than that in the experienced judokas
(−0.78 ± 0.28 kg·m2 · s−1) (t = 4.618, df = 20, P < 0.001,
d = 1.902) (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Mean (standard deviation) peak neck extension momentum during
Discussions the breakfall motion for osoto-gari: ††P < 0.001.

Our findings demonstrated that the peak angular momentum

of the neck extension in the novice judokas was significantly
greater than that of the experienced judokas. This suggests
that the kinematic parameters can differentiate between high
and low breakfall skills associated with the osoto-gari throw.
There is a high incidence of severe and potentially life-threa-
tening injuries sustained by inexperienced and young judo
practitioners (Kamitani et al., 2013; Nagahiro et al., 2011)
combined with the major cause of the head injuries due to
direct head contact with the mat at a high angular velocity
(Hitosugi et al., 2014). Therefore, the judo breakfall skill for
lessening the angular momentum of the neck extension may
play an important role in reducing the risk of such injuries.
The results of the present study also suggest that the skill
level of judokas in performing breakfall for osoto-gari can be
differentiated using the analyses of the trunk and lower extre-
mity kinematics. The pairwise comparison revealed that the
trunk and swept side hip maintained a straight position in the
experienced judokas. On the other hand, the novice judokas
 6 S. KOSHIDA ET AL.
tended to take a more flexed position, especially from the
middle to late phase of the motion, suggesting that such hip
and trunk kinematics reflect the skill level of the judo breakfall
for osoto-gari. It is also notable that a comparison of the mean
angle plots of the right knee revealed significant differences
between the two groups. The right knee (the opposite side of
the swept leg) flexion angle in the novice judokas increased
from the beginning of the throw and remained in more flexed
position throughout the entire motion than that in the experi-
enced judokas.
The flexing of the trunk, hip and knee that was frequently
observed in the novice judokas appeared to be similar to the
“squat protective mechanism” that is observed during falls in
the elderly (Robinovitch, Brumer, & Maurer, 2004; Sandler &
Robinovitch, 2001). Previous studies have reported that flexing
the lower extremities as one squats during the descent phase
of the fall enables the involved muscles to absorb the poten-
tial energy and attenuate the impact force in a backwards fall.
In the case of the judo breakfall for osoto-gari, however, the
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lower extremities are unlikely to produce a breaking force with
the squatting response against the backward fall. This is
because the judoka’s entire body is typically in mid-air while
falling backwards in osoto-gari. Furthermore, from a biome-
chanical standpoint, the flexed position may have been asso-
ciated with greater angular momentum due to the possible
decrease of the moment arm distance around the centre of
mass of the body. This would result in a greater risk of direct
head contact with the judo mat. Although further biomecha-
nical analysis is required to prove this hypothesis, we believe
that maintaining a straight posture during the breakfall for
osoto-gari plays an important role in decreasing the risk of
judo-related head injuries associated with osoto-gari.
Numerous judo instruction documents have pointed out
that neck flexion is an important feature of the breakfall motion
to ensure the safety of judokas (Kano, 1994). Our result partially
supports this notion, indicating that better breakfall skill for
osoto-gari may reflect lower neck extension momentum during
the breakfall motion in the experienced judokas, suggesting
that neck strengthening plays an important role in decreasing
the risk of head injury during judo. In addition, the difference in
a trunk flexion angle between the groups became insignificant
in the end of the breakfall, indicating that novice judokas may
not have been able to hold their trunk position against force
applied by the body contact to the mat. Therefore, trunk stabi-
lity may also be associated with breakfall motion skill for osoto-
gari. However, the potential association between the neck and
trunk muscle function and the risk of head injury (e.g., concus-
sion) during judo warrants careful consideration. This is parti-
cularly the case because limited studies have examined and
supported this relationship in the basic judo backward breakfall
motion (Koshida et al., 2014) or even in other contact sports
(Benson et al., 2013; Mihalik et al., 2011). Koshida et al. (2014)
reported that there were no significant differences in electro-
myographic activities of the neck (stenocleimastoid muscle)
and trunk (external oblique and rectus abdominis muscles)
during the basic judo backward breakfall motion between the
skilled and novice judokas. Therefore, for future studies, rela-
tionships between neck strength and head injury risk during
judo should be investigated.
A particular limitation of this study is related to the fact that
we were not able to obtain reliable kinematic data for hand
movements because of the limited performance of the placed
cameras. Hashimoto, Ishii, Okada, and Ito (2015) recently
demonstrated that the impulsive force generated by hand
contact may greatly contribute to the decrease in the impulse
force of the head during the breakfall motion, suggesting that
our group differences in the peak head extension momentum
resulted from, in part, the different skill level of the hand
motion. In future studies, we aim to analyse the biomechanical
difference of the hand motion between judoka groups.
In addition, the difficulty in performing breakfall and the
perception of injury risk by being thrown with osoto-gari may
lead to a judoka’s fear of being injured, thereby affecting the
results of the present study. However, a recent study (Koshida,
Ishii, Matsuda, & Hashimoto, 2016) demonstrated that there
was no significant difference in the breakfall kinematics for
osoto-gari between novice judokas with and without per-
ceived fear when being thrown, assessed with a five-point
Likert scale. Although psychological factors should be taken
into consideration, it appears that biomechanical differences
primarily reflect the skill level of the judokas. Finally, even
though the epidemiological findings revealed that the risk of
head injury is much greater in novice judokas (Kamitani et al.,
2013; Miyazaki, 2012; Nagahiro et al., 2011; Nambu & Noji,
2014), our participants had no history of either severe or
mild head injuries sustained during judo. Therefore, we may
also need to prospectively investigate whether biomechanical
characteristics found in the present study are associated with
the risk of head injuries in judo.
Conclusion
The present study demonstrated that peak neck extension
moment during the breakfall motion in the novice group was
greater than that of the group of experienced judokas. We also
found significant differences in the movement patterns of the
trunk, left hip (i.e., the swept side) and the right knee (i.e., the
unswept side) between the groups, indicating that the novice
judokas exhibited a significantly greater flexed position during
the breakfall motion. Therefore, these kinematic parameters may
be associated with the incidence of judo-related head injuries. In
order to prevent severe head injury from occurring during judo,
coaches may need to pay more attention to trunk and lower
extremity kinematics as well as the neck when teaching breakfall
techniques for osoto-gari to novice judokas
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank nac Image Technology Inc. for their support
during the data collection. We also extend our acknowledgment to
Yohei Nomura and Tomoaki Okamura for their cooperation.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare that we have no conflicts of interest in the authorship
or publication of this contribution.

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