Pick-Ups by Robert Van De Walle

Pick-Ups is part of the Judo Masterclass Series (not part of any dating series) and it is a fantastic addition to any grappler’s library. The text  easily lives up to its billing as a masterclass, providing a great deal of breath and depth on its subject.

Pick-ups, for those unfamiliar with the term, is the semi-official, non-Kodokan, term used to describe certain wrestling-inspired and classic throws that tend to involve grabbing the legs and/or lifting the opponent. Van De Walle is an excellent author for the subject, as the Belgian light-heavyweight used pick-ups as part of his attack, and won an Olympic gold, a World championship bronze and several European championship medals.

The book opens with an introduction of Van De Walle’s experience with pick-ups and his transition from an attack based on power and aggression to one based on skill and technique. After that is a brief history of pick-ups and their growing inclusion in competitive Judo (the book was written before rule changes that have limited these techniques). The two sections are worth reading, because they outline a philosophy for developing these throws into a comprehensive game. One of the most important points is that, like any other technique, pick-ups must be trained before they can be executed with any technical proficiency.  

After those sections, the text gets right into the techniques, and it does not disappoint. Van De Walle demonstrates four Morote Gari, five SukuiNage, six Ura Nage, five Kata Guruma, two Khabarelli, McConnell, Hikoki Nage, Ushiro Goshi, and Utsuri Goshi; plus set-ups, combinations and counters. Each is demonstrated in a series of black-and-white photos with text descriptions. The presentation is really the only place where this book doesn’t shine. It’s a smaller format and without color. It’s not exactly a negative, but the best modern instructionals have set the bar high by depicting moves in long chains of color photos from various angles.

The main throws are presented first, and they are all presented in great detail. Each section opens with a few pages of description of the throw, including a bit of history, some technical considerations and competition applications. After that, the basic throw is demonstrated in both its traditional and competitive forms. The rest of the section details variations and combinations, followed by defense. I really like the way the techniques are presented. Firstly, I believe the traditional techniques still have value, despite other opinions. Secondly, the defensive section includes both methods to block a technique and methods to counter throw against a technique (counter-throw is a hallmark of high-level Judo).

The later sections present a few more obscure pick-up variations. They don’t get the full in-depth treatment, but they certainly aren’t tacked-on junk. These throws finish out the technique section and the book closes with photos of pick-ups being used in international competition.

I consider this book a must-have. There’s just so much information and it presents it so well. I’ve re-read the book several times, and I always come away with some bit of variation or inspiration that I try to add to my throwing game.