Yoko sankaku defence

Yoko sankaku defence is the Japanese-derived name for side triangle defence, naming the triangle applied from a lateral position rather than from directly in front.

Etymology. Yoko (横) means “side” or “lateral”; sankaku (三角) is the triangle. The compound is standard judo vocabulary and carries into no-gi largely intact, because the position it names has no concise English equivalent.

Mechanics. The lateral angle means the strangle can close without the attacker ever being square, so a defender waiting to be squared up will be late. Recovering the trapped arm and rebuilding posture toward the attacker’s hips is the escape; the head is freed last, not first.

Cross-reference. “Lateral triangle escape” is the English descriptive form. Full escape coverage on Side Triangle Escape.