Suzuki found that bigger, stronger opponents would try and dominate his head and pull him in. He had to find ways to unsettle them – De Ashi Barai, and this combination was his answer.

Fearful of this attack, it worked as a great deterrent to his opponent ’s, who would be reluctant to pull him in and thus be thrown.

It’s clear that to execute the technique, perfect timing is key, and to achieve this Suzuki says he practiced it thousands of times.