Judo Throwing Technique Basics: Kuzushi, Tsukuri, and Kake in Practice

Look before the entry, not only at the landing

A throw that stops at the entry does not automatically mean the entry itself is wrong. Start the replay before tori, the attacking partner, begins the attempt. Note which hand holds the sleeve or lapel, whether a grip changes, and whether either partner steps forward, back or sideways. If a foot or hand is outside the frame, mark it as unknown rather than reconstructing it from the final position. These notes describe the situation; they do not yet explain the cause.

Then locate the first visible difference from an attempt your coach considers useful to compare. Did uke, the receiving partner, take an extra step? Was the original grip still present when tori entered? Did the attempt stop before or after the turn? A landing-only clip cannot answer every question. Keep enough of the exchange to show the setup, and avoid calling a throw technically correct just because uke fell. The review question is what happened in this attempt, not whether every throw should look identical.

Compare two attempts without inventing a cause

Put two attempts of the same familiar throw side by side in your notes. For each, record the starting grip, direction of movement, partner's visible response, point where the action stopped and what the camera cannot show. Compare attempts from a similar coach-led task when possible. A cooperative entry rehearsal and a contested randori attack are different tasks; a difference between them is not a fair success-rate test. Partner, resistance and camera angle also belong in the context.

Use a simple three-column record: observation, possible explanation, coach question. For example: ‘The sleeve grip was lost before the turn’; ‘that may have changed the entry’; ‘should we review the grip change or another earlier moment?’ Do not replace this with ‘pull harder’. Ask the coach to select the next task and a visible sign to check. Review the next comparable attempt against that sign, recording a different outcome as well as a repeated problem. One pair of clips is a starting point for discussion, not proof of improvement.

One-week plan

Plan around the dojo sessions you can actually attend. Note the assigned task and the feedback to revisit, leaving room for the coach to change the programme. A week is a planning window, not a deadline for progressing from repetition to randori. Record missed or changed sessions instead of compensating with extra practice.

Record the visible sequence and the question

Record the assigned task, starting grip or position, and which actions of tori and uke are visible. Tori performs the technique and uke receives it; name their roles without guessing either person’s intention. A fictional observation might read: “Uke stepped back before tori turned; the sleeve hand then left the frame.” It identifies a sequence, not the cause of the result. Keep the relevant lead-up, a timestamp and a comparable successful attempt when available; no fixed clip length guarantees enough context. Mark hidden details and different tasks separately. Add feedback actually received, keeping your interpretation distinct. Use the linked worksheet or paper, and leave any next task open until agreed with your coach.

Safety and coaching

To apply Throwing at the dojo, judo should be trained with a qualified coach, especially when throws, strangles, arm locks, or hard randori are involved. Use this guide to prepare better questions and cleaner practice goals, not to replace live correction or local safety rules.

A seoi-nage review example to take to your coach

Imagine two filmed seoi-nage attempts from supervised practice. In A, uke steps back before tori turns and the attempt stops without a throw. In B, a different exchange ends in a throw. Write those visible facts first. Do not conclude that stepping back always prevents seoi-nage, or that B shows the correction: the grips, timing, partner response or task may also differ. If the feet are obscured in B, the difference in foot placement remains unknown.

Bring three questions to the coach: ‘Are these attempts comparable?’, ‘Which moment should I review first?’ and ‘What should I notice during the next agreed exercise?’ Keep the agreed answer beside the clips or on the waza-map worksheet, then add the next observation after practice. This produces a useful record even when no throw succeeds. It is not a reason to recreate an unfamiliar finish, force a blocked attack or increase resistance without the coach's direction.

How to diagnose the real problem

Describe the starting grip, posture and movement you actually observed, including the relevant lead-up. A fixed number of seconds or rounds cannot identify the cause. Separate observations from possible explanations and compare them with the assigned task.

Identify the intended entry and the role assigned to uke, the receiving partner, before deciding where a throw went wrong. Was this a cooperative demonstration or a task with a choice of responses? Describe the visible conditions before entry, including a changed grip or step, without treating movement as a measurement of pulling force. If contact is hidden, leave it unresolved. Use kuzushi, tsukuri and kake to organise a question about this exchange, not to divide every throw into three separate actions.

How to adjust when it fails

If you lose track of the exercise, explain where you became unsure before changing it. Ask which condition the coach wants adjusted and confirm it with your partner. Do not independently add resistance or shorten the distance to make an unfamiliar action work.

• Describe where you became unsure.
• Confirm the adjustment with your coach and partner.
• Keep one video or note as evidence.
• Record the next question; leave an unagreed task undecided.

How to turn it into a Judo AI action

Use paper or the linked waza-map worksheet to connect a familiar throw with the situation you reviewed. Write the assigned start, uke’s role, the visible change and the coach’s actual feedback. Label your explanation as a possibility until there is reason to revise it. Copy or print the worksheet; it does not save an entry online. If you prefer digital organisation, check the Judo AI feature guide first. A technique entry or recorded attempt is not a certificate of competence or proof that a throw is safe.

Progress signals to look for

Record whether the intended grip appeared, where the entry stopped and what decision followed. An earlier attack or a different outcome is a question to review, not proof that the method caused improvement. Note the partner, assigned task and changed conditions beside the observation. Leave unseen or forgotten details unresolved rather than interpreting every difference as progress.

Questions to bring to your coach

Ask a question anchored before the entry: “Uke changed direction before I turned; is that difference relevant to the task you set, or should we review an earlier moment?” Show a comparable attempt that met the task as well as one that stopped. Ask what uke had been instructed to do, and keep their account separate from visible evidence. Write down the reply actually received. Do not convert a suggested explanation into instructions to pull harder, finish a blocked throw or practise an unfamiliar landing.

When to move to the next theme

Review the next task with your coach using comparable notes. A fixed number of successes in randori is not a universal progression test. Record what was understood and which conditions changed; revisiting, adapting or changing the task are all possible next steps.

The useful outcome of this review can be a clearer description, not a new throw or another set of repetitions. Keep the question and any agreed observation beside the familiar technique. At the next agreed review, distinguish what you remembered, what you attempted and what was visible under those conditions. Changed partner roles or missing footage limit the comparison. A written recollection is enough if labelled; video and sharing are optional and require appropriate permission. An unattempted task remains untested, not ineffective.

A score is only one part of the record. Compare whether you understood the assigned task, recognised its starting situation and can explain the feedback you received. These notes do not establish that practice is safer or that you are ready to progress. Discuss the next task with your coach; the record sets no automatic extra week of practice.

If fatigue makes the assigned exercise, controlled movement or ukemi difficult to maintain, stop that exercise and tell the coach. Fewer attacks alone do not justify continuing. Follow the dojo's decision about a break, adaptation or ending the task.

Review where the throw stopped

Choose one attempted throw, not a compilation of successful throws. Write down the starting grip, the direction both partners were moving and the moment the attack stopped. Separate what the video shows from your explanation: ‘my partner stepped back’ is an observation; ‘I need more strength’ is a hypothesis to discuss with your coach.

Use kuzushi (unbalancing), tsukuri (fitting in) and kake (execution) as review labels, not three pauses to insert into a throw. Ask your coach which part of this particular action needs attention. A camera angle can hide grip pressure and balance; a clip alone cannot establish why the throw failed.

If entry practice works but the same attack stops during movement, bring both situations to your coach. Ask: ‘What changed before my entry, and what single condition should we keep fixed next time?’ Record the agreed condition and the next observation. Do not respond by forcing the finish or adding resistance on your own. Practise throws only with suitable supervision, partners, mat space and agreed ukemi.

A Three-Dimensional Analysis of the Center of Mass for Three Different Judo Throwing Techniques