01 / AT A GLANCE
What makes seoi-nage work?
Seoi-nage is a forward shoulder throw: tori turns in, connects uke to the back and shoulder, and projects uke over the shoulder. It belongs to te-waza, or hand techniques. The IJF description identifies a forward or right-front imbalance and a bent right arm entering under uke’s right armpit in its right-sided example.
The useful question in practice is whether uke comes with your turn. You can rotate quickly yet leave your partner balanced behind you. More speed will not necessarily fix that separation.
Names you may encounter: seoi nage, seoi-nage and morote seoi-nage. The first two differ only in spelling; the third commonly describes the two-handed sleeve-and-lapel form. “Shoulder throw” is a useful English label, but the carrying connection includes the back rather than a lift performed by the shoulder alone.
Who this guide is for: judoka who already practise supervised throws and ukemi. Beginners can use the definitions and videos to understand a lesson; a text guide is not a first throwing lesson. More experienced players can start with the troubleshooting or competition sections. Your height or belt colour alone does not determine whether this should become your tokui-waza, or main technique.
02 / WATCH THE TECHNIQUE
Start with the official demonstration
Watch the official video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
Watch once for the complete action. On a second pass, follow the sleeve hand, the relationship between the two bodies during the turn, and the direction of the finish. These are observation prompts, not a demand to reproduce one demonstrator’s exact stance.
An English coaching reference
Open the English tutorial on YouTube. Independent coaching reference, separate from the official demonstration.
Compare the entry with your usual version. Note a difference in grip, distance or movement before deciding whether a cue applies to you.
Further viewing, with a purpose
- Efficient Judo: Set up combinations and Follow up combinations — study what happens before and after the main attack.
- Kodokan: Tadahiro Nomura’s seoi-nage session — longer, Japanese-language instruction for deeper study.
Watch three different things
- First pass — identify the form. Is the attacker using the same grip and standing action as this article, or a one-arm or dropping form?
- Second pass — locate the connection. Follow the sleeve and the space between the bodies during the turn. Use the player’s pause and replay controls; a frontal view may hide the lapel arm.
- Third pass — choose one question. For example: “Does my sleeve hand stop while my feet keep turning?” Bring that question to your own practice footage.
Use demonstrations for a clear view of the action, coaching videos for explanations, and contest footage for decisions against resistance. These sources answer different questions. A successful competitive variation does not make every detail a suitable beginner instruction.
03 / WHEN TO USE IT
When should you attack?
Look for a usable grip, space to turn and a moment when uke’s movement can be brought forward. An advancing partner may offer that moment, but forward movement alone does not mean the throw is ready: a rigid arm or poor distance may still block the entry.
Ai-yotsu: both partners use the same lead side. Begin by recognising the sleeve-and-lapel relationship used in your basic practice. Kenka-yotsu: the partners use opposite lead sides. The lead arms and space between you change; do not assume the same approach reaches the same position. Work on the approach before adding speed.
If uke withdraws the hips and you cannot bring the upper body with you, repeatedly turning harder gives you little new information. Rebuild the grip, create another movement or use an agreed alternative attack. The grip-fighting guide helps separate a grip problem from an entry problem.
Three situations to separate in practice
Uke advances toward your established grip
The opportunity is the combination of approach and connection. Begin a moving drill with a predictable advance. Notice whether you enter while the distance is usable or wait until uke crowds your turn. The observation is timing relative to the step, not an instruction to attack every forward step.
Uke retreats from your pressure
A retreating partner may leave your entry out of range. Follow the movement without reaching blindly with the upper body, and rebuild the distance. A foot attack can sometimes provoke a different recovery; use the combinations section to practise recognising that response rather than chasing the same entry down the mat.
Uke stiff-arms or circles around you
Separate the arm barrier from the changing angle. If the arm is preventing contact, your first task may be a grip adjustment. If uke is circling, the angle may disappear while you are preparing a familiar entry. Give each problem its own moving drill so you can tell which change helps.
For opposite-sided grips, record whose lead foot is forward and which arm occupies the space you need. This makes a coaching question precise: “My lapel arm is blocked before I turn in this left-versus-right grip” gives more information than “Seoi does not work against left-handers.”
04 / HOW IT WORKS
The entry: four things to connect
Use kuzushi (unbalancing), tsukuri (fitting in) and kake (execution) to examine the movement. In a working throw, they flow together; do not insert a pause between each label.
Bring uke into the turn
In the basic right-sided form, organise the movement toward uke’s front or right-front corner. Keep the sleeve involved as you turn. Check whether uke’s upper body travels with you or stays behind while your feet complete the entry.
Turn close enough to carry
Turn left for the right-sided throw and bring your back into a close carrying relationship with uke. Rehearse your coach’s foot pattern slowly first. A large gap makes it difficult to connect; crowding the first step can also leave no room to finish the turn.
Fit the arm without forcing it
The lapel arm bends into the space beneath uke’s right armpit while the sleeve remains controlled. Do not force your elbow into position against a trapped grip. If your wrist, elbow or shoulder hurts, stop that repetition and have the grip and entry checked.
Carry through the finish
Complete the projection over the shoulder while maintaining control of uke. Bending forward before the bodies connect can leave you folded under a partner who is still standing. Practise the finish on suitable mats with a partner who can receive the throw.
How low should you go?
In the standing form, bending the knees helps you fit beneath uke while keeping a usable base. The aim is a position from which you can carry and turn, not the deepest squat possible. Check whether your feet support you through the entry and whether you can continue without first making a separate, strained lift. Partner height and the chosen entry affect the fit; have your coach assess the whole action rather than copying an angle from a still image.
Keep the detail specific: “My sleeve grip opened before I turned” is more useful than “My kuzushi is bad.” For the broader framework, see kuzushi, tsukuri and kake in practice.
Connect the hands, feet and body
The sleeve hand and lapel hand have different jobs, but neither works in isolation. The sleeve connection helps you bring uke’s upper body into the turn; the bent lapel arm must fit as your body changes position. If your feet race ahead while the hands remain in the original position, you can finish the turn without bringing uke with you.
Check the entry from the side as well as the front. Look for a usable base under your own body, space for the lapel arm, and contact that develops during the turn. Do not reduce the technique to a fixed toe angle or a universal number of centimetres between feet. A useful correction should change the relationship between both partners, not merely make your solo pose resemble a photograph.
05 / KEY POINTS
Five key points you can actually check
Choose one cue for a set of repetitions. Use the accompanying check to decide whether the cue helped; do not score yourself against all five during every entry.
Win a usable connection before chasing speed
Check: can you keep the sleeve while moving into your starting distance? If it breaks before the turn, work on obtaining and maintaining that grip first. Faster rotation does not solve an absent connection.
Move uke, not only your feet
Check: replay the beginning of the entry. Does uke’s upper body change position with yours, or do you turn away from a partner who remains upright and distant? Ask uke where they first feel the movement.
Make room for the lapel arm
Check: can the elbow fit without the wrist being forced into a painful position? Change grip and distance together under supervision rather than treating the elbow as a lever to wrench into place.
Keep a base from which you can finish
Check: do you have to take an extra recovery step or make a separate heave after fitting in? Review the feet, knee bend and timing together. A lower entry is useful only if you can continue from it.
Finish with control, then recognise the next position
Check: do you retain useful contact as uke lands, and do you know where both partners are afterwards? End a cooperative repetition in a controlled position rather than releasing simply because the throw happened.
06 / PROBLEMS & ADJUSTMENTS
Why does your seoi-nage stop?
Find the earliest visible breakdown. These are possibilities to test, not diagnoses made from the outcome alone. Film the approach as well as the throw, with both partners’ feet visible.
“I turn, but uke stays behind me.”
Check: does the sleeve connection disappear before your back comes close? Is there still a large gap when the turn ends?
Try: return to controlled moving entries. Keep the same grip and compare a comfortable starting distance with your usual one. Ask your partner when they feel connected to the turn; do not ask them to jump onto your back to make it work.
“I get underneath, then fold forward.”
Check: did you bend at the waist before uke moved with you? Did your feet stop while the upper body kept turning?
Try: slow the approach and have your coach check the position before adding a finish. Change one feature, such as distance, rather than simultaneously pulling harder and dropping lower.
“It works in uchikomi, never in randori.”
Check: can you obtain the same grip against movement? Does uke react before you start the turn? Cooperative repetitions do not test those decisions.
Try: let uke give one of two agreed responses during a moving drill. Enter only on the response you are learning to recognise. A correct decision to reset is useful practice too.
“My lapel arm gets stuck.”
Check: grip height, wrist position and how far away you are when you try to fit the arm. A visible block does not establish which of these is responsible.
Try: ask your coach to adjust the grip and entry together at low speed. Stop if it hurts. Do not force the joint or copy a different grip from a highlight clip to work around pain.
“Uke keeps going around my outside.”
Check: does the gap appear before the turn, or does uke move around after you have entered? Look at the sleeve and both partners’ feet rather than the landing alone.
Try: have uke provide that movement slowly in an entry-only drill. Compare entering earlier with rebuilding the angle first. Stop the repetition when you lose the position; do not chase the finish by twisting a planted knee.
“It only works on one partner.”
Check: what changes with a second partner: height, stance, grip, resistance or the way they receive the throw? A cooperative partner may be supplying a movement you have not learned to create.
Try: keep the task and resistance similar while changing partners. Record which starting condition changes. This is a better comparison than treating a failed competitive attempt as equivalent to a successful cooperative repetition.
07 / SETUPS & COMBINATIONS
Setups and combinations: follow the reaction
A combination needs more than two compatible names. Record the starting grip, the first attack, uke’s actual response and the next opening. The examples below are conditional practice ideas to adapt with your coach; they are not guaranteed sequences or descriptions of every linked video.
INTO SEOI-NAGE
Ko-uchi-gari → seoi-nage
Start from a sleeve-and-lapel grip that supports both attacks. A ko-uchi-gari attempt may draw a step or recovery that brings uke forward. If that response brings the upper body within reach while you retain the sleeve, practise turning into seoi-nage.
Do not force the second attack: if uke retreats out of range or the grip breaks, reset. First rehearse the step-and-recovery response cooperatively; later let uke choose a different response so you must recognise the opportunity.
AFTER SEOI-NAGE IS BLOCKED
Seoi-nage → ko-uchi-gari
If uke braces against the forward attack and your posture and grip remain usable, a backward attack may become available. Recover a workable facing position and identify the foot you can actually reach. This is a different situation from being bent over with your back exposed.
Do not force the second attack: the name “ko-uchi-gari” is not a reason to hook blindly behind a leg. Have your coach establish the recovery and foot placement before adding resistance.
For either sequence, count recognised opportunities separately from completed throws. Otherwise a cooperative partner can make a combination appear reliable before you have learned when to choose it. Use the waza-map worksheet to record the reaction between the two attacks.
Choose the next action from what remains
After the first attack, check three things: grip, posture and distance. If you have all three, practise the agreed continuation. If you retain the grip but lose posture, recover before choosing another throw. If the exchange reaches the ground, switch to a positional task instead of forcing the standing combination. Resetting is part of the decision tree.
Do not label every backward continuation ko-uchi-gari. A wrapping sacrifice action may be a different technique, such as ko-uchi-makikomi, with different control requirements. Use the official-name reference and your coach’s demonstration to identify the action. Adding more named branches is less useful than making one forward/backward pair work under clearly stated conditions.
Practice format: first agree on the response uke will provide, then rehearse the two actions without speed. Next let uke choose either that response or one that closes the second attack. Tori must continue or reset accordingly. Only add free resistance once both partners understand the stopping condition.
08 / DEFENCES & COUNTERS
Defences and counters: what can stop the entry?
A defence prevents the throw; a counter uses the attack to create a scoring opportunity. Distinguish them when you review footage. Uke remaining standing is not, by itself, evidence of a particular counter.
Before the turn: deny a useful starting position
Uke can change the grip, distance or angle before tori fits in. As tori, identify which of these disappeared first. As uke in a drill, provide one agreed defensive behaviour rather than combining maximal grip resistance, sudden direction changes and counters at once.
During the entry: prevent the carrying connection
Uke may move the hips away or move around the turn while maintaining balance. Tori should notice whether the upper-body connection remains usable. If the back is exposed and the body is folded, forcing more rotation can worsen the position. Practise recovering from that point as a separate task.
After a failed attack: recognise counter exposure
A failed turning attack can leave uke in control of the exchange. The competition case below shows a reported counter and hold-down after a seoi-nage attempt. Its value is the warning about position and continuity, not a universal instruction to apply the same counter whenever someone turns.
Counter study: IJF’s library classifies Liparteliani’s selected 2021 action against Korrel under yoko-guruma. Start by identifying the position before that action. Learn its execution separately with a qualified coach; do not improvise a sideways sacrifice or trap a partner’s planted leg during a late defence.
When you are already being thrown and cannot safely recover balance, use the ukemi you have been taught. Posting a straight arm or attempting an unpractised twist is not a substitute for a trained defensive response.
09 / TRANSITIONS TO NE-WAZA
Transitions to ne-waza: three different endings
The standing attack does not tell you which ground technique comes next. Begin with the actual landing position, remaining grips and whether the exchange is still live. In a contest, follow the referee’s instructions; in practice, agree on whether the repetition continues.
You throw and remain alongside uke
Keep useful upper-body control while settling your own balance. If uke is on the back or side and the position fits a familiar hold-down, connect to that hold instead of standing away. Kesa-gatame or yoko-shiho-gatame can be study options from suitable positions, not automatic destinations from every seoi-nage. If uke’s legs or turn prevent the intended hold, identify that obstruction before changing the technique.
Uke turns toward the front or knees
A planned hold-down may no longer be available. Maintain a stable position and identify an opening for a turnover you already know. Do not substitute pulling on the head or forcing the neck for a missing arm-and-body control. Practise the turnover from a settled position first, then reconnect it to a controlled throw when both partners can receive the transition.
Your own attack leaves you on your knees
You are now solving a defensive problem. Identify the grips uke has and protect your arms and neck while maintaining a stable base. Work on the recovery or escape your coach selects from that exact position. Repeatedly turning under pressure without knowing where uke is may expose you further.
Record whether you recognised the position and maintained control, not just whether the eventual pin worked. See the ne-waza drills guide for practice structure.
10 / PRACTICE PROGRESSION
From uchikomi to a decision in randori
Increase one difficulty at a time: movement, then a response, then freedom. This is an editorial practice framework, not a fixed timetable. Stay at a stage until your coach and partner are comfortable with the control.
Agree on one entry
Use a familiar grip and cooperative uchikomi without a throw. Focus on one cue: for example, keeping the sleeve connected throughout the turn. Ask uke what changes between repetitions.
Add movement and the finish
Use a predictable direction of movement. Add controlled nagekomi when appropriate. Check that the connection survives into the throw instead of judging only the final landing.
Add a choice
Uke either advances into the agreed opportunity or maintains distance. Tori chooses an entry or a reset. Begin with entries only; add throws when the task remains controlled.
Test in constrained randori
Agree on the permitted attacks and resistance. Look for the same opportunity against less predictable movement. Record what prevented the attack, including failure to obtain the grip.
Then revisit the idea in normal randori. A successful constrained round does not prove the skill transfers to every partner. Compare sessions with similar conditions and note changes in partner or resistance. See uchikomi practice and randori goals for supporting guidance.
A concrete task: enter or reset
With the agreed grip, uke chooses either a controlled step forward or a step away. Tori tries to recognise whether the distance and connection permit the familiar entry. Keep the first round entry-only. After a short set, compare the choices together: which entries matched the opening, which were forced, and which opportunities went unnoticed? Add the finish in a later set only if your coach approves the control. Uke is providing a learning task, not trying to surprise tori with an unplanned counter.
11 / COMPETITION EXAMPLES
Competition examples: a score and a failed attack
Study both outcomes. The facts below come from identified IJF reports; the replay questions are our observation tasks. They are not claims that an unseen grip or exact movement has been verified from every camera angle.
Example 1 — Abe vs Garcia Torne, Baku 2026 final
In its October 5, 2026 report on the men’s −66 kg world final, the IJF reports that Hifumi Abe defeated David Garcia Torne with seoi-nage for ippon. The report contrasts the decisive final with Abe’s difficult earlier contests. It does not establish a universal grip or entry that readers should copy.
Study question: what had to be established before the finish? If reviewing the event replay, start before the turn and record the visible sleeve/lapel relationship, lead feet and space between the bodies. Compare those conditions with this article’s standing form before applying a cue. The result demonstrates successful use in competition, not the success rate of the technique or the cause of that success.
Example 2 — Korrel vs Liparteliani, Hungary 2021 bronze contest
The IJF’s June 11, 2021 report describes Michael Korrel’s failed seoi-nage attempt, with Korrel on his knees, followed by Varlam Liparteliani’s counter for waza-ari and an immobilisation that ended the contest. The IJF technique library lists their Hungary 2021 encounter under Liparteliani’s yoko-guruma.
Open the official replay at 4:14. This is the IJF library’s supplied video cue, not the contest clock. Rewind if you need more of the approach.
What the report establishes: a failed attack became a counter and then a pin. What to inspect in the replay: who controls the upper body after the entry, when the counter becomes possible, and whether the control continues into the hold-down. Do not assume the counter was available before that particular position developed.
Make a three-line observation note
- Before: name the visible grips and direction of movement; mark obscured details unknown.
- During: identify the first point where the partners connect or separate.
- After: record the landing and who controls the next action.
Take one condition into a controlled drill, not an entire elite exchange. Historical contest footage also reflects the rules in force at that event; it does not establish today’s permissions for every age group.
12 / VARIATIONS & SIMILAR THROWS
Seoi-nage, ippon-seoi-nage or seoi-otoshi?
The Kodokan list names these as three separate techniques. Everyday coaching labels can be broader, so compare the action as well as the name.
| Technique | What to compare |
|---|---|
| Seoi-nage | The bent loading arm and carrying action over the shoulder. The sleeve-and-lapel form studied here is commonly called morote seoi-nage. |
| Ippon-seoi-nage | The one-arm shoulder-throw relationship, with the throwing arm coming under uke’s armpit to control the upper arm/shoulder area. |
| Seoi-otoshi | The dropping action: the IJF describes dropping one or both knees to project uke over the shoulder. |
What about “drop seoi nage”? It is a common training/search label, not enough on its own to classify a complete action. Avoid identifying a throw from a single frame of knees touching the mat. This article’s standing practice progression does not teach a drop entry.
Variations: change one variable at a time
Grip variations: sleeve-and-lapel, same-side lapel and other grips can change the route for the loading arm and the available combinations. Record exactly which hand holds which part of the judogi. A label such as “eri seoi” alone does not specify the complete grip, direction or competitive permission.
Entry variations: compare a familiar turning entry with a version taught from movement. The first question is what problem the variation solves: a blocked arm, changed distance or a different reaction. Keep the grip and partner response consistent while learning the new entry so you can identify the effect.
Standing and dropping forms: dropping changes the receiving demands, recovery and likely ground position. Learn that branch as its own technique lesson. Do not use a knee drop as an automatic repair for a standing entry that has lost connection.
Opposite-side attacks: a right-handed gripping stance does not describe every possible throwing direction. A change of direction also changes the hand relationship and entry. Label the stance and attack side separately in your notes rather than silently applying the right-sided instructions to a different action.
Choose a variation for a reason
Keep your current form as the comparison point. Ask what repeatedly prevents it from working, which variation addresses that problem, and what new weakness the variation introduces. Test it with cooperative movement before adding a decision. Your goal is a reliable answer to a recurring situation, not a longer list of shoulder-throw names.
13 / YOUR NEXT PRACTICE
One focus for your next practice
Choose the first point where your throw breaks down. If the issue is losing connection during the turn, use this short record:
- Situation
- Right-sided sleeve-and-lapel entry with a cooperative moving partner.
- My focus
- Keep uke’s right sleeve connected as I turn.
- What I noticed
- Did uke travel with me? When did the gap appear? What could the camera not show?
- Coach question
- “Is the separation starting with my grip, distance or timing?”
- Next decision
- Keep the task, simplify it or change one cue based on the feedback.
Write the result in your own words, including “unclear” when appropriate. Use the free practice-log template, a notebook or your usual app. If you use Judo AI, explore its practice-planning and recording features to keep the observation with your next training focus.
A worked review record
Illustrative example, not measured training data: “In a short moving-entry set, I kept the sleeve when uke advanced, but forced two entries when uke moved away. The side view showed a gap before my turn. Next time I will keep the same grip and practise recognising the retreat before adding a throw.”
This note separates the observation, an interpretation to check and the next task. After the next comparable set, ask whether you recognised more closed opportunities and maintained connection on the open ones. If the problem persists, return to the earliest breakdown rather than adding several new cues.
What to bring to your coach
- One successful and one stalled attempt with the approach visible.
- The grip, stance relationship and partner response in each.
- Your single question and the change you have already tried.
Keep cooperative entries, controlled throws and randori attempts in separate notes. They test different tasks. A useful next step might be a simpler drill, a grip change, another viewing angle or keeping the same cue for longer; it need not be a new technique.
14 / SOURCES & REVIEW
Sources and editorial review
Names and basic distinctions were checked against the Kodokan list and the three linked IJF technique descriptions. Videos belong to their respective publishers. The troubleshooting questions and practice tasks are Judo AI editorial suggestions; they have not been validated as a training programme or reviewed by a named judo coach.
- Kodokan: Names of Judo Techniques
- IJF: Seoi-nage definition and technique video library
- IJF: Ippon-seoi-nage · IJF: Seoi-otoshi
Source check: October 9, 2026. English editorial preview; practical coaching review remains open.
Evidence and rules scope
Official references: Kodokan names and IJF definitions support the classification and basic distinctions. Coaching references: the linked presenters explain their own demonstrations; this article does not claim their endorsement. Editorial proposals: the drills, troubleshooting branches and review prompts are suggestions for supervised practice, not a validated intervention or a diagnosis of your movement.
Competition sources: IJF, Baku final report, October 5, 2026; IJF, Hungary bronze-contest report, June 11, 2021; and the IJF replay selection. Match descriptions are attributed to those reports; the observation questions are separate.
Rules status: this page has not completed a current competition-rules review and gives no blanket legality rating. Before using a grip, drop, reverse variation, counter or submission in competition, check your event’s governing rules and age division with your coach or referee. An official technique name is not a statement that every application is permitted.
Review status: editorial coverage, source attribution and responsive layout have been reviewed. Named technical coaching review remains outstanding. No belt rank, teaching qualification or practical testing is claimed for the editorial author.