Sukui-nageBasic Form, the Older Two-Hand Form, Similar Techniques, Rules and Safety

01 / What is sukui-nage?

What is sukui-nage?

In the Kodokan’s classification, sukui-nage is a throwing technique (nage-waza) in the group of hand techniques (te-waza), where it is the sixth of the 16 hand techniques. The Kodokan’s English definition reads:

“A technique to uplift and throw down the opponent by breaking his balance backward while stepping behind him and holding both of his thighs from the front side with both hands or another technique to uplift the opponent’s one of thighs and throw him down by inserting the hand between his legs.”

The definition contains two forms. In the first, tori steps in behind uke, holds both of uke’s thighs from the front with both hands, breaks uke’s balance backward and uplifts uke. In the second, tori inserts a hand between uke’s legs and uplifts uke’s thigh.

The IJF (International Judo Federation) also lists sukui-nage as a hand technique. Its technique page, which gives the English name “scooping throw”, describes it like this:

“A hand technique throw. From your opponent’s side, use both hands to wrap around his thighs from the front (or thrust one hand between his legs to wrap around his buttocks) to break his balance directly to his rear, then scoop him up and throw him backwards.”

Sukui-nage was not in the original Gokyo of 1895. In the Gokyo-no-waza revised in 1920, it is in the fourth group (sumi-gaeshi, tani-otoshi, hane-makikomi, sukui-nage, utsuri-goshi, o-guruma, soto-makikomi, uki-otoshi). It is not part of the Kodokan’s Nage-no-kata.

According to the Kodokan’s explanation, the way of applying it with one hand inserted between uke’s legs, introduced in sections 3 and 7, once had no official name and went by informal names such as te-uchi-mata, te-guruma and butsudan-gaeshi. In October 1955 the Kodokan’s technique research department (our translation of the name) settled on a common view: judged by the principle of the technique, these are applications of sukui-nage. The name sukui-nage itself is older; it was already in the Gokyo-no-waza of 1920.

Sides and roles in this guide

• Tori is the person who applies the technique and throws; uke is the person who is thrown.
• This guide describes the right-handed technique, with tori and uke both holding in a right natural posture (migi-shizentai). In the basic form in section 3, tori ends up at uke’s right side and inserts the right hand between uke’s legs. The Kodokan definition and the IJF description do not say which hand is inserted. For the left-handed technique, reverse every hand, foot and direction.
• Where sukui-nage is applied in response to a technique that uke has started (sections 5 and 7), the person applying sukui-nage is still tori, and the person who attacks first is uke.

Section 3 follows, from taking hold to uke’s fall, the form that the Kodokan’s explanation of throwing techniques (“Kodokan Judo: Nage-waza Digest”) gives as its third form (Type 3). Tori draws uke so that uke steps the left foot forward, and at the instant uke tries to return to the original posture, tori inserts the right hand between uke’s legs from the front and scoops uke up. The form in which tori holds both of uke’s thighs with both hands (Type 1), which the Kodokan calls “the core form of sukui-nage practised since old times” (our translation), is introduced briefly in section 7; the other forms are given in the same section by name and key points only.

This Kodokan explanation is a digest based on a 1990 video and the 1999 book “Kodokan Nage-waza” (our rendering of the title). Words in it such as “recently” and “now” refer to the time it was written.

The IJF rules limit how low on the body below the belt a judoka may grip in standing judo (section 8).

02 / Reference videos

Reference videos

Reference videos to help you picture the movement.

Kodokan official video

• “Sukui-nage”: a video on the Kodokan’s official YouTube channel. According to its description, it is one of the hand techniques in the Kodokan and IJF Academy “100 Techniques” series. The sukui-nage entry in the Kodokan’s list of technique names also links to this video.

IJF page

• IJF technique page “sukui-nage”: a page with the IJF’s description of sukui-nage (section 1) and a video of the technique. It also has a list of competition videos, which leads to a sign-in prompt.
• 3D animation on the same page: a 3D animation of sukui-nage on the IJF technique page.

Videos of related techniques (section 7)

• “Sukui-nage & Obi-otoshi” and “Sukui-nage & Kuchiki-taoshi”: videos in the Kodokan’s series on the differences between techniques. Each description gives the Kodokan’s definitions of its two techniques.
• “Tani-otoshi”: one of the Kodokan’s “100 Techniques” videos. Section 7 explains where the names of tani-otoshi and sukui-nage divide.

Other reference videos

• Judo Canada, “GOKYO - Clip 010 : Sukui-Nage” and “Sukui Nage”: two short videos on Judo Canada’s YouTube channel. The first video’s description repeats its title; the second has no description.

03 / The basic form (right-handed)

The basic form (right-handed)

What follows is sukui-nage as the Kodokan’s explanation of throwing techniques gives it in its third form (Type 3). Tori draws uke forward and stops, then, as uke moves to return to the original posture, goes in at uke’s right side, scoops up uke’s lower body with the right hand and drops uke backwards. Tori throws while standing throughout.

3-1 Taking hold

Tori and uke take hold of each other, both in a right natural posture (migi-shizentai).

3-2 Drawing uke out with a step back of the right foot, then stopping

Tori steps the right foot back, trying to break uke’s balance toward a front corner by drawing uke, and stops there.

Drawn forward, uke steps the left foot forward and holds firm. Uke then draws that left foot back, trying to return to the original, stable posture.

3-3 Stepping in, right foot then left, as uke draws the left foot back

At the instant uke draws the left foot back, tori, lowering the hips, moves the right foot forward to the outside of uke’s right foot. Tori then steps the left foot in deeply as well, takes a left defensive posture (hidari-jigotai) and comes close to uke’s right side.

The feet that move are tori’s right foot first, then tori’s left foot. Tori ends up at uke’s right side, not in front of uke.

3-4 Inserting the right hand from the front between uke’s legs and holding uke’s buttocks

At the same moment as tori comes close to uke’s right side, tori inserts the right hand deep between uke’s legs from the front and holds uke’s buttocks. In the words of the Kodokan definition, this is the form in which tori inserts the hand between uke’s legs and uplifts the thigh.

3-5 Pulling the left hand down, scooping up with the right hand and dropping uke backwards

Tori pulls the left hand downward, scoops up uke’s lower body with the right hand and drops uke to uke’s rear.

3-6 For safety

Tori scoops uke up while standing and drops uke backwards while still standing. In this form, tori takes care not to fall straight backwards while holding the scooped-up uke. Tori must not lift uke up and dive straight backwards.

If tori goes round behind uke and throws uke down by sacrificing the body straight backwards, the Kodokan’s naming makes the throw tani-otoshi (a side sacrifice technique), not sukui-nage. In the All Japan Judo Federation’s 2025 explanation of the IJF rules, lifting the opponent up and diving straight backwards is given hansoku-make in contests held under those rules. The example that explanation names is kata-guruma; sukui-nage is not named. Its wording is given in section 8. Restrictions in youth contests differ by country, and we found no rules that name sukui-nage (section 8).

04 / Key points that decide the throw

Key points that decide the throw

The sequence is as given in section 3. This section explains the points that decide whether uke is thrown cleanly with sukui-nage. The “how to check” notes are our suggestions.

Go in at the instant uke tries to return

Tori goes in at the instant when uke, drawn out and stepping the left foot forward, draws that left foot back to return to the original posture (3-2 and 3-3). The first form in the Kodokan’s explanation (Type 1, section 7) also goes in with the movement of a uke who has been drawn out and tries to return, so both forms use uke’s returning movement.

How to check: at slow speed, watch from the side whether, after tori stops, uke’s left foot comes forward and tori’s right foot starts moving just as that left foot begins to draw back.

Right foot outside uke’s right foot, left foot in deep, at uke’s right side

The right hand goes in as tori arrives at uke’s right side. Tori does not reach out with the hand after finishing the steps; the second step and the insertion of the hand are one movement (3-3 and 3-4).

How to check: stop at the moment the right hand goes in and look at whether tori’s hips are lowered and whether tori is at uke’s right side rather than in front of uke.

Scoop so that both of uke’s feet come up

The Kodokan says that the difference between kuchiki-taoshi and sukui-nage is judged not by the part of the body tori holds with one hand but by what that hand does. If tori pushes uke over and uke falls with one foot coming up, it is kuchiki-taoshi; if tori scoops uke up and uke’s balance breaks with both feet coming up, it is sukui-nage. As in 3-5, tori pulls the left hand down and scoops up uke’s lower body with the right hand.

How to check: with uke cooperating, go slowly and check that both of uke’s feet leave the mat as tori scoops, and that the movement has not turned into pushing uke over with one foot left on the mat.

Tori stays standing and drops uke backwards

Uke is dropped to uke’s rear. Tori dropping uke while standing, without sacrificing the body backwards, is what separates sukui-nage from tani-otoshi (3-6).

How to check: at the end of the throw, check that tori is still standing.

05 / When to apply it

When to apply it

The form in section 3 is one in which tori creates the opportunity: tori steps the right foot back so that uke steps the left foot forward, and tori uses the moment uke tries to return.

The Kodokan’s explanation also gives the following situations as opportunities for its other forms and applications. Each belongs to a form different from section 3, and none of them is a timing for the section 3 form (the key points of these forms are in section 7).

• The instant uke tries to apply right harai-goshi, stepping uke’s own right foot in front of both of tori’s feet and turning side-on with the right side forward (migi-hanmi). The explanation says that “a sharp sense that does not miss that instant is needed” (our translation).
• As the pair take hold, the moment when tori is holding down both of uke’s wrists and uke steps the right foot forward and pushes back.
• The instant uke, having moved the right hand to tori’s back collar, comes close in an extreme right stance, right foot forward, to apply a technique.
• When tori responds to uchi-mata, harai-goshi (and also hane-goshi, tsurikomi-goshi and the like) or o-soto-gari that uke has started, or after tori has evaded uke’s uchi-mata.
• When uke has stopped tori’s kata-guruma by bending the upper body backwards.

As this shows, many of the ways of applying sukui-nage respond to the opponent’s technique. In a 1988 conference presentation, two authors describing techniques they had acquired themselves also treat sukui-nage (te-guruma) as a technique of go-no-sen, taking the initiative in response to the opponent’s attack.

Of the forms in which one hand goes between uke’s legs (the section 3 form and Type 2 in section 7), the Kodokan’s explanation says that they “have recently become popular as randori techniques and are widely used” (our translation). This was written at the time of the explanation, based on the 1990 video and the 1999 book. Since then, the IJF rules on attacking with the hands or arms below the belt have changed several times (section 8), so the statement does not show how much these forms are used in randori or in contests today.

06 / Common mistakes and how to fix them

Common mistakes and how to fix them

The symptoms, how to tell, and the fixes in this section are our suggestions. Causes marked “our reading” are also our judgement.

Going in late, so that uke has already returned to the original posture

• Symptom: by the time tori has stepped in with the right foot and then the left, uke has already drawn the left foot all the way back and is standing stably on both feet.
• Cause: the section 3 form is applied at the instant uke draws the left foot back to return. Once that instant has passed, uke is back in the original, stable posture (our reading).
• How to tell: watching from the side, see whether tori’s right foot starts to move when uke’s left foot begins to draw back, or only after it has finished.
• Fix: repeat drill 1 in 9-3, focusing only on starting tori’s right foot as uke’s left foot begins to draw back.

One of uke’s feet stays on the mat, and the throw turns into pushing uke over

• Symptom: after tori holds uke with the right hand, uke is pushed over backwards with one foot still on the mat.
• Cause: tori’s right hand is pushing uke instead of scooping up uke’s lower body (our reading). The Kodokan’s explanation notes that when tori puts a hand on one leg, the action often becomes pushing uke over, and when tori inserts one hand deep between uke’s legs, it often becomes scooping uke up.
• How to tell: with uke cooperating, check that both of uke’s feet leave the mat at the moment of scooping.
• Fix: work through the 3-5 movement, pulling the left hand down and scooping up with the right hand, slowly and stopping before uke is dropped; then join it to the throw.

07 / Variations, related techniques and counters

Variations, related techniques and counters

The older form (Type 1): holding both of uke’s thighs with both hands

The Kodokan’s explanation calls this form, in which tori holds both of uke’s thighs with both hands, “the core form of sukui-nage practised since old times” (our translation). It shares three things with the section 3 form: both partners hold in a right natural posture, tori goes in with the movement of a uke who has been drawn out and tries to return, and uke is dropped backwards. These are the points that belong to this form and differ from section 3:

• Drawing uke out: tori steps back three times, right foot, left foot, right foot, trying to break uke’s balance forward by drawing uke, and stops; taking a left defensive posture, tori presses uke’s upper body down with both hands. Uke steps forward left foot, right foot, left foot, holds firm and tries to return. Tori eases the pull of both hands, and an instant before uke starts to draw the left foot back while raising the upper body, tori goes in.
• Going round behind uke: lowering the body, tori steps the right foot to the outside of uke’s right foot, opens the body to the right with the right foot as the pivot, and goes round from uke’s side to uke’s back. Tori’s left foot steps in behind uke’s left heel, on its inner side.
• Holding the backs of both thighs with both hands: tori puts the left hand on the back of uke’s left thigh and the right hand on the back of uke’s right thigh, and holds uke’s lower body deeply with both hands.
• Close contact and swinging uke up: tori puts the left front of tori’s hips against uke’s right buttock in close contact, so that uke’s buttocks rest on tori’s left thigh. Pushing the hips forward and bending the upper body back, tori swings uke up, scoops up both of uke’s legs with both hands and, twisting the body to the left, swings uke down backwards.

The Kodokan’s explanation says that this form “is now not seen at all in randori” (our translation) and suggests a reason: randori changed from holding in the defensive posture (jigotai) to holding in the natural posture (shizentai), which probably made it hard for tori to get round to uke’s side and back and hold both legs with both hands. This, too, was written at the time of the explanation mentioned in section 1.

Other forms in the Kodokan’s explanation (names and key points only)

Detailed procedures are left out; only the situation and the key points of the hand action are given.

• Inserting the left hand from behind between uke’s legs (Type 2): in the third situation in section 5, tori steps the left foot in behind uke, inserts the left hand between uke’s legs from behind to hold uke’s buttocks, scoops uke up and drops uke. It differs from the section 3 form in the hand that goes in (the left) and the direction it goes in from (from behind). The explanation adds that when uke resists strongly, tori may also bear down over uke and throw uke down.
• Forms that respond to uke’s techniques: forms that respond to uchi-mata, harai-goshi (and also hane-goshi, tsurikomi-goshi and the like) or o-soto-gari that uke has started, and a form applied after evading uke’s uchi-mata. The Kodokan’s technique research committee (our translation of the name) regards the throw as sukui-nage even when tori shifts the scooped-up uke onto tori’s left hip to throw, because “scooping up” is the main action.
• Responding to uke’s o-soto-gari (an application of Type 3): against uke’s o-soto-gari, tori steps the right foot well back and defends in a left defensive posture, inserts the right hand between uke’s legs from the front to hold uke’s buttocks, pulls the left hand downward and drops uke backwards.
• Changing from kata-guruma: when uke stops tori’s kata-guruma by bending the upper body backwards, tori turns to face uke, steps the left foot to the outside of uke’s right foot, brings the right foot up into a left defensive posture, scoops up uke’s buttocks with the right hand and drops uke backwards. If tori lifts uke onto the shoulders and throws uke down in any of three directions, to the left side, to the front or to the rear, the throw is regarded as kata-guruma, not sukui-nage.
• Gripping the back of the belt and the trousers (Type 4): a form applied when uke is defending bent forward, in which tori grips uke’s belt at the back and uke’s trousers. The Kodokan’s explanation introduces it as an application of sukui-nage.

How it differs from similar techniques

Counters and defences

The Kodokan’s list of counter techniques has no technique called sukui-nage-gaeshi. we did not find counters to sukui-nage or ways of defending against it.

08 / How the rules treat it

How the rules treat it

How sukui-nage is treated under the rules depends on the kind of event and the age of the athletes. This section sets out who makes each rule and where it applies.

IJF rules (Sport and Organisation Rules, version of July 24, 2026)

• Sukui-nage is in the rules’ list of technique names as hand technique no. 6. It is not among the Kodokan techniques not permitted in IJF events (kawazu-gake, kani-basami, do-jime and ashi-garami). The IJF technique page does not treat it as a forbidden technique either.
• The normal grips are on the sleeve, the collar, the chest, the top of the shoulder and the back, above the belt. Non-standard grips, such as gripping the belt, are allowed when used with a positive attacking attitude (Article 18.1.2, point 7).
• Gripping below the belt is governed by Article 18.1.2, point 8:

“All jacket grips and gripping under the belt to the level of the top of the inner thigh are allowed but shido will be given if using the jacket grip or under the belt to the level of the top of the inner thighs grip negatively. Hooking the legs with the hand or arm, leg grabbing, gripping the trousers and touching the leg from the top of the inner thigh down is forbidden and will be penalised with shido.”

• Article 18.1.2, point 19 lists among the acts penalised with shido leg grabbing, grabbing the trousers, and blocking or pushing the opponent’s leg(s) with the hands or arms, and states: “It is possible to grip the leg only when the two opponents are in a clear ne-waza position and the tachi-waza action has stopped.”
• Up to two shido are warnings; the third is hansoku-make (Article 18.1).
• Any action that may endanger or injure the opponent, especially the opponent’s neck or spine, is hansoku-make (Article 18.2.2, point 7(a)).
• Under Article 2.3, “Athletes under 15 years of age are not allowed to compete in any official IJF event”.

The only place the rules name sukui-nage is the list of technique names; the articles on gripping and penalties do not name it. The IJF’s article of December 13, 2024 introducing the new rules carries the same wording as point 8 above, but it does not name sukui-nage as a technique affected by leg grabbing. Neither the rules nor the All Japan Judo Federation’s explanation of the rule changes says whether the grip in section 3, in which tori inserts the right hand between uke’s legs from the front and holds uke’s buttocks, or the Type 1 form in section 7, in which tori holds the backs of both of uke’s thighs with both hands, counts as a grip “to the level of the top of the inner thigh”, or as leg grabbing or gripping the trousers below that level. The federation’s explanation describes this height as the top of the inner thigh, “the horizontal line at the base of both legs” (our translation).

The All Japan Judo Federation’s explanation (diving backwards)

In its explanation of the IJF rule changes from 2025, the All Japan Judo Federation’s refereeing committee writes as follows on diving straight forward or straight backward:

“What is commonly called ‘using the head’ is allowed, but, as before, diving straight forward with uchi-mata, sode-tsurikomi-goshi and the like, or lifting the opponent with kata-guruma and the like and diving straight backward, is given ‘hansoku-make’ as what is commonly called ‘diving’.” (our translation)

The same explanation says: “What is commonly called ‘diving’ is when the head and both shoulders land; when the head and one shoulder touch, it is not treated as ‘diving’” (our translation). The example given is kata-guruma; sukui-nage is not named. These are sentences from the federation’s explanation, not from the text of the IJF rules. The IJF article that penalises techniques using head diving with hansoku-make (Article 18.2.1) describes bending forward. The condition in 3-6, not diving straight backwards, is based on this explanation by the federation.

How the rules on holding the legs have changed

Under the IJF rules, the treatment of attacking below the belt with the hands or arms in standing judo has changed considerably over time. The changes around 2010 are known only from descriptions in research; we could not check the IJF’s original texts. According to those descriptions, in 2009 directly gripping the trousers in attack or defence became a minor infringement penalised with shido, and in 2010 directly attacking or defending below the opponent’s belt with the hands or arms in the standing position became a grave infringement penalised with hansoku-make. As far as can be confirmed in the IJF’s own documents, under the 2014–2016 rules every attack or block below the belt with the hands or arms in tachi-waza was hansoku-make; in the 2017 trial period, leg grabbing and grabbing the trousers were penalised first with shido and the second time with hansoku-make; and from 2018 to 2024 they were penalised with shido each time (the third shido being hansoku-make). Since 2025, as described above, gripping up to the level of the top of the inner thigh has been allowed.

Contests for junior high school students and younger in Japan (Refereeing Rules for Youth Competitions)

In Japan, domestic contests for junior high school students and younger are held under the IJF rules, with the All Japan Judo Federation’s Refereeing Rules for Youth Competitions (our translation) added for safety (the version in force from April 1, 2026). The preamble reads: “Domestic contests for juniors (junior high school students and younger) are held in accordance with the International Judo Federation’s refereeing rules. However, in consideration of safety, these rules are added.” (our translation) The IJF rule on gripping below the belt, above, therefore also applies to contests for junior high school students and younger.

Sukui-nage is not named in the prohibited acts or the supplementary provisions of these rules. The general items that may be relevant are the following; the rules do not say which form of sukui-nage, if any, falls under them.

• Prohibited act 1-9: “Inserting the fingers inside the sleeve of the opponent’s jacket or inside the bottom of the opponent’s trousers to grip.” (our translation)
• Prohibited act 1-10: “Not applying a technique immediately while holding with a non-standard grip in the standing position (holding one lapel [commonly called a cross grip], the belt, or a part below the belt [the top of the inner thigh: up to the horizontal line at the base of both legs]). If non-standard grips are repeated, it is a foul even if an attack is made.” (our translation)

Youth rules in other countries

United Kingdom: the 2026 revision of the British Judo Association’s technical restrictions for young and inexperienced judoka (in force from July 6, 2026) covers these categories:

“School years 4, 5, 6 & 7, for any grade. Scotland P5, P6, P7 & S1. All under 12 years’ categories, for any grade. All under 16 year’s categories limited to yellow belt and under.”

We found no item in the revision that names sukui-nage or deals with leg grabbing. The item that may be relevant is 1.5, which prohibits sacrifice techniques:

“1.5 No Sutemi-waza: Tori may not apply sutemi-waza. This includes techniques such as tomoe-nage, sumi-gaeshi, uki-waza, yoko-otoshi, tani-otoshi, ura-nage, or maki-komi. Note: Rear lifting throws where tori remains standing are permitted, allowing techniques such as ushrio-goshi [sic].”

The briefing does not say whether this note covers sukui-nage, in which tori stays standing, scoops uke up and drops uke backwards.

Canada: in Judo Canada’s Sanctioning Policy & Tournament Standards 2026-2027, too, we found no item that names sukui-nage or deals with leg grabbing. For U8 (in the 2026/27 season, born 2020 or later), U10 (born 2018–2019) and U12 (born 2016–2017), it has a rule on gripping:

“Kumi-Kata (grip) is allowed only at the front of the judogi – the gripping hand cannot fully cross the ‘frontal plane’ of movement of Uke; HOWEVER, a grip behind the back around the shoulder or lower back is allowed as long as it is followed by an immediate and continuous attack.”

This is a rule about gripping the judogi; it does not say whether it covers holding uke’s legs or buttocks. Sacrifice techniques and makikomi techniques are prohibited for all ranks in U8 to U12 and for the Novice divisions of U14 (born 2014–2015), but sukui-nage is not named. For U8, a “Judo Festival” format “in which there is no formal judging” is recommended for sanctioned events, and at club level “Modified Shiai competition is allowed in the club”. Ages are counted as of December 31 of the second year of the season.

France: in France Judo’s competition rules for the 2026–2027 season, we found no item on leg grabbing or gripping below the belt for young judoka, and no mention of sukui-nage.

Each of these is a rule of that country’s federation, not of the IJF or of Japan. Check which rules apply in the regulations of the event you enter, and if you are unsure how something is treated, ask the event’s referees or organisers.

09 / Learning order and safety

Learning order and safety

9-1 When it is learned

In Japan, the sukui-nage entry in the Kodokan’s text for promotion examinations is marked “3rd dan” (our translation). Japan’s Ministry of Education’s Guide to Teaching Judo gives sukui-nage only by name, in tables such as the table of technique names at the end of the guide.

In other countries’ federations, the stage at which sukui-nage appears varies widely.

The July 2020 rules that the Canadian reference table refers to date from the period when leg grabbing was penalised with shido each time (section 8), so this note does not describe the current rules. We did not find sukui-nage in the kyu grading syllabuses of the British and Austrian federations, the kyu regulations of the Russian federation or the German federation’s kyu requirements.

9-2 Breakfalls and how to practise

We found no source that names the breakfall uke takes in sukui-nage, so what follows concerns throwing techniques in general.

In breakfall practice for throws, tori keeps hold with the sleeve hand (hikite, the pulling hand), and uke, without letting go of uke’s own lapel grip, takes the breakfall actively. Japan’s Ministry of Education’s Guide to Teaching Judo says that it is important to make both partners aware of this bond between tori and uke as a “lifeline” (our translation) from the earliest stage.

9-3 Practising step by step

The order below is our suggestion. Progress is not set by numbers of repetitions or fixed periods: move on only once the coach has checked that tori and uke can do each stage reliably.

1. Repeat the entry slowly: without throwing, and with uke cooperating, repeat 3-2 to 3-4 slowly (stepping the right foot back and stopping, stepping in with the right foot and then the left as uke returns, inserting the right hand), and check the form with the “how to check” notes in section 4.
2. Scoop up and drop: once the coach has checked that uke is used to breakfalls from throws, tori, standing, scoops up a cooperating uke and drops uke backwards.
3. Extend to the forms that respond to uke’s techniques: once the section 3 form is stable, take up the responding forms in section 7. This guide leaves out their detailed procedures, so work through them with your coach.
4. Check the contest rules: before using it in randori or contests, check the rules on gripping below the belt and the restrictions for young judoka at the event you enter (section 8).

9-4 Safety

• Tori stays standing while dropping uke and does not fall straight backwards: as in 3-6.
• Keep hold with the pulling hand: tori keeps hold with the pulling hand so that uke can break the fall (9-2; throwing techniques in general).

10 / Use in competition

Use in competition

The IJF technique page lists competition videos in which sukui-nage was recorded at ten events between 2018 and 2023, among them Grand Slam and Grand Prix events and the World Championships. The list is short and is not a statistic of how often the technique is used. The page does not show which form was applied, whether both hands round both thighs or one hand between the legs. The “Most used by judoka” section of the same page lists no judoka.

In research, the following observations have been reported. Each comes from a period when attacks below the belt were treated differently from today, and each concerns a limited population.

• A study of contests that Japanese male judoka lost at four European tournaments in 1999 lists kuchiki-taoshi, o-uchi-gari, sumi-gaeshi, tani-otoshi, sukui-nage, kata-guruma and other techniques as characteristic of the non-Japanese judoka (published in 2001).
• A 2022 paper, citing a report that analysed the 2009 World Championships, says that sukui-nage had the largest share of the techniques that scored, for both men and women, and that, because it can be used to counter the opponent’s technique, judoka who were good at leg-grabbing techniques may have used it heavily. The original report is a magazine article, which we have not checked.
• A conference presentation (abstract) comparing men’s contests at events in 2009 and 2010 reports that, after the rule changes around 2010, the number of sukui-nage attempts against grips for which an exception to the foul was allowed (cross-guard grips) increased significantly, and concludes that sukui-nage adapted to the rules through attacks against cross-guard grips.