01 / AT A GLANCE
Uki-waza: the defining action
Uki-waza is a side sacrifice throw that takes uke toward the front corner while tori descends to the side. The fall of tori’s body supplies a connected throwing action; simply sitting beside an upright opponent does not create the technique.
Name and scope: Uki-waza (浮技), commonly rendered as floating technique, belongs to Yoko-sutemi-waza. Searches for “uki waza” and the hyphenated spelling refer to the same official technique here. An informal nickname should be checked against the actual action before being treated as a separate technique.
Position convention: This guide takes uke toward uke’s right-front corner. Tori opens the body, places the left foot outside uke’s right foot and descends onto the left side while maintaining the upper-body connection. Tori means the person performing the technique and uke the receiving partner. When reviewing a mirrored camera image, identify each person’s own sides first. Reverse the whole relationship for a left-sided lesson rather than changing one limb while preserving incompatible directions elsewhere.
The intended reader can already practise under supervision and wants to connect demonstration, diagnosis and decision-making. For uki-waza, the central question is: bring uke into the corner before the side descent commits your base. Beginners can study the shape with a coach; applying it against variable resistance requires the additional recognition and control work below. The article does not assign a universal belt level or promise that one body type will succeed automatically.
02 / WATCH THE TECHNIQUE
Official demonstration and a second viewing reference
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
Watch the shoulder movement before the body touches the mat, then follow the final ground position. The descent alone is visually dramatic but does not show whether the necessary connection existed.
Official reference: Kodokan. Second demonstration: Efficient Judo. Open the publisher links if either embedded player is unavailable.
A practical viewing question is: “Is uke already moving into the throw before I give up my standing base?” Compare that question across the official and second reference. Differences in speed, partner stance or grip route may explain different appearances. Do not combine isolated details from incompatible versions into one repetition. No timestamps or claims about unseen scoring sequences are supplied here.
03 / WHEN TO USE IT
Recognise an opening and recognise its absence
A usable starting relationship
Uke’s trunk follows forward and the right-front corner is available. Tori has a clear side landing space and can descend without placing weight across uke’s knee or trapping the lower leg.
In the left-side form, tori opens beside uke’s right foot while the hands draw the trunk toward uke’s right-front corner. Check both the shoulder movement and the clear side landing space before giving up the standing base. A close sleeve grip can remain attached even when uke has stopped following. The body sacrifice becomes useful only when that connection continues to carry the torso into the intended rotation.
When the same shape is not an opening
Uke remains upright behind a stable base or has withdrawn beyond the grip connection. Falling first in that position commonly leaves tori underneath an opponent who has not been thrown.
If uke reaches forward with the arms but leaves the pelvis behind, the apparent approach may not support a sacrifice. Compare it with a step that carries the whole trunk forward. Tori stays standing for the reaching-only response and descends only for the following response. This distinction should remain visible at walking speed. A faster drop cannot reliably replace the missing forward movement and may simply put tori under a balanced partner.
Movement to invite or read
Begin with one genuine forward step and a controlled side landing. Add variable step length only after both partners can predict and receive the rotation safely. In an opposite-lead or unfamiliar grip arrangement, have the coach map the relevant limbs again. The fixed convention in this article provides a reference for comparison; it does not guarantee that the same approach distance survives every stance.
04 / HOW IT WORKS
Connect the grips, support and finishing action
Hands and upper-body connection
The hands keep the shoulder line following into the front corner as the body descends. They should guide a continuous path rather than pull the arms downward after tori has already landed.
Feet, hips and available support
Open the stance and position the left foot outside uke’s right foot according to the demonstrated form. The leg organises the side relationship; avoid turning it into a scissor around the knee.
Complete the action under control
Descend onto the left side while continuing the connected front-corner direction. Uke rotates over the established relationship as tori maintains guidance and a clear head position, then follows only if a stable ground transition is available.
Study the relationship beneath the visible shape
A sacrifice throw spends the standing base to influence the partner’s movement. That commitment makes the pre-descent check especially important. In uki-waza, the right-front corner and following shoulder line should exist before tori lowers onto the left side. If the shoulders remain behind the feet, the descent may simply give uke a stable top position. The learner should be able to describe the movement being used before giving up the option to remain standing.
The left-foot placement organises the side relationship without needing to trap a knee. Study the official demonstration for the route and then practise a small supported descent. The partner should rotate through a clear path, not be forced over a rigid local obstruction. If the leg becomes the only thing preventing uke from stepping, inspect whether the upper-body connection has disappeared.
05 / KEY POINTS
Four cues with observable checks
Keep the defining mechanism visible
Bring uke into the corner before the side descent commits your base. Ask the observer to describe that action before commenting on power. If a repetition succeeds through a different mechanism, record what actually happened. A fall or escape can be useful without proving that the intended uki-waza relationship improved.
Verify the position before adding commitment
Immediately before descending, uke’s shoulder line should already be following the grip connection. An observer should also see an unobstructed side landing area. Use this as a brief checkpoint in cooperative practice, then remove the pause as coordination improves. The checkpoint is not a recommendation to freeze during a live exchange; it is a way to identify the relationship that must survive movement.
Preserve the correct stopping decision
Use a coach-arranged unavailable position to check your decision before adding resistance to uki-waza. The precise release or reception boundary is described in the defence section below. Otherwise, a partner who always supplies the ideal opening can teach commitment without teaching selection. A correct reset belongs in the practice record alongside a controlled completion.
Make the result lead to a next position
A successful rotation may allow tori to follow into top control, but a partial action can leave tori on the side underneath. Identify which partner actually controls the upper-body space before choosing the next movement. The observer should describe the actual ending, not the intended ending. That description determines whether the next task belongs to finishing, stabilising on top or recovering underneath.
06 / PROBLEMS & ADJUSTMENTS
Diagnose the earliest cause before changing force
Tori lies on the side while uke remains standing or kneels comfortably on top.
The sacrifice may begin before uke’s trunk is committed forward. The hands may lose connection as the body drops, leaving uke outside the rotating path. These are competing explanations to investigate, not a diagnosis made from the result alone. The next repetition should reveal which relationship fails first.
Test: Rehearse the forward invitation without falling and check whether the trunk follows. Then practise a partial supported side descent with a coach, comparing whether the shoulders continue moving or stop as tori lowers. Adjustment: Delay the descent and preserve the hand path through the lowering action rather than pulling only after reaching the mat. Keep the other conditions as similar as practical for the comparison. An improvement in the relevant connection is more informative than one accidental completion after several unrelated changes.
Left leg becomes a hard block across the knee
If the left leg becomes a hard block across the knee, stop and review the placement. The desired result is a whole-body rotation through the front corner, not a forced fall over a trapped joint. For uki-waza, partner feedback should identify where the action was felt and when it changed. Combine that report with the observer’s view; an outside camera and an inside contact sensation provide different pieces of evidence.
Check before and after mat contact separately
Diagnose a failed sacrifice by looking before and after mat contact. Before contact, ask whether uke’s trunk followed and whether the hands remained connected. After contact, ask which partner controls the upper-body space. If the first conditions were missing, the next practice belongs to the standing invitation. If they were present but tori finishes underneath, the next practice may concern continuity and the ground follow.
Do not combine these problems into a demand to roll harder. A stronger roll from underneath can conceal that no standing kuzushi was established. Conversely, a well-created rotation still needs a controlled landing plan. Practise the end position separately so tori can recognise when to settle on top and when to switch to frames and guard recovery.
07 / SETUPS & COMBINATIONS
Make the next action depend on a response
First route: starting position, response and continuation
Use controlled retreating movement to invite a forward step. If uke’s trunk follows into the right-front corner, open and descend for uki-waza. If uke reaches only with the arms, remain standing and rebuild the movement.
For the retreat-and-follow setup, uke chooses a genuine trunk-following step or a balanced stop. Tori attempts uki-waza only on the step and remains upright on the stop. Once that choice is reliable, vary the step length while preserving the side convention. The observer checks whether the hands continued moving the shoulders through the descent. A fall started before that movement should be marked as an entry-selection error, not merely a weak finish.
Second route: recovery or change of direction
A failed forward invitation may make uke sit back. Tori should stay upright and select a later attack after regaining a neutral stance. Once the sacrifice has begun without kuzushi, the practical continuation is ground recovery, not pretending a second standing throw is still available.
When the forward invitation makes uke sit back, tori keeps the standing base and rebuilds the exchange. A later rearward attack begins from the next usable stance. If tori has already descended and uke remains above, the task changes to ground recovery: turn to face, establish frames and organise the legs. Calling that failed entry a standing combination would hide the practical consequence of sacrificing before the forward corner existed.
08 / DEFENCES & COUNTERS
Separate prevention, recovery and a counter opportunity
Uke can keep the trunk over a recoverable base and avoid following the grip with the shoulders alone. Once drawn into the fall, prioritise ukemi rather than posting a straight arm or stepping across a trapped leg.
Stop boundary: Do not descend if the front corner is closed or the landing space is occupied. If the action has already reached the mat without a throw, frame and recover a safe ground position instead of dragging the partner over the knees. The receiving partner must retain an agreed ukemi response when the original attack has succeeded. Do not replace reception with a desperate straight-arm post or a joint-twisting rescue.
Uke prevents the opening by keeping the stepping base beneath the trunk rather than chasing tori’s hands. Practise that early response before learning to receive the completed side rotation. Once the corner is lost, avoid posting a straight arm or stepping across a trapped leg to stop the fall. Tori should also decline the sacrifice when the left-side landing lane is occupied, regardless of how promising the grip and shoulder movement appear.
09 / GROUND TRANSITIONS
Read the position after the main action
From top, settle chest contact and free the legs before a side hold. From underneath, turn to face, build frames and recover guard or another stable defensive position according to the coach’s practice rules.
A complete rotation may allow tori to turn into top control, but a partial one can leave uke above the hips. Before following through, identify which partner controls the shoulder space. From top, clear the legs and establish a stable chest connection. From bottom, face uke and recover frames rather than continuing to pull on an extended sleeve. The practice log should distinguish those arrivals even when both started with the same forward invitation.
A completed throw and an established hold are separate outcomes. A controlled landing can still require leg clearance or shoulder repositioning before useful top control exists. Compare the actual uki-waza ending with the planned one, and practise the common arrival independently if it repeatedly becomes the weak part of the sequence.
10 / PRACTICE PROGRESSION
Progress from a clear shape to a real choice
Stage one: make the reference repeatable
Use the stated uki-waza convention with a cooperative partner. Begin slowly enough to identify the grip and support roles, and stop before completing an action that has lost its defining connection. Progress when both partners and the observer can describe the same relationship without guessing. Repetition count alone does not establish readiness.
Stage two: introduce the movement cue
Revisit the specific moving relationship described under “When to use it” for uki-waza. First keep its direction predictable, then vary its timing while preserving the same grips and side convention. Keep resistance modest while the cue changes. If the reference shape disappears on every moving attempt, reduce the step or escape amplitude and preserve the correct direction rather than forcing a finish.
Stage three: require a decision
Uke either follows with the trunk or stops the forward movement. Tori sacrifices only for the following response and remains standing for the stop. A useful round includes a correct continuation and a correct decision not to continue. Record both. When these choices remain clear, increase unpredictability before increasing force, with the coach deciding what the pair can control.
Stage four: constrain the exchange, then broaden it
A useful progression begins with identifying following steps without any descent. Next, add an agreed low-speed sacrifice from a clearly available corner. Then let uke occasionally stop the trunk while maintaining the grip. Tori must stay standing for the stop. This preserves decision-making as the technique becomes more dynamic.
The practice record should include final position rather than only whether uke fell. A throw followed by stable top control, a partial rotation ending underneath and a correct decision not to sacrifice are different outcomes. Each suggests a different next task. This makes the guide useful for randori development, where the cost of a poorly chosen sacrifice matters alongside the possibility of a successful throw.
11 / COMPETITION EXAMPLE
A named official replay selection to study
Verified selection: Elmar GASIMOV vs Asley GONZALEZ — Antalya Grand Slam 2022. The IJF technique library page includes this contest in its Uki-waza technique-tagged replay data. The listing verifies the named pairing, event and technique tag. The listing credits the tagged action to Elmar Gasimov. It does not by itself establish the final score, a precise timestamp or a complete tactical account.
Use the selection to investigate one question: “Is uke already moving into the throw before I give up my standing base?” Before the tagged action, identify the grips and movement that made the situation possible. During the action, compare the defining connection with the official demonstration. Afterward, identify recovery and position. If the player or angle does not show one of those phases, leave that part of the observation blank rather than inferring it from the tag.
A useful competition note for uki-waza separates three things: what the official listing states, what you can actually see in playback and what you propose to test in practice. This article confirms the first and supplies prompts for the other two. It does not present an unviewed sequence as a frame-by-frame analysis, nor treat historical footage as certification under current event rules.
12 / VARIATIONS & COMPARISONS
Keep neighbouring techniques and variants distinct
Uki-otoshi is a hand technique and does not require the same body sacrifice. Yoko-otoshi directs a different side-drop relationship. Shared words such as floating or side do not make their entry directions interchangeable.
Uki-otoshi studies a hand-led front-corner drop without the same sacrifice. Yoko-otoshi uses a different side-directed relationship. Sumi-gaeshi adds a distinct leg-assisted backward sacrifice. Compare where tori gives up the base and how uke travels over the body. A shared falling posture or similar translation of the name does not establish the same entry direction.
13 / YOUR NEXT PRACTICE
One task, one observation and one next decision
Task: Identify six genuine front-corner openings and rehearse the side descent only when both the shoulder connection and landing space are clear.
Record: Record pre-descent kuzushi, continuous hand connection and final top-or-bottom position separately. Use the practice record template or the practice tools described in Judo AI. Include the starting stance, partner response and the single adjustment tested, so the observation remains interpretable at the next session.
Illustrative example — not measured user data: An illustrative set produces four controlled rotations and two decisions to stay standing. One rotation ends underneath because the follow-through stops. The next set studies the landing position rather than counting all four as identical successes.
Coach question: “Is uke already moving into the throw before I give up my standing base?” Bring one clear success and one clear failure if recording is permitted. For uki-waza, choose the next drill from the earliest difference between them. Keep an adjustment that improves the intended connection across several comparable attempts; revise it when the predicted change does not appear. The purpose of the record is a better next decision, not a decorative count of repetitions.
14 / SOURCES & REVIEW
Sources, authorship and review
Kodokan official technique names establish the name and category. The IJF Uki-waza definition and video library and linked Kodokan demonstration are the primary technical references. The second video above is credited separately. The official replay listing in section 11 verifies the named contest and technique tag, not an unviewed score or every coaching proposal here.
By Judo AI · Editorial review: October 9, 2026. Definitions, source identity, article consistency and links have been checked. Practice tasks and diagnostic questions are editorial proposals to discuss with your coach, not a validated training protocol. Named technical-coach approval is still pending. Video identities were verified; complete playback and every contest detail have not been independently analysed.
Rules and scope: this is a supervised judo study guide, not a current refereeing manual. Historical footage does not establish current rule permissions. Ask your coach to check the applicable age group and event rules before using grip variations or submissions in shiai; this draft does not certify their legality. Stop a practice action when your partner taps, asks to stop or reports pain.