01 / AT A GLANCE
A lift from the side, finished by falling back
Ura-nage, the rear throw, is a ma-sutemi-waza: tori sacrifices standing position by falling straight onto the back. The IJF definition gives the sequence for the right-sided form: wrap both arms around uke’s waist from uke’s right side, pull in close, lift, then fall backward to throw uke over your left shoulder. Unlike tomoe-nage or sumi-gaeshi, no foot or leg contacts uke; the projection comes from the waist hold, the hips and the arch.
Two features make ura-nage different from most throws. First, it is commonly studied as a response to uke coming close at your side or turning in, rather than as an attack you start from a distance. Second, both partners fall a long way: uke rotates backward over tori, and tori lands on the back with uke’s weight passing close to the head. The most important safety idea is therefore a direction, not a strength cue: uke goes over the left shoulder, beside your head, not over the top of it.
Names you may encounter: ura nage, uranage, “back throw” (the IJF English label) and “rear throw”. A wrestling suplex shares only the arch; the side position and over-the-shoulder direction define the judo technique.
Who this guide is for: judoka who already have reliable backward and rolling breakfalls and train with a coach who teaches sacrifice throws. This is not a first-throw technique, and it should not be practised without thick mats and supervision.
02 / WATCH THE TECHNIQUE
Watch the hips arrive before anyone falls
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
Both clips are short demonstrations; the second publisher description reads only “Demonstration of Ura-nage or ‘Rear Throw’”. We verified identities and descriptions but did not transcribe the clips. Use the player’s slow-motion control: the important part of the action is very short.
First pass, the approach: where does tori stand relative to uke at the moment the arms close? Note whether it is at uke’s side, behind uke, or in front. Second pass, the level: pause as the arms close and compare the height of tori’s hips with uke’s hips. A lower tori is the visible sign that a lift is possible. Third pass, the exit: follow uke’s path over tori and note which of tori’s shoulders uke passes, and where tori’s head ends up as tori reaches the mat.
Then compare the two demonstrations on just one point, such as the hand positions around the waist or how far tori turns while falling. A difference between demonstrators is a question for your coach, not a reason to mix both versions in one repetition.
03 / WHEN TO USE IT
When uke’s right side comes to you
The IJF definition places tori at uke’s right side and close. The practical question is therefore how that position arises. It is rarely available from a standard square-on grip at arm’s length.
Uke turns in for a right-sided forward throw
When uke turns in for a right-sided hip or shoulder throw, uke’s back arrives against your front and uke’s right hip sits at the centre-right of your body. If you have stopped the throw by lowering your hips, you are already close and below uke’s centre. A small shift of your hips to your right brings your chest against uke’s right side, which is the position the IJF definition describes. Closeness, lower hips and uke’s weight coming back onto you as they abandon the throw make the classic ura-nage window; section 7 turns it into a drill.
Uke ends up pressed against you, right side first
Some exchanges end with uke’s right flank against your chest, for instance after a grip break or a scramble out of a failed attack. If uke’s hips are high and close to yours, the waist wrap is available. In IJF-rules contests, how your hands meet around the waist matters (section 12): an unclasped wrap is treated differently from clasped hands.
Uke stands upright with weight on the heels
Ura-nage lifts uke up and back. A partner who is already upright or leaning back has their centre close to where you want it. A partner bent forward with hips back is the opposite situation; trying to arch them backward means first straightening them against their posture.
When the opening is not there
Do not attempt ura-nage when uke is square in front of you at arm’s length, when uke’s hips are lower than yours, or when uke is moving away. In each case you would fall backward with nothing on top of you, or with uke landing on you rather than going over. Directly behind uke is a different relationship as well: lifting from there leads toward ushiro-goshi or utsuri-goshi, not a sacrifice over the shoulder.
04 / HOW IT WORKS
Close, lower, lift, arch, turn
The IJF sequence (wrap, pull close, lift, fall back, over the left shoulder) maps onto five connected jobs. The checks are things a partner, coach or camera can observe.
Arms: encircle the waist and pull uke onto you
Your left arm goes around the back of uke’s waist and your right arm across the front, both at belt height rather than around the ribs. Pull uke’s right hip tight against your body. Check: uke feels no gap between their right hip and your abdomen. Arms around the chest let uke slide down and out as soon as you lift.
Legs and hips: get below uke’s centre
Bend your knees so your hips are lower than uke’s and slightly behind uke’s right hip, with your feet roughly under your own shoulders. Check: from the side, your belt is below uke’s belt. If it is level or higher, there is nothing to lift from.
Hips: lift uke before your back leaves vertical
Drive your hips up and forward into uke while straightening your knees, so uke’s feet come off the mat while you are still upright. Check: uke’s feet leave the mat before your shoulders pass behind your heels. If you are already falling when the lift starts, uke will usually stay on their feet and land on you.
Trunk and head: arch back and turn to the left
Continue the hip drive into a backward arch and fall, turning your upper body to the left so uke rotates over your left shoulder. Your head turns away from uke’s path rather than staying where uke’s weight will pass. Check: uke lands behind and beside your left shoulder, not on your chest or above your head.
Arms again: hold through the rotation, release to land
Keep the waist hold through the rotation so uke does not drop early onto their head or neck. Agree with your coach when to release so uke can complete the breakfall. Check: uke reports being carried over, not dropped, and lands with room to take ukemi.
How the phases depend on each other
Each job sets up the next. A loose wrap lets uke slip during the lift. Without lower hips there is no lift. Without a lift, the backward fall carries no one. Without the turn, uke goes over your head or onto your face. When ura-nage fails, the visible error often appears at the end (a bad landing), but the cause is usually one of the first three jobs. That is why section 10 starts with closing and lowering, then lifting without falling, long before anyone goes to the mat.
What the evidence does and does not fix
The IJF definition fixes the side position, the two-arm waist hold, the lift and the over-the-left-shoulder direction. It does not fix hand placement, foot position, how far tori turns or when to release. Those are your coach’s choices; this guide only tells you what to observe in each.
05 / KEY POINTS
Four checks for a safe, real ura-nage
- Lock the hip before you lower, not after. The mechanics checks in section 4 describe positions; this cue is about order. Test: uke reports whether the pull to the hip came before or after your knees bent. If you drop first, uke’s hip drifts away while you are going down.
- Lift as uke’s weight comes back. In the counter window, uke abandoning a hip throw steps or leans back onto you. Test: uke says “now” when they start to come back; your hip drive should start on that word, not after uke has re-planted both feet.
- Chin tucked, head off uke’s line. Uke travels past your left shoulder, so your head must not be on that path when you reach the mat. Test: a coach behind you checks that your chin stays down as you go back and that your head ends clear of where uke lands; confirm the head direction your coach’s version uses.
- Release is a decision you count. Test: in decision drills, count the times you released and stayed standing because uke did not come up. Those are correct decisions, not failures.
Use one cue per set. A failed cue points to section 6: the first to “uke slides out”, the second to “uke is still standing”, the third to “my head takes the landing”.
06 / PROBLEMS & ADJUSTMENTS
Why your ura-nage stalls or lands badly
Film from the side with both partners’ hips visible. Find the earliest phase where the relationship goes wrong.
“I end up on my back and uke is still standing.”
Possible causes: you started falling before lifting; your hips were not below uke’s; or uke stepped their feet away as you went back. Tell them apart: on the side view, did uke’s feet ever leave the mat? If not, look at hip heights at the moment of the wrap. If the heights were right but uke stepped away, the hold was loose or uke read it. Adjust: for the falling-first case, practise lifts without falling until uke’s feet come up every time. Assess: with the same partner, count lifts in which uke’s feet clear the mat before your back angle changes.
“Uke lands on top of me instead of going over.”
Possible causes: you fell straight back without the turn to the left; uke was too far onto your front; or the lift was too small for uke to rotate. Tell them apart: where did uke land, on your chest (lift or position) or above your head (no turn)? Adjust: work the turn in isolation by lifting and turning a partner from a lower height onto a crash mat at your left side. Assess: uke’s landing spot relative to your left shoulder should be consistent across a set before height increases.
“Uke slides out of my arms during the lift.”
Possible causes: arms around the ribs instead of the waist; a gap between your abdomen and uke’s hip; or uke turned in to face you and lowered their hips. Tell them apart: look at your arm height in the paused frame, and ask uke whether they could feel space between your bodies. Adjust: lower the wrap to belt level and pull the hip in before lifting. Assess: uke tries a standard, agreed slip each repetition; count how often the hold stays on through the lift.
“My head or neck takes the landing.”
Stop throwing for the session and tell your coach. Possible causes to check together: arching back without turning, uke’s weight passing over your head, falling too far without tucking the chin, or a mat too thin for the height. Tell them apart: the side and rear video show where your head was when uke passed. Adjust: only what the coach identifies, usually a lower, slower lift with the turn emphasised on a crash mat. Assess: the next set at the same height should end with your head clear of uke’s path every time. Pain belongs with a qualified professional, not a training log.
“It only works when uke attacks at full commitment.”
Possible causes: you recognise the window late; you wait for uke to turn all the way in; or your hips are not ready to drop when uke’s back appears. Tell them apart: in a half-committed attack, did you not see the opening, or did you see it and not reach the lower position in time? Adjust: uke makes half-speed, half-committed turns; you only practise closing and lowering, without lifting. Assess: count how many partial turns you reach the low, close position against, compared with the previous session.
“The throw lands, but I come up underneath.”
Possible causes: you let go of the waist as soon as uke left your shoulder; you landed flat with no turn, so you have to roll a long way to reach uke; or you turned toward your right, away from uke. Tell them apart: on the rear video, look at your right arm at the moment uke lands (still across uke’s body, or already free) and at which side your chest faces a second later. Adjust: keep the right arm across uke’s abdomen through the landing and use it as the rail you follow as you turn left onto your stomach. Assess: in the post-throw race drill in section 9, count rounds in which you settle a hold before uke turns away, against the previous session with the same partner.
07 / SETUPS & COMBINATIONS
Ura-nage as the answer to a turn-in
Because ura-nage is usually a reaction, this section concentrates on the defence that creates the position, the choice between related techniques and the reset when the lift fails. Each sequence is a coaching proposal to adapt.
COUNTER TO A HIP THROW
Block uke’s hip throw → ura-nage
Start: standard grips; uke turns in for a right-sided hip throw such as o-goshi or harai-goshi. First action: bend your knees and push your hips forward against uke’s back so the throw stops. Response that permits the next step: uke, stuck, comes back upright or tries to step out, with their right hip still against you. Next action: release the jacket grips, wrap the waist from uke’s right side, lift and finish over your left shoulder. Reset: if uke steps out to the front and faces you, there is no side position; let go and return to grips.
CHOOSING BETWEEN TWO LIFTS
Blocked hip throw → ura-nage or ushiro-goshi
Start: the same block. Decision: if you find yourself at uke’s right side with uke’s weight coming back, ura-nage over the left shoulder fits. If you are directly behind uke and they are still bent forward, lifting onto your hip and dropping uke in front of you is the ushiro-goshi relationship. Reset: if uke has lowered their hips below yours, neither lift is available; stay standing.
AFTER THE LIFT FAILS
Ura-nage lift → release and stay standing
Start: waist wrap at uke’s side. First action: the lift. Response: uke lowers the hips and turns toward you so their feet stay on the mat. Next action: do not fall back. Release, restore grips and stance. If uke drops to the knees during the scramble, follow to a ground position you know, staying on top. Reset: any lift where uke’s feet do not leave the mat ends standing.
Why there is no long list of combinations
Ura-nage depends on a specific position, and more named entries would mean inventing situations the evidence does not support. One reliable window and one reliable reset are more useful. Record which uke throw gave you the position in the waza-map worksheet.
08 / DEFENCES & COUNTERS
Don’t give tori your side with high hips
Here “defence” means what uke does about tori’s ura-nage, which often means what the attacker of the original throw does when it is blocked.
Prevention: turn in with kuzushi, keep your hips low
The ura-nage window opens when you turn in for a right-sided throw without breaking tori’s balance and leave your hips higher than tori’s. Keeping your hips low through the entry and not lingering with your back against a blocking partner both close it. In drills, practise turning out quickly when the throw is blocked rather than pushing on.
Escape: lower the hips and face tori
If tori’s arms close around your waist, sink your hips below theirs and turn to face them, taking your right hip out of contact. Do this before your feet leave the mat. Once lifted, do not reach for the mat with a straight arm or grab tori’s head. Keep your chin tucked and take the breakfall your coach has prepared.
Counter exposure for tori
A failed ura-nage leaves tori on the back with uke possibly on top, which is a ne-waza disadvantage. That cost is why tori’s key point 4, releasing when the lift fails, is part of the technique. Uke can learn to settle on top from that position, but counters from the arching phase should only be taught by a coach. Never drop body weight onto a partner who is arching backward.
Prevention drill for the hip-throw attacker: make a right-sided hip-throw entry against a partner who blocks with the hips. As soon as you feel the block, turn out to face your partner and re-grip. The observer notes one thing: whether your right hip was still against the blocker after the block. No lifts or falls are needed.
09 / GROUND TRANSITIONS
Both of you are down: who turns first?
Ura-nage leaves tori on the back as well. Your continuation depends on rolling toward uke and getting on top before uke recovers.
Uke lands on the back behind your left shoulder
Turn toward your left, onto your stomach and toward uke, keeping one arm across uke’s body. Your chest can come down across uke’s upper body for yoko-shiho-gatame, or, if you arrive by uke’s head, kami-shiho-gatame; if one of uke’s arms is already trapped under your arm as you arrive, kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame may fit. Settle the hold that matches where you arrived.
Uke lands on the side or turns to the stomach
Uke may roll away before you turn. Keep contact with their hips or back and come to a top position on your knees. Follow with a turnover your coach has taught from that exact position. Do not pull on the head or neck to turn uke over.
The throw fails and uke lands on you
You are on your back under uke. Protect your neck, bring your knees between you and uke and recover a defensive position as taught. Do not keep the waist hold and try a second arch from the mat.
Transition drill: start with both partners lying in the post-throw position (tori on the back, uke behind tori’s left shoulder). On the signal, tori turns to settle a hold; uke tries to turn away. Short rounds, then swap. Add the throw back only when this race is familiar. See the ne-waza drills guide for structure.
10 / PRACTICE PROGRESSION
From a standing lift to the reaction drill
Each stage removes one support. Only the coach decides when falls begin. Use thick mats or a crash mat for every stage that includes a fall.
Close and lower
Uke stands still, right side toward you. You wrap the waist and lower your hips below uke’s, then stand up again. Move on when side video shows your belt below uke’s on every repetition and uke feels no gap at the hip.
Lift without falling
From the closed position, lift uke’s feet a little off the mat with a hip drive and put them down. Move on when uke’s feet clear the mat while your back stays near vertical.
Lift, turn and fall onto a crash mat
With the coach present, complete the throw at low height onto a crash mat at your left. Move on when uke lands beside your left shoulder every time and your head stays clear.
Reaction drill
Uke makes a slow right-sided hip throw entry. You block, then choose: ura-nage if uke’s right hip is against you and their hips are high, or reset if uke turns out. Start with entries and lifts only, without falls. Move on when your choices match the position in most repetitions.
Constrained randori
Agree on the hip throws uke may attack with and whether ura-nage throws are allowed in the round. Record windows recognised, lifts made, falls taken and resets.
A concrete task: lift or release
In stage 4, uke decides before each entry whether to stay high with the hip in contact or to lower the hips and turn out after the block. Tori calls “lift” or “release” before acting. Score correct calls out of total. The task trains recognition of the window and the discipline of not falling back under a partner who is not lifted. It complements the uchikomi drills guide by adding a decision.
11 / COMPETITION EXAMPLES
Two IJF replay leads, with their limits
The IJF technique library lists these contests under ura-nage. Listings and athlete pages were checked; the replays were not watched.
Lead 1 — Nagayama vs Lesiuk, World Championships 2026
Ryuju Nagayama’s IJF athlete page with ura-nage selected lists Ryuju NAGAYAMA (JPN, white) vs Artem LESIUK (UKR, blue) at the Baku World Senior Championships 2026 Individuals (checked October 10, 2026).
Verified: the contest appears in that ura-nage-tagged list, and the page heading credits the tagged action to Ryuju Nagayama. Not verified: whether it scored, when it occurred and what preceded it.
Lead 2 — Polleres vs Myers, Hungary Grand Slam 2026
Michaela Polleres’s IJF athlete page with ura-nage selected lists Michaela POLLERES (AUT, white) vs Melissa MYERS (USA, blue) at the Hungary Grand Slam 2026 (checked October 10, 2026).
Verified: the listing, and the page heading credits the tagged action to Michaela Polleres. Not verified: score, timestamp or tactics.
Viewing questions
- What happened just before the wrap: did one athlete turn in for a throw, or did the bodies come together in a scramble?
- Where was the thrower: at the partner’s side, behind or in front? Compare with section 3.
- Were the thrower’s hips below the partner’s when the arms closed, and did the partner’s feet leave the mat before the fall?
- Over which shoulder did the partner travel, and who was on top afterwards?
Sort what you see into two labels before using it: side position or behind (ura-nage versus a koshi-waza lift), and hands clasped or not (the rules note in section 12). A clip you cannot label on both counts is a viewing exercise, not a model for your drill.
12 / VARIATIONS & COMPARISONS
Ura-nage among lifts and sacrifices
The Kodokan list places ura-nage in ma-sutemi-waza with tomoe-nage and sumi-gaeshi. Several standing lifts look similar in a single frame.
| Technique | What to compare |
|---|---|
| Ura-nage | From uke’s right side, waist wrap, lift, tori falls on the back, uke over the left shoulder. |
| Ushiro-goshi | Koshi-waza from behind: uke is lifted onto tori’s hip and dropped in front; tori stays standing. |
| Utsuri-goshi | Koshi-waza: uke is lifted and transferred onto tori’s other hip; tori stays standing. |
| Kata-guruma | Also lifts uke’s full weight, but tori stays standing and carries uke across the back of the neck from in front; no sacrifice fall. |
| Tomoe-nage / sumi-gaeshi | Ma-sutemi-waza where tori’s foot or leg contacts uke; uke is drawn forward over tori, not lifted from the side. |
Variations that change the task
Hand positions: clasped hands, a hand on the belt or an open hand on the abdomen each change how the hold survives the lift, and clasping has a rules consequence (below). Pick your coach’s version and keep it constant while learning. Amount of turn: some versions fall almost straight back with only a small twist, others turn further. The landing spot and head safety change with the turn, so treat a change as a new progression, starting again at stage 3. Jacket grips instead of a waist wrap: lifting with jacket grips from the side is a different control problem; label it clearly rather than calling every backward lift ura-nage.
What the IJF rules say about the waist hold
The IJF Refereeing Rules (Sport and Organisation Rules, the document IJF lists as version 21.01.2026) penalise with shido a “bear hug in tachi-waza if tori clasps both hands together to form a circle” or clasps the opposite arm. The same text allows a bear hug with unclasped hands and one where tori catches their own sleeve with the opposite hand, and gives no shido for clasped hands if tori already had a stable kumikata or is coming from ne-waza to tachi-waza. For ura-nage this means the hand position is a rules choice as well as a control choice: decide with your coach which version you drill for IJF-rules shiai. The document does not mention ura-nage by name; age-group and national rules on backward sacrifices were not reviewed and remain a question for your coach or a referee.
If your attempts are drifting toward a hip throw from behind, read the ushiro-goshi guide. Other forward-throw counters on this site include uchi-mata-gaeshi and harai-goshi-gaeshi.
13 / YOUR NEXT PRACTICE
Practise the lift-or-release call
Start from the earliest failure you found in section 6. If uke stays standing when you fall, use this record:
- Situation
- Right-handed, stage 2 lift without falling, partner of similar size.
- My focus
- Belt below uke’s belt at the wrap; uke’s feet off the mat while my back stays upright.
- What I noticed
- On the side clip, which repetitions got uke’s feet up? What was different about my hips?
- Coach question
- “When the lift fails, is it my hip height, my arm height or the gap at uke’s hip?”
- Next decision
- Repeat stage 2, move to crash-mat throws, or go back to close-and-lower.
Illustrative example, not measured data: “Ten lifts without falling. Uke’s feet cleared the mat on six. On the four misses, the clip showed my arms around uke’s ribs. Next session: same drill with the wrap at belt level; ask the coach if I can try crash-mat throws after that.”
Keep it in the practice log template or in Judo AI. Bring one successful lift and one failed lift on video to your coach.
14 / SOURCES & REVIEW
Sources and editorial review
- Kodokan: Names of Judo Techniques (name and ma-sutemi-waza classification)
- IJF: Ura-nage definition and technique video library
- Videos: KODOKAN, “裏投 / Ura-nage”; Efficient Judo, “Ura-nage - Demo”
- Competition leads: IJF athlete technique pages linked in section 11
- IJF Referee Commission documents: IJF SOR Refereeing Rules (bear-hug provision)
Source check: October 10, 2026. English editorial preview; practical coaching review remains open.
Evidence scope: the IJF definition supports the side position, waist hold, lift and over-the-left-shoulder direction; hand placement, foot position, turn and release timing are not fixed by these sources. Video identities and descriptions were verified, not transcribed. Competition entries are listings, not analysed contests.
Rules status: the bear-hug provision quoted in section 12 was read in the IJF Refereeing Rules PDF linked from the IJF Referee Commission documents page (checked October 10, 2026). Article numbering, age-group and national rules on sacrifice throws were not reviewed.
Review status: by Judo AI. Editorial coverage, sources and links have been checked. No named coach has reviewed this page, and no teaching qualification is claimed.