Table of contents

• Judo
  • General vocabulary
    • Etiquette
    • Combat and practice
    • Techniques
    • Equipment
  • Belts
    • Yellow belt
    • Orange belt
    • Green belt
    • Blue belt
    • Brown belt
    • Black belt
  • Other movements and combinations
    • Nage Waza
      • Kaeshi
      • Renraku
      • Other
    • Ne Waza
      • Entries
      • Shime/Jime Waza and Kansetsu Waza
      • Escapes
      • Other
  • Competitions
    • Scoring
    • Watch competitions
    • Randori/Shiai notes
      • Technique choice
      • Movement
      • Grip
      • Other
  • Personal
    • Affinities
    • Objectives

Judo

Judo is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.

Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the objective is to either throw one’s opponent to the ground on his back, immobilize the opponent on the ground or otherwise subdue one’s opponent with a hold down, joint lock or a choke/strangulation. A hold down may lead to a submission if the opponent cannot endure the associated pressure. Submission is done by tapping ground or opponent twice.
Strikes and thrusts, by hands and feet, as well as weapon defences, are a part of judo, but only in pre-arranged forms (kata) and are not allowed in judo competition or free practice (randori).

Judo means ‘supple way’ in Japanese and is characterized by the indirect application of force to defeat an opponent. It tries to redirect the opponent’s force, use momentum, off-balance the opponent, or make use of superior leverage. Thus judo focuses on movements that enable a physically weaker individual to beat a physically stronger one.

General vocabulary

Etiquette

Rei - Bow. (verb)
Zarei - Kneeling bow.
Dozo - Please.
Arigatou Gozaimasu - Thank you very much.
Sensei - Teacher.
Judoka - Judo practitioner.

Combat and practice

Tori - The person performing a technique.
Uke - The person on the receiving end of a technique.
Keiotsuke - Attention.
Hajime - Begin.
Matte - Stop.
Keikoku - Warning.
Sonomama - Do not move. (when referees and judges need to discuss something)
Yoshi - Carry on. (continue the contest)
Maitta - Give up.
Sukasu - Evasion.
Ukemi - Break your fall. (Falling practice)
Shinpan - Referee.
Shiai - Competition/Tournament.
Dashi - Stance. (Describes primarily the position of the feet)
Kuzushi - Unbalancing an opponent.
Tsukuri - Body positioning.
Kake - Execution.
Kime - The finish or ‘coup de grâce’.
Uchi Komi - Repetition practice without throwing.
Kata - Form or pattern. (is practiced following a formal system of prearranged exercises and needs to be known for obtaining the black belt)
Randori - Free-style practice. (sparring)
Ju Renshu - Both judoka attack in a very gentle way where no resistance is applied.
Kakari Geiko - One judoka attacks and the other only relies on defensive and evasive techniques.

Techniques

• Nage Waza - Throwing techniques. (involves unbalancing an opponent’s posture and throw the opponent to the floor)
  • Tachi waza - Standing techniques.
    • Te Waza - Hand techniques. (consists of effectively using the hands/arms to throw the opponent)
    • Koshi Waza - Hip techniques. (consists of throwing an opponent in a sudden motion, using one’s hip as the fulcrum)
    • Ashi Waza - Foot and leg techniques. (consists of using one’s foot/leg for reaping, tripping, sweeping, supporting, entangling, etc.)
  • Sutemi Waza - Sacrifice techniques. (consists of wrapping opponent’s body around his own and falling together with him)
    • Ma Sutemi Waza - Sacrifice technique whereby the thrower falls directly backwards.
    • Yoko Sutemi Waza - Sacrifice technique whereby the thrower falls onto his side.
• Ne Waza - Ground techniques. / Katame Waza - Grappling techniques. (‘lutter avec’ in french, refers to ground techniques)
  • Kansetsu Waza - Joint locks. (‘clé de bras’ in french)
  • (Sh/J)ime Waza - Chokeholds (blocks airway from front of neck) or strangulation (blocks blood supply via compression of neck sides).
  • Osaekomi Waza - Holding techniques. (consists of holding one on his back)
• Atemi Waza - Striking techniques.
  • (K/G)eri - Kick.
  • (Ts/Z)uki - Punch.

Waza - Technique.
Kaeshi Waza - Counter techniques. (are used to counter an opponent’s technique, whereby he is thrown instead of you)
Renraku Waza - Combination technique.
Tokui Waza - Favorite technique.
Gaeshi - Reverse, return. (‘retournement/renversement’ in french) (someone flat on belly or on all fours needs to be treated with a ‘retournement’)

Equipment

Dojo - Martial arts school.
(Judo)gi - Uniform.
Eri - Collar of uniform.
Obi - Belt.
Tatami - Training mat.

Belts

How to tie your belt.

Yellow belt

Vocabulary

O - Major.
(G/K)oshi - Hip.
Guruma - Wheeling. (as in a car)
Tai - Body.
Otoshi - Drop.
De - at/in/on.
Ashi - Foot/leg.
(B/H)arai - Sweep. (‘Balayage’ in french)
Soto - Outside.
Gari - Reaping. (‘faucher’ in french)
Hon - Basic.
Kesa - Scarf. (‘écharpe’ in french)
Gatame - Hold.
Kuzure - Falling apart. (When ‘Hon Kesa Gatame’ is falling apart we can readjust and use ‘Kuzure Kesa Gatame’)
Yoko - Side.
Shiho - Four corner. (means crossroards, a place where roads cross at right angles)
Kami - Top.
Tate - Straight.

Nage Waza

O Goshi

Place your right foot inside opponent’s feet, right next to his left foot, with some frontal distance. This position, after turning around, allows to place your hip backwards and to the left. Usually, Tori’s legs are slightly bent to place Tori’s hip below Uke’s center of gravity. However, this depends on the height difference between Uke and Tori. Finally, place Uke on your back and make him fall from left side of your back. Use your right arm to pull him into the fall.
video

The need for destabilization before initiating the movement is applicable to all throws.
In video the used destabilization consists of pulling Uke towards Tori and down before performing the technique. As in this type of movement we pull over ourselves, Uke coming to us can be used as momentum, not only when we pull Uke to us but also when Uke voluntarily moves forward during combat.
However, the destabilization I learned that accounts for all throwing movements consists of pulling Uke towards you while lifting left arm up and turning as if wanting to look at watch. The lifting up is useful to lift Uke on your back before throwing him down on the ground. This arm lifting is also used to destabilize opponent more on his toes, and to place yourself under his arm.
Destabilization is best performed after placing first foot forward giving you leverage to pull.

Koshi Guruma

I guess this movement may be more appropriate if Uke is smaller than Tori.
video

Tai Otoshi

When blocking Uke’s leg, block low, with your lower tibia against Uke’s lower tibia. Blocking higher at knee can be dangerous.

A variation exists where you drop on one knee to exert more force called ‘drop Tai Otoshi’.

De Ashi Barai

Also called ‘De Ashi Harai’. With hands do circular motion like when using the wheel of a car to turn. In general you should sweep the opponent’s leg while he raises it to walk forward or attack you. However the movement can also be done even if his leg is on the ground and works best when feet are close together horizontally.
video

O Soto Otoshi

First, place left feet next to his. Pull him to the left to destabilize him on leg that we will reap. The back of your right knee should go against his. Then take one step forward with left leg while having your shoulder against his, throwing him to the ground.

O Soto Gari

When reaping, leg contact should be between back of knees. While reaping don’t forget to pull leg backwards while pushing upper body forward. Also, don’t forget to destabilize opponent by moving him on leg that will be reaped. Also, don’t forget to be placed next to opponent and not in front of him with a distance.
video

One way to evolve from a certain grip to this movement, is to take with left hand left collar of Uke, move him around explosively, to in the end switch by grabbing this left collar with right hand and hold with left hand his sleeve, and then perform ‘O Soto Gari’ or ‘O Soto Otoshi’ or ‘O Soto Guruma’. By holding sleeve and left Eri, you can easily destabilize him on his left leg that we will reap.

O Soto Guruma

This movement was not necessary to know for passing yellow belt in my Dojo.
When reaping, Tori’s knee pit needs to be in contact with Uke’s knee pit of leg at opposing side. This will reap both legs to wheel Uke over.
video

This technique is best done when Uke is sideways to you trying to perform ‘O Soto Gari’ unsuccessfully.
I guess this technique works best for individuals with longer legs and/or more strength, and is best used when Uke has legs horizontally close together.

Ne Waza

Hon Kesa Gatame

Don’t forget to put head down where hand lies. Head down will avoid opponent grabbing back of your eri to help him evade by simultaneously using leg up and down momentum and placing himself away from perpendicular body position. Also if Uke moves you should move along to keep a perpendicular position, else he could grab your legs with his or use escape motion. Knowing that if he grabs your legs the hold down does not count.

Kuzure Kesa Gatame

Don’t forget to put head down where hand lies.
video

Yoko Shiho Gatame

Your chest should be on his chest, which is not well illustrated on picture. Also I think left hand can grab higher up in eri. Right hand should ideally grab obi, however if not possible, judogi can be grabbed instead. Usually you should be on your knees spread open. However if opponent tries to turn outward, you can put extra pressure for him to stay in by straightening legs and even raising them from the ground. If still not sufficient, you can use one hand to push the ground.

Kami Shiho Gatame

Your chest should be against opponent’s chest. Your arms should go under his, be squeezed towards each other, and grab his belt.

Tate Shiho Gatame

Chest should go against chest. Arms should go underneath his arms, elbows can be raised to block opponent’s arms upwards, hands should grab each other under opponent’s neck palms together. Head should go to ground next to his. Legs should be positioned so that knees are outside opponent’s legs but feet go inside to grab them.
In the video this technique is done slightly differently as one of opponent’s arms gets crushed and the feet don’t go inside opponent’s legs but instead against them to squeeze them.
video

Orange belt

Vocabulary

Uki - Floating.
Goshi - Hip.
Ippon - One thing. (in combat technique context it means ‘one arm’, thus ‘Ippon Seoi Nage’ means ‘one arm over the back throw’)
Seoi - Over the back/shoulder.
Nage - Throw.
Morote - Two hands.
Eri - Collar of uniform.
O - Major.
Ushi - Inside.
Gari - Reaping. (‘faucher’ in french)
Ko - Minor.
Hiza - Knee.
Guruma - Wheeling. (as in a car)
Sasae - Support.
Tsuri - Fishing. (simultaneous lifting and pulling back)
Komi - Into something. (‘Tsuri Komi’ means to pull-lift something into)
Ashi - Foot/leg. (‘Sasae Tsuri Komi Ashi’ means supporting foot lift-pull throw)
Kata - Form.
Gatame - Hold.
Kuzure - Falling apart. (When ‘Kami Shiho Gatame’ is falling apart we can readjust and use ‘Kuzure Kami Shiho Gatame’)
Kami - Top.
Shiho - Four corner. (means crossroards, a place where roads cross at right angles)

Nage Waza

Uki Goshi

Mainly hip, instead of mainly back as in O Goshi, is used as the fulcrum. Tori is slightly side-ways to Uke, instead of completely backwards. You should not completely turn but only at 45degrees. Right leg does not need some frontal distance as with ‘O Goshi’, instead it can directly be placed in between Uke’s legs, to allow the hip to push into Uke.
Uki Goshi can be used more easily against heavier people than O Goshi.
video

Ippon Seoi Nage

The following advice is applicable to all shoulder/back throws.
Initially, after turning around and while bringing Uke on your back, use your arm to raise his arm up as if moving the opponent up on your back. Once on your back you can of course pull this arm down to make the throw to the ground. Also, bend knees before a shoulder throw, being lower creates a better leverage. The hips should be positioned outwards/sideways, in front of Uke for him not to escape. The upper body should not just go down but also to the side, like right/left shoulder will go to left/right knee.
video

While training ‘Seoi Nage’ during ‘Uchi Komi’ be more explosive. Do the movement very fast in one time where you turn, destabilize (as explained in O Goshi), and bend knees all at once.

Morote Seoi Nage

Keep right hand on usual collar side but turn forearm until elbow ends in other side’s armpit.
video

Eri Seoi Nage

Take with right hand opposite collar side, we call this cross-grip. The cross-grip cannot be held for too long else penalties can be given thus attack needs to be quickly followed.
As shown in video you can even go down on knees to make sure you are low enough for throwing above right shoulder. However, usually, you would squat down and push hip out as in picture and use the hip/back as a fulcrum more than the shoulders. Alternatively, you can even only have one knee on ground. Those different leg/knee position possibilities are applicable to all ‘Seoi Nage’ movements.
video

One advantage of ‘Eri Seoi Nage’ over ‘Ippon Seoi Nage’ or ‘Morote Seoi Nage’ may be that it is easier to perform on left side while ‘Ippon Seoi Nage’ and ‘Morote Seoi Nage’ can be used on right side.
When performing on Uke’s left side, your right arm will already hold Uke’s left collar and thus you only need to join your left hand to grab Uke’s collar above your right hand.

Let’s look at ‘knee drop Seoi Nage’ more in detail.
Certain ‘Seoi Nage’ movements can be easier on arm positioning when Tori’s body is positioned lower, thus sometimes ‘Seoi Nage’ on knees may simply be easier in terms of performing the movement. This depends on individual morphology and should be tested.
‘Knee drop Seoi Nage’ works better against opponents who are much taller and heavier than you because instead of pulling them forward, you are using your body weight to drag them down so they flip over your shoulder which is positioned low under their higher center of gravity. Basically it enables more force by using own body weight, and better leverage by being positioned low, which should help against heavier and taller individuals.
Once you are on your knees however, you are in a vulnerable position, and thus you should stand straight as fast as possible again or continue combat on ground, in worse case scenario you can hide on all fours.
To perform it effectively you can destabilize, by dragging down, opponent all the while spiraling and falling on knees with anchored feet. In the end you should be in between opponent legs, with back against Uke, pull him up and against your back, to then pull him down and flip him over right shoulder. When he is against your back you can eventually bend over to help with flip over shoulder. Because you need to end between Uke’s legs, make sure his legs are opened before performing the movement. For his legs to open you can move him to the side beforehand.
As you need to pull opponent down, ‘Ippon’ variant does not seem a good idea. ‘Eri’ variant seems easiest if needing to grip higher up, however if dragging opponent down while spiraling, ‘morote’ variant can be used to drag him down by keeping him closer.
video

Similarly you have ‘drop Tai Otoshi’, where your usually standing leg will not be standing anymore but on knee. Thus your tackling leg will be way lower and your body weight will be used to drag opponent down. ‘drop Tai Otoshi’ is best used when opponent has feet horizontally closer together because then ‘drop Seoi Nage’ where you need to come between legs is not possible and because it makes ‘Tai Otoshi’ easier on tackling leg needing less distance.
video

O Uchi Gari

Here, opponent’s right leg will be reaped and thus this movement is usually performed when opponent’s right leg is forward.
Place your right leg between his legs. Bring left leg right behind other leg. Bend knees and destabilize opponent by pulling him down and pushing with forward-bended body weight against him. Pulling him down will avoid him escaping by lifting his leg. Use right leg to reap his right leg, touching his outside ankle and making a circular motion, and push with body against his for him to fall and you maybe with him. By pushing and falling with him you will put more pressure on his fall.
As shown in video, you can also perform this technique on someone walking towards you when the leg you will reap takes a step forward. However then opponent is not in ideal backwards momentum, besides if you pull him beforehand and he resists by leaning backwards.
video

Ko Uchi Gari

Here opponent’s left leg will be reaped and thus this movement is usually performed when opponent’s left leg is forward.
Place your right foot between his legs. By placing right foot further away from opponent’s foot that will be reaped you can use that distance as momentum for the sweep. Bring left leg right behind other leg while opening body to the left. Bend knees and destabilize opponent by pulling him down and pushing with forward-bended body weight against him via your elbow against his sternum all the while pulling him in towards you. Use right leg to reap his left leg at back of his heel. Push with your right hand to down him and eventually also push with own body weight against him and fall with him.
video

A variation exists with different grip to put more weight on reaped leg to increase chance of opponent falling but also of you falling which makes it a sacrifice technique. Tori’s left hand needs to grip Uke’s left sleeve and Tori needs to open body to the left as usual. However Tori’s right hand needs to grab under Uke’s left shoulder. This grip will put weight on Uke’s left leg that Tori will reap. The reaping can also be done differently, where Tori’s knee pit can be in contact with Uke’s lower leg as the tackle should be low. This means engulfment of Uke’s leg to avoid an escape by moving leg to the side. While reaping, Tori can fall on/with Uke to use all his body weight to direct a fall backwards and leftwards.
Before initiating this variation movement, it can be advantageous to pull Uke forward which could place him in backward momentum while letting him advance the leg we want to reap.

Hiza Guruma

In the regular version you first need to move closer and to one of Uke’s sides to then perform the tackle on the leg at opposing side.
Don’t forget to move hands like a turning wheel once Uke is against your fulcrum and push your fulcrum into the opponent.
Place your fulcrum at or right under opponent’s knee. Avoid placing it too low, else, opponent can escape simply by lifting his leg.
video

This technique works quite well for me during combats for some reason. However, during combats, the first part where you move to one of his sides is often skipped and tackle is performed directly. Also, during combat I often used my tibia as fulcrum instead of feet. This allows for better grip and force output, however, it increases injury risk at that site if the movement is used repeatedly. After trying to use inside of feet as fulcrum instead I was pleasantly surprised as it also worked very well and maybe even better by providing longer range. I still ended with some pain at inside of feet instead of tibia. Thus I should try to avoid hitting while performing this movement. Indeed then I can perform the movement without pain.

Usually during ‘Hiza Guruma’ you block side of knee, however, a variation exists where you block front of knee. To block front of Uke’s knee you better be placed slightly to the side of Uke.

Sasae Tsuri Komi Ashi

Here the front ankle will be used as tripping point, instead of the knee as in Hiza Guruma. Tori needs to pull Uke towards himself and up while twisting. Also don’t forget to not only block Uke’s ankle but push into it.
This movement is often used when the opponent tries to close the distance by pulling you into him.
video

Ne Waza

Kata Gatame

Your right leg should be on knee against his Obi to block his body from turning inwards. It is not shown in video but I think you should also turn that right leg so that it is perpendicular to Uke, this will avoid opponent from grabbing that leg with his own legs.
Your arms should be palms together under Uke’s neck.
video

Anchor the foot of leg who lies on knee. Foot anchoring should be used in general when possible/applicable and consists of having toes standing on the ground instead of just having back of feet loosely lying on the ground.

This technique can be used when ‘Hon Kesa Gatame’ fails due to inability to grab Uke’s arm. Then you can place his arm above his head instead and crush it with your shoulder while lowering your head to the ground.

Kuzure Kami Shiho Gatame

A variation of kami-shiho-gatame in which you position one of your hands over your opponent’s arm, instead of beneath it, and grip the back of his collar. Then move with body slightly to that side.
video

This technique can be used when the regular kami-shiho-gatame fails as opponent escapes one arm.

Green belt

Vocabulary

Nage Waza

Uchi Mata

Make sure Uke’s feet are opened. Unbalance him forward and/or on the leg that will be swept. Turn around while keeping own feet close together and if you wish move arm that grabs Eri around his shoulders. Sweep Uke’s inner thigh and throw him over the hip at the side of the sweeping leg.
video

Tomoe Nage

‘Tomoe Nage’ is a sacrifice technique. If opponent is bended forward and/or in a forward momentum, Tomoe Nage seems ideal. It consists of unbalancing Uke forward and down by dropping own body with back to the ground while holding Uke, then lift right foot to place it on Uke’s lower abdomen, push him up and throw him forward over head. When dropping to the ground make sure to be close, your butt should be under Uke’s butt.
video

‘Sacrifice Hiza Guruma’ is a new technique that looks similar to ‘Tomoe Nage’. Instead of placing right/left foot on Uke’s lower abdomen, place it right above knee to reap Uke’s right/left leg. Then use arms to turn him on his back to the side of reaped leg instead of throwing him above shoulders. Reaping left leg may be easier when conventionally gripping opponent because your right hand will be able to push his body to the side. Left hand would maybe ideally grip side of shoulder instead of sleeve to aid with turning opponent on his back. Also, I think, from personal experience, the leg you don’t use to reap, could be used to help lift and turn the opponent by letting him fall on your raised tibia.
video

Both techniques are useful when opponent has forward momentum, but I guess ‘sacrifice Hiza Guruma’ is especially useful when opponent is turned, showing one leg and hiding the other, as the shown leg could be reaped and his body already being side-ways will be easier to turn.
From personal experience I find the ‘Tomoe Nage’ more difficult to perform. Also, in theory, if Uke has legs significantly longer than Tori, then Tori may not be able to place his leg on Uke’s lower abdomen. On the other hand, ‘sacrifice Hiza Guruma’ doesn’t have a leg length discrepancy problem.

Ne Waza

Blue belt

Vocabulary

Nage Waza

Tani Otoshi

Put own leg behind Uke’s legs and move Uke backwards for own leg to tackle him.
With ‘Tani Otoshi’ it is additionally recommended to put more weight by falling with opponent, making it a sacrifice technique. This is done by stretching tackling leg, sliding it over the ground until butt falls on the ground. The tackling leg should be low.
Uke is generally held at Eri and back of shoulder. However, you can hold what feels easiest, as long as you don’t hold below Obi which leads to penalty.
video

Instead of falling straight with butt on ground, you can fall backwards with Uke while holding him around the chest area to exert even more force. Use your arms to turn Uke into your tackling leg. However, by mistake, you could fall on your back while opponent on his side, thus while falling you need to turn for you to end on your side and opponent on his back.

Kata Guruma

The regular version of ‘Kata Guruma’ grabs Uke’s legs to place him on Tori’s shoulders while standing straight. Thus it is an illegal technique in competition.
Below I will describe a legal variant where no legs are grabbed.

Grab back of or under Uke’s shoulder with one hand. Then go with head underneath that shoulder while bending Uke down if not already bent. Be on knee with one leg and feet on the other. Use other hand to grab under initial hand grab. Move feet from the ground to the side to initiate a fall and let Uke fall over Tori. We may call this variation ‘side Kata Guruma’. Maybe, as a personal idea, the feet we move could push against Uke’s leg.
video

Soto Makkikomi

Use Uke’s weight to entrain him into the fall by grabbing with one hand his sleeve, turning body while raising other arm out to roll it on the ground during fall for Uke to end on his back and Tori on top.
video

I guess this technique is useful when Uke is in a forward momentum.

Yoko Guruma

This movement is performed from the side, often as a counter to a back throw. Place your leg who is positioned in front of Uke between his legs while holding his Eri with one hand and back if not Obi with the other hand. Then fall backwards and roll Uke over you for him to end with back on the ground.
video

I personally think the one leg of opponent between yours, you could tackle to destabilize opponent into the fall.

Ushiro Goshi

This movement is performed from the back, often as a counter to a back throw. First you can bend down to resist the attack and help with subsequent lifting. When behind Uke grab with both arms around his waist or one of two hands at his Eri. Grabbing at Eri improves control when moving opponent but reduces lifting strength. After, lift Uke on your forward pelvic, to then turn him and let him fall to the ground.
While performing the movement, Uke could counter by tackling the back of your leg, to avoid this from being fatal have some vertical distance between legs. Another way of avoiding this is to not try lifting for too long if it is not working, instead switch to another technique.
video

General rules when lifting are that Tori is not allowed for competition rules to grab under belt, and when grabbing belt Tori is not allowed to grab with two hands simultaneously, this means one hand after the other needs to grab around belt.

Utsuri Goshi

This movement is performed from the side, often as a counter to a hip throw. It is similar to ‘Ushiro Goshi’, besides that instead of lifting from the back we lift more from the side and after the lift we usually throw the opponent over our hip as in ‘O Goshi’ instead of directly to the ground. It is here preferred to grip with one hand at Eri instead of both hands around waist to move opponent over our hip.
To help lift opponent up, knee of one of two legs can be raised against Uke’s body.
video

Ura Nage

‘Ura Nage’ is a sacrifice lift that is usually performed from the front but can technically also be performed from the side or back. Thus contrary to other lifts, here we fall with opponent.
When wanting to come close it may be best to grab Uke’s left sleeve with left hand, push it down and across his body while you go to his side, then switch by holding with left hand his back of Obi and right arm his sleeve, finally also bring right arm to grab around his waist palms together. Legs should be positioned so that one of Uke’s legs is between yours which means you are slightly to his side. Before lifting, knees should be bent. Then you can finally lift Uke, turn and fall with Uke falling on his back. Tori’s head can be against Uke’s shoulder which will help when turning opponent.
Alternatively, after the lift, you can throw Uke over shoulder, as in the picture, by bending knees and body back. However, this is way more difficult and makes you end on your back too. Often a combination of both turning and throwing is used in the end, where Tori tries to throw above shoulder but still ends up turning at some point.
video

This technique can be countered by a tackle which will make Tori fall on his back. To avoid this, don’t engage, instead step backwards and bend forwards when feeling a tackling leg behind yours.
This technique, when performed from the back, can be countered by an ‘Uchi Mata’, to prevent this, bend knees before lifting.

While performing this technique you can also use your leg to lift even and turn the opponent like in this clip.

Ne Waza

Brown belt

Vocabulary

Nage Waza

Ne Waza

Black belt

Vocabulary

Nage Waza

Ne Waza

Other movements and combinations

Sometimes we learn random movements that are not part of the belt movements. Those, usually, have no name. They don’t have a name because they were not part of the listed movements when judo was initially created. Knowing this list never gets updated.

Most of those movements when on the ground, can be categorized/named as entries (‘entrées’ in French), and if the ground movement starts with opponent on all fours or on belly, then we can also call those a reversement (‘retournement’ in French or ‘gaeshi’ in Japanese). Those movements with no name start in a certain position to move the opponent into a named ground technique.
When passing a belt we sometimes need to demonstrate such an entry movement that ends in a specific ground technique associated with the belt. The entry movement you can choose yourself based on your affinities.

I think, most of those movements when standing, are counter techniques (‘kaeshi’ in japanese), or combination techniques (‘renraku’ in Japanese).
Counter techniques are used to counter an opponent’s attack by evading his technique and moving into a position to perform a named technique.
A combination technique combines multiple named techniques together. Whereby the first one is used to destabilize opponent into a position where momentum allows the second one to succeed.

Nage Waza

Before starting to practice judo it is important to learn to fall properly to prevent injuries. We call this breaking your fall (‘Ukemi’ in Japanese). Here is a good Ukemi guide.

Kaeshi

If someone turns back on you to try a throw, you may be able to resist it by bending knees, then you can perform ‘Ushiro Goshi’ or ‘Ura Nage’ from the back.
If someone turns back on you to try a throw, you may be able to resist it by moving to the side, then you can perform ‘Tani Otoshi’ or one of its variations. ‘Utsuri Goshi’ or side ‘Ura Nage’ can be performed too. Lastly, ‘Yoko Guruma’ may be even better as it utilizes the forward momentum of thrower. Those can also be done when adversary is positioned very side-ways to you.

When your foot is not on ground and someone tries to perform a ‘De Ashi Barai’, you can curl your leg to dodge his attacking leg, then you can straighten your leg again and perform ‘De Ashi Barai’ with your leg on the leg he attacked you with.

If someone attacks you with a reaping movement, they will be in a forward momentum that you can use to perform a shoulder/back throw after dodging their attack by moving backwards. Similarly, after moving backwards, you can sometimes perform a ‘De Ashi Barai’ on their attacking leg.

If someone tries a ‘knee drop Seoi Nage’, you may be able to resist it by moving to the side, then you can come in front of opponent and perform ‘Tai Otoshi’, ‘Uchi Mata’, ‘De Ashi Barai’, or a strangulation from the back.

When someone jumps towards you with arm up to grab your Eri, you can use this forward momentum and raised arm to perform an ‘Ippon Seoi Nage’.

If opponent counters your ‘Ura Nage’ with sweeps, try to dodge the sweep and attack back with ‘De Ashi Barrai’ on that sweeping leg or simply perform ‘De Ashi Barai’ on leg he raises to place and tackle you with.

Renraku

Besides learning by heart different combination techniques, you can just learn what technique to perform when. Start with one technique and if opponent hasn’t fallen but is destabilized, follow-up with the right technique that uses the momentum from the destabilization, if still not on ground but destabilized, again follow-up with appropriate technique relative to his destabilization momentum, and so forth. When following-up movements it is important to be very fast as the opponent won’t be destabilized for long.

If you turn your back on someone for a back throw and it fails, the person may still be behind you a little to your side, then you are well placed to perform a ‘Tai Otoshi’. Else, if they resisted by leaning backwards you can use that momentum to perform a reaping movement knowing you should be at proximity for that. That reaping movement can be one from the inside, where your back pushes against Uke’s body to fall backwards with him. Lastly, if he dodged the attack by moving to the side you can perform ‘O Soto Gari’, and if that fails you can perform back throw again, and so forth.

When performing ‘Hiza Guruma’ on knee side, Uke may not fall but will be destabilized.
If he is destabilized by leaning backwards you can follow up with a reaping movement. Else, if he is destabilized forwards you can follow up with a back throw.
Maybe, if he is destabilized by leaning side-ways, you could perform ‘Hiza Guruma’ again but with other leg on his other side, or ‘Tai Otoshi’ to that side. However, while resisting, opponent often takes a horizontally wide leg stance which makes him stable when trying to move him to his sides.
Often opponent will end destabilized in a forward bended position with a wide leg stance horizontally but aligned legs vertically. If performing on right leg, opponent will also often end slightly to the right. In such a situation it may be ideal to follow up with ‘sacrifice Hiza Guruma’ or ‘Kata Guruma’. If not bended forward ‘drop Seoi Nage’, or ‘Ko Uchi Gari’ sacrifice variant may be useful.

If you tackle opponent from the back while being side-ways to him, such as with ‘Tani Otoshi’, he will resist via forward leaning momentum. By switching to tackling from the front, such as with ‘Tai Otoshi’ or ‘Yoko Guruma’, you will down opponent using his forward momentum.
Inversely, if opponent resists ‘Yoko Guruma’, you can go in opposite momentum with ‘Tani Otoshi’ or ‘O Soto Guruma’.

If trying to perform back or side ‘Ura Nage’ and opponent leans forward to prevent you from lifting him, use that forward momentum to perform ‘Yoko Guruma’ or just let opponent fall while turning him on his back.

‘Ko Uchi Gari’ can be followed by ‘drop Seoi Nage’ as it will open opponent’s legs while positioning you closer to the position you need to spiral into. This position being, between opponent’s legs with back turned against opponent.
However, if ‘drop Seoi Nage’ is avoided, regular ‘Seoi Nage’ can be used, and if that fails because opponent goes to your side, follow with ‘O Soto Gari’, and if ‘O Soto Gari’ fails follow with ‘Seoi Nage’ again, and so forth.

You can start with ‘O Soto Gari’ and combine/follow with ‘Hiza Guruma’ variation where you block front of knee instead of side of knee. ‘O Soto Gari’ will force Uke in a forward momentum, switching to the front variation of ‘Hiza Guruma’ is easy when starting from this ‘Gari’ movement and uses the forward momentum to down opponent.
The regular ‘Hiza Guruma’ where you first come closer to subsequently block front of knee, could be followed by side ‘Ura Nage’. Technically, ‘Hiza Guruma’ can be preceded by ‘O Soto Gari’, and side ‘Ura Nage’ can be followed by ‘Yoko Guruma’ as a combination, or ‘De Ashi Barai’ as a counter.

‘O Uchi Gari’ can be followed by ‘Ko Uchi Gari’ which can be followed by ‘Seoi Nage’ which can be followed by ‘O Soto Gari’ if opponent dodges the attack by moving to the side. ‘O Soto Gari’ can be followed by ‘Seoi Nage’ again, and so forth.
Alternatively, ‘O Uchi Gari’ can be followed by ‘De Ashi Barai’ on leg remaining on ground.

After ‘O Uchi Gari’ or ‘Ko Uchi Gari’, the forward momentum of Uke, being close to Uke and Uke lifting his feet can all be used to follow up with ‘Ura Nage’ from the front.

Other

When moving with Uke to the side, you can perform ‘Tai Otoshi’ on that side to use the momentum that comes with moving to the side. Thus instead of blocking front of Uke’s leg you would block the side of Uke’s leg.
Similarly, when moving laterally with opponent you can try to sweep both his legs simultaneously. Use own leg to sweep in direction you are moving into for momentum at the right time. This can be called a ‘sliding foot sweep’.
Alternatively, you can block own knee against Uke’s thigh, push that knee into the direction you are moving towards, and wheel him over the knee with arms. Ideally you would grab back of shoulder instead of sleeve to perform the wheeling. This can be called a ‘sliding thigh sweep’.
Lastly, while moving laterally, you can go with neck under Uke’s arm in direction you are moving into, then lift him by standing straight with his arm around your neck and while holding both his arms tight, once in the air you can easily sweep both his legs into the direction you are moving into.

‘Obi Tori Gaeshi’ is an informal variation of the sacrifice technique ‘Hikikomi Gaeshi’. It is useful when Uke is bended forward.
If not already bent, pull Uke down by grabbing high in his Eri with right arm for him to end bent forward. Then you can grab the back of his Obi while being in front of him with left arm. Then use right arm to grab Uke’s sleeve at opposing side and cross it over his body. Now you can bend backwards, while lifting left leg into Uke’s thigh to help tackle and lift him, while pulling arms, and while turning to the left with him for him to fall on his back and Tori on belly.
video

Ne Waza

Entries

If you are sitting on butt and Uke is on knees in front of you, grab him with left hand right under his left shoulder, while that arm is above his and blocks his arm between your arm and side of body. Your right arm can hold the back of his Eri. Push with your left leg on his left knee and down him to the side of the pushed knee by wheeling arms and pushing right leg against inside of his right knee. Perform ‘Hon Kesa Gatame’ in the end.

When opponent is on all fours, go in front of him to his right with left knee and right foot on ground, hold with left hand his Obi and right hand his Eri. Pull him and use right arm to go under his right arm and join your left arm on Obi. Now adversary should have one arm raised and stuck under yours. Then you can turn with your left knee raising from the ground but right knee going on the ground, while you pull to destabilize Uke. Ideally, his only standing arm should go forward after destabilization, then you can use your left arm to reap this arm towards you, moving him to his side, where you end in a ‘Kuzure Kesa Gatame’. Or instead of reaping towards you, you can push it forward to move him on his back and end in ‘Kuzure Kesa Gatame’. The problem with reaping towards oneself is that opponent could resist if he places his feet well.

If adversary is on all fours, not closed in, and you are to his side, go with arms underneath his body to grab with one hand his arm at the opposing side and other hand to grab his leg at opposing side. By pulling first his arm and next his leg, you should move him to the side on his back, where you can perform a ‘Yoko Shiho Gatame’ to hold him.

When adversary is on belly, you can simply grab him on the right or left side of his body with one arm at his shoulder and the other at his upper leg. Then turn him around for him to end on his back and perform ‘Yoko Shiho Gatame’.

If adversary is on all fours and you are to his side on knees, block opponent’s leg that lies on your side with your knee, hold with one arm his belt and the other the back of his Eri to move him forward which should destabilize him. Then grab/surround with your arms, palms together, Uke. Start with right arm under his body and arm on your side, and go up to above his shoulder on the other side where left hand joins by passing above Uke’s upper back. Then be with right feet and left knee on ground, raise and turn him backwards. While turning, switch right knee and left feet on ground. Down the opponent and perform ‘Kata Gatame’.

If you are sitting on butt and opponent is on knees, go with your legs in between his and your feet in his knee pits, take his left arm and cross it by putting it on your right shoulder. Then come closer to him and claps your palms together behind his upper back to hold him. Go on your back while lifting his body with your legs and throw him with legs to the left and backwards as if throwing him above your shoulders. When he is on his back perform a ‘Kata Gatame’.

If opponent is on his belly you go with your pelvic above his head on knees, lift him using your arms via his belt to then put right arm under his belly and grab other side of his judogi. Your left arm can hold his left shoulder. Then your body can slide against opponent’s right side while keeping your legs far apart, this will turn opponent on his back, at that point you can go on top and perform ‘Tate Shiho Gatame’.

If Uke is on belly and you to his side, you can anchor his arm on your side with your arm and close that anchor by grabbing own Eri. With your other arm grab his upper pants on your side. Put own head on ground in front of and against his side. Then perform an explosive roll over opponent which will roll him on his back too. When falling on your back, at opposing side of Uke, keep holding him tightly and squeeze to prevent an escape from the hold down.

Shime/Jime Waza and Kansetsu Waza

Cross arms and hold Uke deep in his Eri. Closing elbows together should result in strangulation. This is useful when being on ground stuck on top of adversary while he is on his back holding you between his legs.

If opponent is sitting on ground and you are behind him, you can use your left hand to stretch the front of his left Eri and right hand to subsequently grab high in that left Eri. Then, cross arms by holding with left hand right Eri. Now, by pulling hands you can strangle opponent. While performing the strangulation fall with your back on the ground and Uke on top of you, place legs on top of him to block him from escaping. Maintain strangulation until Uke submits.

If opponent is sitting on ground and you are behind him, you can choke him with the forearm of your right arm while holding palms of both hands together. While choking Uke, fall on your back with Uke on top, place legs on top of him to block him from escaping the chokehold. Use force to choke and wait for submission.
Uke can prevent you from choking him by hiding his neck by lowering his chin down. Then strangulation may be used instead.

‘Omote Sankaku Jime’, or front triangle choke, starts in lying position on ground with Uke between legs. First, Tori needs to push Uke’s right/left arm backwards so he can entangle Uke’s neck with right/left leg. Use other leg to close down grip of entangling leg by pushing knee pit of that leg into tibia of other leg. To facilitate this grip you can turn into closing leg, use hand to bring entangling leg closer, lock closing leg by moving feet up of entangling leg. By squeezing this leg grip around neck, strangulation can occur. If it is not sufficient, Tori can pull Uke’s arm under his neck for a choke when squeezing and also can pull Uke’s head down with own hands to choke further. Or, else, that arm can be used to perform a joint lock which would be called ‘Omote Sankaku Gatame’.
video

‘Yoko Sankaku Jime’, or side triangle choke, starts when Uke is on all fours and Tori in front of him. Tori needs to put his right leg standing on feet behind shoulder of Uke and left leg on knee next to neck of Uke. To place legs you can first destabilize Uke by pulling on his Obi and back of shoulder. You want to use right leg to go under Uke’s body to touch with heel left knee. Then, Tori can roll to the right side while pulling with left arm Uke’s left shoulder and while tightening the neck hold by placing left tibia in knee pit of right leg. After rolling, when on side, Tori can grab with left hand Uke’s arm that lies between Tori’s legs, pulling that arm will amplify the choke. Tori’s right hand can go under other arm of Uke and block this arm by grabbing Judogi over Uke’s forearm. Squeezing legs leads to strangulation/choke. Else, arm of Uke that isn’t between Tori’s legs, can be used for a joint lock which would be called ‘Yoko Sankaku Gatame’.
video

‘Ura Sankaku Jime’, or back triangle choke, starts when Uke is on all fours and Tori behind him. Tori can go above Uke and place his left leg next to Uke’s left neck side, this leg can then be moved under Uke’s body using hand at opposing side to pull it in. Once Uke is entangled by Tori’s leg and arm as described, Tori can roll on his left side which will open Uke’s body to switch from grabbing entangling leg with arm to blocking it in knee pit of other leg. Then, Tori can squeeze legs to choke Uke. Alternatively, the arm between legs can be used for a joint lock which would be called ‘Ura Sankaku Gatame’.
video

If Uke is on his back or on his side and you are perpendicular to his body with legs directed to him, then, you can place his nearest arm in between your two legs while entangling his neck and upper chest with your legs. Uke’s arm between your legs, take it with your two hands and pull it down with Uke’s hand positioned so that his thumb is up. In the end your legs will hold his body so he can’t escape and your arms will perform the joint lock until he submits.
This joint lock can also be used when Uke lies on his back and tries to escape by turning on his belly, then, you can grab his arm with your arm to avoid him from turning to then perform the just described joint lock.
Also, if you are lying on the ground with Uke between your legs, you can grab Uke’s left arm to move it to the right and simultaneously push your right leg against Uke’s arm pit to help turn your body to the right to help put your left leg between Uke’s right shoulder and neck. Now you can push Uke to the ground with your legs while still holding his left arm, then you will end in the joint lock described above.

Escapes

Ebi (‘shrimping’ in English and ‘crevette’ in French), is a ground movement used to escape out of incoming hold-downs. Different forms of it exist, see here.

When immobilized by an opponent, you can try different techniques to save yourself.
First, you can try to grab his legs with own legs which makes his immobilization not count.
Else, you can try to explosively get out of the hold-down by moving upper body with a lot of sudden force up and to the side after also moving legs explosively in a windshield wiper motion to create momentum. When trying to escape explosively like that you can sometimes also grab opponent with one hand to reverse him as you escape.
Another technique starts by anchoring your leg in your arm grabbing Uke’s back of Eri. Then, push explosively with anchored leg and arm to try to move up.
Lastly, you can try to lift body up via an explosive hip trust while pushing opponent away.
In general, when trying to escape, you are better off with your body moved perpendicularly to his body, and also with his body lower up on you. To achieve such entanglement you can move your own body sideways while pushing the opponent’s body lower on you.

If opponent is coming on top of you, you can place your legs to separate you from him before pushing him away with those legs. Also, if possible, you can hold opponent’s body in between your legs.

You can also escape by getting into a turtle position, meaning on all fours closed in, or by turning on belly. When in a turtle position it is important to really be closed in, this will prevent opponent from entering to perform a technique and potentially hurt your face.

Other

When you are on your knees in front of an opponent who is lying on his back and blocking you with his legs or trying to grab you with his legs, you can take his legs and lift them up to then throw them to the side and perform a ‘Yoko Shiho Gatame’.

If the opponent is lying on his back and turning to end on his belly while you are to his side, then, use your arm as an anchor on his arm to block him from turning, subsequently, while still anchoring him, turn around him to the side he is trying to turn into and put your weight on his body for him to fall flat on his back again to perform ‘Yoko Shiho Gatame’. When performing ‘Yoko Shiho Gatame’, avoid leaving too much space between your body and the opponent’s, otherwise, the opponent could use his legs to block your body.

If the opponent is on his knees in front of you, you can straighten your leg next to his and use it as a fulcrum to then move the opponent over this fulcrum via a wheeling motion using your arms. This is a personal technique, however, it is similar to a known technique which is a variation of ‘Hiza Guruma’ but on knees where you place your foot on side of opponent’s knee as fulcrum.

If the opponent is on all fours and you are to his side, you can use your right hand to open his Eri at the opposing side of where you are, subsequently, use your left hand to go under him, behind his arm, and grab high in his opened Eri, then, move your right leg above his head and place its foot on the other side next to his head. After, use your left leg to push him on his back while engulfing his head with your right leg. End with your left knee on the ground right next to Uke’s body on the other side than the initial side, and with your right leg curled around his head. Your right hand should grip the ground in front of you to avoid needing your head to go on the ground. Your left arm should still hold Uke’s Eri which you can now pull on to block the opponent. Your right leg is also blocking the opponent by holding Uke’s head while your left leg is blocking Uke from moving inward.

If the adversary is on all fours and you are in front of him, you can go with your chest on top of his upper back, your right arm under him in between his head and right shoulder while your left arm can go under him between his left shoulder and leg to grab your right arm. Then you can destabilize Uke by pulling him towards you. Straighten your leg next to his body to use it as a fulcrum against his leg, and finally, turn around until Uke ends on his back, maintain the arm grip in the meantime for him not to escape, move on your knees with them next to his body, keep your head to the ground, and hold him down. If he moves, keep your knees next to his body.

If the adversary is on all fours closed in, you can stand straight and go above him, pull his Obi up to then squeeze your legs in front of his and against his back with your heels touching each other. Subsequently, hold his Eri with your arms underneath his and lift him, lift higher up the opposing side of his body relative to the side you will turn into. Finally, turn to the side with him until you are on your back, then you should move behind him by throwing him to the side with your leg, while still holding him, to in the end perform a hold-down where you lie on your belly behind him with your arms under his, opening and holding his Eri, while having a wide leg stance and feet anchored to the ground.
If the adversary is lying on his belly you can perform the same movement that starts with pulling his Obi up.
When turning to the side until on your back, Uke will lie on top of you, at that point you can perform a chokehold with your right forearm, keeping palms together, as an alternative to the previously explained movement where you continue by pushing him to the side with legs.

If the adversary is on all fours closed in and you are in front of him, you can lie with your belly on his back and grab his belt with your arms, then, straighten your leg above his head and kneel with your other leg. Subsequently, you can push him backward, once he resists with forward momentum you can use that to pull him into your straight leg for him to do a somersault over it and end on his back. Once on his back, you should directly block him from standing by entangling his body with your legs. If entangling around his arm you can follow with an armlock. Otherwise, after entangling you can go on top of him to perform a hold down such as ‘Kami Shiho Gatame’ or ‘Tate Shiho Gatame’.

Competitions

Scoring

Judo has four grades of score: ippon, waza-ari, yuko, and koka.

An ippon literally means “one point” and wins the match. An ippon is awarded for:

• A throw that lands the opponent largely on their back in a controlled manner with speed and force.
• A mat hold of 25 seconds whereby opponent lies on his back without his legs wrapping attacker.
• A submission.

A waza-ari is a half-point, and, if two are scored, they constitute the full point needed for a win. A waza-ari is awarded for:

• A throw that does not quite have enough power or control to be considered ippon.
• A hold of 20 seconds.

Yuko and koka only count as tie-breakers, they are not cumulative with one another. A waza-ari beats any number of yuko, but a waza-ari and a yuko beat a waza-ari with no yuko.
A fifteen-second hold down scores yuko and a ten-second hold down scores koka. Throws further lacking the requirements of an ippon or a waza-ari might score a yuko or a koka.

If the scores are identical at the end of the match, the contest is resolved by the Golden Score rule. Golden Score is a sudden death situation where the clock is reset to match-time, and the first contestant to achieve any score wins. If there is no score during this period, then the winner is decided by Hantei, the majority opinion of the referee and the two corner judges.

Penalties (‘Shido’ in japanese) may be given for being inactive during the match, or for using illegal techniques. Being inactive can mean constantly breaking opponents’ grip without attacking back and an illegal technique may use leg grabs. If a participant is outside the designated area of the mat a Shido is given to that participant and fighting must be stopped.

Watch competitions

JUDOtv - See tournament dates, watch live or past competitions.
youtube - International Judo Federation - See live tournaments and highlights of past ones.

Randori/Shiai notes

Technique choice

Which technique is best to use depends on multiple factors, some are predictable and others are opportunistic.

Certain techniques are easier on taller individuals while others on smaller individuals.
Reaping movements where you are supposed to push Uke backward with your shoulder against his shoulder are more difficult on taller individuals as your shoulder won’t attain Uke’s shoulder height. Reaping movements are easier on smaller individuals as your upper body will better be able to push theirs down. However, the sacrifice variant of ‘Ko Uchi Gari’ works well on taller individuals.
Movements where you pull Uke down, such as ‘knee drop Seoi Nage’ will be easier on taller individuals as you will already be pulling in the right direction for them to go down. However, the ‘Ippon Seoi Nage’ version is more difficult I believe on taller individuals as its grip cannot pull down.
‘Ura Nage’ and other lifting techniques can be more difficult on taller individuals as you cannot grab their legs while their waist may be too high.
When watching professional competitions I see a lot of reaping movements being done while grabbing Uke’s back of Obi with one hand. Technically, grabbing taller individuals on that level should be easier. Maybe all techniques that grab around the waist are easier on taller individuals. Inversely, grabbing at shoulder height should be easier on smaller individuals.

Certain techniques are more difficult on heavy individuals such as ‘sacrifice Hiza Guruma’ and shoulder throws. ‘Uki Goshi’ is a hip throw that is easier on heavy individuals. ‘Drop Seoi Nage’ enables more force output and thus can be easier on heavy individuals. In general, you can try to compensate with physical force on heavy individuals, or better, use their weight against them via their momentum.

Certain techniques work best depending on the opponent’s stance.
If the opponent has his feet horizontally close together, he will be less stable when pushed to one of its sides such as with ‘Hiza Guruma’. If the opponent’s feet are horizontally far apart ‘knee drop Seoi Nage’ can be performed because it necessitates being positioned between the feet.
If the opponent has his feet vertically close together, he will be less stable when pushed backward or pulled forward such as with reaping movements, ‘Sasae Tsuri Komi Achi’ or shoulder throws.
If the opponent is bent forward, blocking access to most movements, it may be easier to perform ‘Tomoe Nage’, ‘sacrifice Hiza Guruma’ or ‘side Kata Guruma’, also, ‘Tai Otoshi’ or ‘drop Tai Otoshi’ may still be possible.
If the opponent is positioned sideways, ‘Tai Otoshi’ may be easier, or movements performed from the side such as ‘Tani Otoshi’, side ‘Ura Nage’, or ‘Yoko Guruma’.

A specific technique works best when the opponent’s momentum is aligned with the direction of that technique.
Momentum does not solely consist of the movement into a direction, but fundamentally the force put into a direction, as someone may put force into a direction without moving into that direction as a way to counter a push or pull. For example, if you push someone backward he will maybe put force forward and thus end in a forward momentum, similarly, by pulling someone forward he will maybe resist and end in a backward momentum. Indeed, pushing and pulling can be used to place the opponent in opposing momentum for a subsequent technique that can benefit from that momentum. Also, the opponent may place himself in a momentum by for example leaning backward trying to pull you or forward trying to push you.
If the opponent’s momentum is sideways, ‘Hiza Guruma’ can be used.
If the opponent has forward momentum, a hip/back/shoulder throw, ‘Sasae Tsuri Komi Achi’, ‘Soto Makkikomi’, ‘Tai Otoshi’, ‘Tomoe Nage’, ‘Yoko Guruma’, or ‘sacrifice Hiza Guruma’ can be used.
If the opponent has backward momentum, reaping movements or ‘Tani Otoshi’ should work best.

Different throwing techniques have different grips. Choose the throwing technique with the easiest grip relative to the position you and your opponent are in.
For example, if the opponent is turned with the right side of his body further away, ‘Ippon Seoi Nage’ who grips the left side of his body may be easier. ‘Tai Otoshi’ who tackles the left side may also be easier.
Inversely, if the opponent is turned with the left side of his body further away, movements that grip the right side such as ‘O Goshi’ or right ‘Eri Seoi Nage’ may be easier.
If the opponent is taller, ‘Eri Seoi Nage’ or ‘Morote Seoi Nage’ may be easier.

Movement

When moving around always keep your feet close to the ground. Never raise them too high or else you end up in a more vulnerable position. Also, don’t make small steps, but instead sweep your feet over the floor.
Always have your knees slightly bent, don’t keep legs straight, this keeps you more stable on them.
Lastly, keep some horizontal and vertical distance between your legs to be more stable on them.

Move around and the opponent with you until an opportunity arises. When moving the opponent around use your legs and body weight before your arms, keep your arms mainly loose, only put force in your arms when suddenly attacking.
You can try to move behind the opponent which will force him to turn with you, which could open an opportunity, especially if alternating by moving back into the other direction. Alternating between moving opponent forward and backward can also help create openings. However, never move opponent backward for too long else he can easily use your forward momentum to down you.
By constantly locking your arms and using strength you can prevent the opponent from attacking you, but you cannot attack either, and you let the opponent feel where you are moving which allows him to know where your momentum lies and thus what movement to down you with. Thus, in general, you should not lock arms, but occasionally it can be used as a defensive technique to not let the opponent come close by. Locking arms, bending, and pulling down, is a defensive stance when in danger.
Thus, in general, when wanting to come close to the opponent or create other opportunities it is important to move around a lot, without it being predictable via locked arms, and move the opponent too.

It may be beneficial to grab the opponent high in his Eri and pull him down. This will bend him and block him from attacking. Especially, if the opponent is taller this could help by eliminating the height advantage. Then, once bent, an appropriate technique can be used such as ‘sacrifice Hiza Guruma’ or ‘side Kata Guruma’.

Grip

It is important during combat to grip the opponent well while avoiding him gripping you well. A good grip allows performing techniques on the opponent. You want to have the dominating grip. If he grips you with his arm above yours his grip is dominating.
Different techniques exist to dodge the opponent’s grip while you grip him back. Dodging without attacking back leads to penalties.
If the opponent has the dominating grip you may want to dodge it by moving away, usually backward, while gripping his upper arm with two hands and pushing it away. Move away using your legs, don’t move away by bending backwards which puts you in vulnerable position. By first moving away, your arms will be closer to being straight which puts you in a position where more force can be used to push. Once you pushed his arm away, keep holding with one arm that arm and maybe grab him elsewhere with the other hand to attack back.

Taller opponents can more easily take the back of your Eri, if not the back of your Obi, and pull you down into them. This is a dangerous position to be in and thus should be avoided/escaped.
One way to escape after the opponent pulls you in is to grip his judogi under his armpit and push yourself away.
Another technique when an opponent grabs high in your Eri is to pull his arm down while pushing his upper body away, then explosively raise his arm back up over your head, to the side, and down. Then place your left leg between his legs and now you are in a dominating position instead.

To down someone you may have better leverage with a grip that is not the usual grip. The usual grip being, one hand taking opponent’s sleeve and other hand taking opponent’s Eri.
Grabbing high up in Eri may help push someone to the side or back more easily, in general, moving the opponent around becomes easier. In this video for example we can see that grabbing higher in Eri helped push the opponent to the side and backward. Indeed from personal experience, grabbing high in Eri may help perform ‘Hiza Guruma’ or pull the opponent down.
Grabbing back of shoulder instead of sleeve may also help perform wheeling motions.
Grabbing back of Obi can help pull the opponent in to create forward momentum.

Don’t be afraid of grabbing the opponent in the last moment before wanting to perform a technique, instead of grabbing them from the start until you find an opening for a technique. This last-moment grab could allow more movement beforehand to create openings and surprise the opponent when performing the subsequent technique.

Gripping the opponent’s sleeve has more value than gripping his Eri. This is because a sleeve grip allows control of the opponent’s arm. Once you grab the opponent’s sleeve, you can for example push his arm against his body to block it.
Don’t try to grab the opponent’s Obi from the start, first go for a normal grip, or at least sleeve control to come closer, and only when close grab Obi if appropriate.

During competition, after you throw an opponent to the ground, the combat may very well continue. This is why you should at least with one hand keep holding the opponent after you throw him to the ground. By maintaining control you can subsequently follow up with a ‘Ne Waza’ technique to finish the opponent on the ground.
Another reason to keep holding the opponent while throwing him to the ground is to maintain control over him to prevent him from falling on his belly and instead force his fall on his back.

If the opponent holds both of your sleeves preventing you from grabbing with one hand his Eri, you can pull your hand explosively back and then explosively forward again to grab his Eri.

Other

To exert more force during a dangerous attack on the opponent you can almost fall with the opponent by leaning into their fall. However, don’t attack like that if the opponent is not destabilized, else the attack won’t work and you will put yourself in a vulnerable position.

When performing ground techniques with a lot of movement, don’t forget to constantly hold the opponent tight, else, if you stop holding tight for a moment he could escape.

Destabilizing the opponent can be done by moving around and moving him with it, or by performing an attack that fails.
Another explicit way to destabilize right before an attack is to explosively move the opponent using your arms. For example, before performing ‘O Soto Gari’, explosively move the opponent closer to you and on the leg that will be reaped. Another example is to explosively move the opponent to the side when performing ‘Hiza Guruma’.

Personal

Affinities

By being lightweight and strong I may prefer movements where total weight is less important while force can be useful. Movements where the opponent is moved to the side such as ‘Hiza Guruma’ or ‘De Ashi Barai’, also, movements where opponent is lifted up such as ‘Ura Nage’, are examples.

‘Hiza Guruma’, ‘sacrifice Hiza Guruma’, ‘Ura Nage’, a ‘Tani Otoshi’ variant, and ‘Yoko Guruma’ are movements I particularly like.

Other movements that I may be interested in are ‘Morote Seoi Nage’, right ‘Eri Seoi Nage’, ‘knee drop Morote Seoi Nage’, a sacrifice variant of ‘Ko Uchi Gari’, ‘side Kata Guruma’, ‘De Ashi Barai’, a variant of ‘O Soto Gari’.

Objectives

In general, orange belt is obtained after 6 months, while green belt after 1 year.

Before starting to specifically train movements for my orange belt I should practice general judo. I should learn to be more supple. Move Uke around using legs before hands. Be less rigid in arms and bend knees.

I think I should also train my affinities further. I also think I am soon ready to prepare for my orange belt.