Learn de-ashi-harai, the judo foot sweep: timing, kuzushi and clear milestones. Honest, safe and beginner-friendly – with breakfalls and a supervised partner.
The honest answer: de-ashi-harai is the throw where you need almost no strength but almost perfect timing. You sweep your partner's front foot away at the exact moment he lands it and shifts his weight onto it. The German Judo Federation counts it among the foot techniques of its basic programme and lists it, next to o-soto-gari and o-uchi-gari, as a suitable choice already for 7th kyu, the yellow belt level [1].
It sounds like a "small" throw, but it is a strict teacher: it shows you that judo is not pulling and pushing, it is reading rhythm. Expect the movement to look "roughly right" after a few sessions and the timing to settle only after many more repetitions. That is a practical rule of thumb, not a study. In randori the foot sweep plays two roles: a throw in its own right and bait that forces your partner to step away, so your next attack has room.
Walk in a circle or back and forth, step by step, hands on sleeve and lapel. Count the rhythm in your head. Milestone: you can tell when your partner's foot is "in the air" and when it is bearing weight.
Stand without a partner and perform the foot movement slowly: sole of the foot sliding inward, leg loose from the hip, standing leg slightly bent. You do not sweep "through", you brush. Milestone: 10 clean repetitions per side without losing balance.
Your partner walks slowly, you start the sweep and stop at his ankle. Your hands pull in the direction his foot is going anyway. Studies with children suggest that uchi-komi with a preceding kuzushi cue helps learners with pulling and pushing actions [4]. That is a transfer from a study on o-soto-gari, which found no differences between practice types. Milestone: in 8 of 10 attempts the sole of your foot meets the ankle without your partner having to hop off balance.
Now you perform the throw with a partner who falls sideways in a controlled way. You pull gently along and accompany the landing. In competition an ippon requires speed, force, landing on the back and controlled landing together [2]. As a beginner you practise exactly that control first. Milestone: your partner lands without a blow to the ankle, without a jerk on the arm and with calm ukemi.
After a few weeks, with your coach's approval, you practise in task randori: your partner walks, you wait for the moment. Not every attempt has to throw; a sweep without a throw often creates the opening for your next attack.
Foot sweeps look harmless, but being thrown is the most common injury mechanism in judo, most often affecting knees, shoulders and fingers [3]. So: only with a partner who can do ukemi, only on tatami, only under supervision. The partner should not hold on but let himself fall. Never sweep into the knee or calf, always at the ankle. This guide explains and motivates, it does not replace supervised training.
Once per session practise only looking: in randori, watch which foot your partner is carrying his weight on before you do anything. If you read the weight, de-ashi-harai almost happens by itself. The foot that is just landing is the invitation.
In de-ashi-harai you sweep your partner's front foot just as it lands. In okuri-ashi-harai you sweep both feet while he steps sideways. The German Judo Federation lists de-ashi-harai in the basic and okuri-ashi-harai in the extension programme, which means later in the learning path [1].
Physically easy, but demanding in timing. You need hardly any strength, but a good feel for the moment the weight shifts. The DJB names it as an example already for 7th kyu [1]. How long it takes to work in randori is individual.
Yes, as a judo foot technique it scores like any throw. But kicking the leg or ankle without applying a technique is penalised with shido [2]. What matters is that you sweep and guide your partner.
You can practise the foot movement alone, but not the throw. You learn the timing only against a moving partner in uchi-komi.
Usually the timing is off or your hands are holding him up. If you sweep while the foot is still in the air, the sole meets nothing; if you sweep too late, the foot is already carrying the weight. Also check whether your hands guide in the direction of travel. This is practical experience, so go through it with your coach.
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