Learn sasae-tsurikomi-ashi in judo: timing on uke's step, ankle block, pull-lift action and a safe landing. With milestones, common mistakes and safety rules.
The honest answer: sasae-tsurikomi-ashi is a foot throw in which you stop uke's ankle with the sole of your foot while your hands turn him over this block in a pulling and lifting movement toward the front corner. "Sasae" means to support or stop, "tsurikomi" to pull and lift, "ashi" foot. The German Judo Federation (DJB) lists sasae-tsurikomi-ashi among the foot techniques (ashi-waza) of the basic programme and names it for the first time in the programme for 5th kyu (orange belt) [1].
That is an honest hint about the difficulty: the throw needs no strongman, but timing. You hit the moment when uke sets his foot down and shifts his weight over it. Block too early and you hit air, block too late and uke has long moved on.
Under the rules: ippon is only awarded if uke is thrown onto his back with great speed and force and the fall stays controlled [2]. In training too: the throw only ends with the landing. Expect several weeks until timing and block fit together (practical estimate, not a study).
One hand on the lapel, the other on the sleeve. You walk lightly in a circle and lead with your hands. Milestone: you recognise when uke sets his foot down.
The throw is set when uke steps forward and puts his weight on the front foot. At that moment you make the pull-lift movement. Measurements on seoi-nage, harai-goshi and o-soto-gari (so TRANSFER) found a resistance from uke against the pull in the kuzushi phase. A short, sharp snap with the pulling hand can briefly "freeze" uke for the entry [3]. Milestone: you catch the timing in five of ten slow attempts.
Both hands pull in an arc toward the front corner and slightly upward (hence "tsurikomi"). Uke stands on his toes. Milestone: uke can hardly unload his standing leg.
Your block lies at the ankle of uke's front foot, not higher at the joint and never as a kick. The sole lies softly, the block is a support. Milestone: in uchikomi without a throw your foot stays calm.
The pull turns uke over the block. You accompany him with the pulling hand until the landing. Only with your instructor's release do you throw. Milestone: uke lands in control, you stay upright.
In sasae-tsurikomi-ashi uke is turned forward. For orientation, a finding from a dummy study with a shoulder throw (seoi-nage), so not sasae, but likewise a throw forward: when the head touched the mat first, the greatest pressure acted on the neck [5]. An overview of 16 studies on the other hand shows that clean ukemi reduces the load on the head at landing, to values below the injury threshold [4]. Your partner must therefore master breakfall skills reliably.
In practice: nobody falls in uchikomi, then follows the slow throw with the instructor. You block with a soft sole and never as a thrust against the ankle. If uke does not throw in control, you abort. You train the breakfall separately from the throw. This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training.
The throw is a pull that uses a foot as the pivot, not a kick. If you imagine hanging uke on a door whose hinge is his ankle, you see why the pull-lift part matters so much. Practise the hands without the foot: pull and lift ten times until uke stands on his toes. Only then does the foot come in.
How to fit it into your week: practise uchikomi without a throw twice a week for five minutes, ten repetitions per side. Throw only when the instructor is watching. This is practical experience, not a study.
"Sasae" means to support, "tsurikomi" to pull and lift, "ashi" foot. In English it is often called the "propping drawing ankle throw". The DJB lists it in the basic programme of foot techniques, first for 5th kyu [1].
Hiza-guruma blocks at the knee, sasae-tsurikomi-ashi at the ankle, with an emphasised pull-lift action. The two are closely related. The DJB names the mix-up as a grading example that should not count [1].
Yes, the DJB assigns it to the basic programme up to 4th kyu [1]. Prerequisites are secure ukemi and an instructor who watches. Start with uchikomi and move to the throw only in a controlled way.
Expect several weeks for timing and block. This is a practical estimate, not a study. In randori, free fighting, it takes considerably longer.
Usually the kuzushi or the timing is off, not the strength. Go back to uchikomi, check that uke really stands on his toes, and ask your instructor for feedback. Using more strength usually just makes the mistake worse (practical experience, not a study).
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