Learn tai-otoshi, the judo body drop: blocking leg, rotation and head position. Honest and safe, with breakfalls, rules and a partner under supervision.
The honest answer: tai-otoshi is a hand throw without hip contact in which you tip Uke over your extended blocking leg while pulling him in an arc forward. The German Judo Federation lists tai-otoshi in the basic programme among the te-waza, the hand throws, and names it as an example for the first throws already at 7th kyu [1]. For beginners it is nevertheless tricky because it looks so clean while relying on timing, arm guidance and body rotation. It is therefore rated intermediate: the principle can be taught early, clean execution takes time.
Expect several weeks until the blocking leg sits correctly, and much longer until the throw works in randori. That is a practical rule of thumb, not a study. More important than speed is head position: tai-otoshi is among the throws for which the rules explicitly warn against plunging head-first forward [2].
One hand on the sleeve, the other on the lapel. Upright, knees slightly bent, eyes forward. Milestone: you lead Uke forward and sideways without tipping forward yourself.
With the pulling hand you draw Uke in an arc forward and sideways until his weight rests on the toes. Milestone: Uke stands on his toes and can only move his foot with effort.
You turn in and extend one leg across Uke's standing leg as a barrier, sole at the ankle, without hip contact. The leg does not lift, it holds. Your centre of mass stays over the standing leg, head up. Milestone: you hold the position for one second without tipping forward.
The pulling hand guides Uke over the blocking leg. The upper body rotates along. The blocking leg is not a lever but a wall. Milestone: in slow execution Uke turns over your leg without you having to lift him.
With your coach's approval you throw for the first time and accompany Uke with the pulling hand to the landing. In competition an ippon requires speed, force, landing on the back and controlled landing [2]. Milestone: Uke lands under control, you remain standing upright.
The rule is unambiguous here: tai-otoshi is explicitly on the list of throws for which plunging head-first forward counts as dangerous and is punished with hansoku-make [2]. The numbers behind it are serious: in Japanese accident reports, 90% of head injuries affected players under 20, and head injuries occurred particularly when the victims were being thrown [3]. In neck injuries, more experienced judoka and their own offensive actions played a larger role [3]. A dummy study on seoi-nage, a similar forward throw, found the highest neck load when forehead or crown hit the mat [4]. That is a transfer: tai-otoshi was not examined there. Therefore: you only throw partners who can do ukemi securely, on tatami and under supervision, and you never save a failed throw by diving with your head. This guide explains and motivates, it does not replace supervised training.
If you notice the throw is not working: do not save it, abort it. An aborted uchi-komi costs nothing, a failed throw with head pressure can cost a lot. Ukemi and throw control together prevent head injuries: according to a review, ukemi is central to preventing head and neck injuries [5]. The wisest tai-otoshi is the one you do not throw when in doubt.
And practise your partner's breakfalls along with him: when you regularly roll forward as uke yourself, you immediately feel what a clean pull feels like and what a jerky one feels like. That body sense makes you calmer as tori.
In seoi-nage your body turns under Uke and loads him onto shoulder or back. In tai-otoshi there is no contact at the hip: you stop him with the blocking leg and pull him over it. The German Judo Federation lists both among the te-waza in the basic programme [1].
Like any forward throw it can become dangerous if the head lands first. The rules explicitly punish diving head-first in tai-otoshi with hansoku-make [2]. With breakfalls, head position and supervision it is controllable.
Yes. Because Uke falls forward over the blocking leg, he must be able to roll out over the shoulder.
That is individual. The principle can be explained early, clean execution needs many controlled repetitions. That is a practical rule of thumb, not a study.
Yes, in IJF competitions for cadets (under 18): a tori who uses the head to throw, or an uke who defends with the head, receives shido [2]. For training and national competitions the rules of your federation apply. Ask your coach.
Tsurikomi-goshi: The Lift-Pull Hip Throw That Starts With the Hand