Learn tomoe-nage, the circle throw as a sacrifice throw in judo: kuzushi, foot placement and backward fall. Honest and safe, only with breakfalls and a coach.
The honest answer: tomoe-nage is a sacrifice throw in which you let yourself fall backward and throw Uke over you with one foot. It belongs to the sutemi-waza, the "sacrifice throws". The German Judo Federation does not yet introduce sutemi-waza in the basic programme and makes tomoe-nage a central, mandatory technique at 3rd kyu [1]. It describes this level itself as the entry into new technique worlds with a special emotional effect, with the free fall as the peak of the breakfall techniques [1].
That is exactly the right frame: tomoe-nage is fascinating, but it demands breakfalls at a high level from both partners. Expect months, not weeks, and a coach who guides you step by step. That is a practical rule of thumb, not a study.
A note up front: sacrifice throw does not mean you sacrifice yourself. It means you give up your stance voluntarily to use Uke's momentum. That is exactly what makes the throw risky when the moment is not right. So here, more than with any other throw in this guide set: step by step with your coach, never on your own.
Before you throw Uke, you practise the sequence alone: from a squat sit backward, roll out, chin to chest, hands slapping. Milestone: 10 repetitions in which the back of your head never touches the mat.
With both hands you pull Uke forward and upward until his weight rests on his toes and he takes a step towards you. The throw lives from Uke already being in the fall. Milestone: Uke feels the pull and takes a step without you yanking.
You sit down close in front of Uke's feet and place a foot sole on his lower abdomen, not on the chest or ribs. Your back stays rounded, chin on chest. Milestone: in the sitting position the foot stays on the lower abdomen without Uke stepping away.
You roll backward and extend the leg. Uke flies in an arc over you. Your hands accompany him at the sleeve to the landing. Milestone: in slow execution Uke is carried over you by your leg without you hurling him.
After rolling out you come back onto your feet over the shoulder. Note: if both judoka fall after apparently simultaneous attacks and the referee cannot decide which technique dominated, there is no score [2]. Milestone: you stand up after the roll without using your hands.
Sacrifice throws have a special risk profile because two people fall at the same time. In Japanese accident reports on head injuries, 90% of those affected were under 20 and the injuries occurred mainly while being thrown [3]. Neck injuries were more frequent in experienced judoka and their own offensive actions [3]. A review regards ukemi as central to preventing head and neck injuries; in one study, fatigue worsened breakfall skill [4]. Being thrown is the most common injury mechanism in judo [5]. So: tomoe-nage only after secured breakfalls for both, only on a thick tatami, only under supervision and never when exhausted. As Uke never deliberately go into a bridge: the rules score a voluntary bridge as ippon for tori in order to protect the cervical spine [2]. This guide explains and motivates, it does not replace supervised training.
If your coach allows it, practise the uke role first: let an experienced judoka (the coach!) carry you over his head and feel what a clean throw feels like. Whoever knows what a controlled flight feels like can later give it to others. The best tomoe-nage is the one where your partner felt carried.
At 3rd kyu. The German Judo Federation names tomoe-nage and tani-otoshi as central, mandatory sacrifice throws of this level [1].
Sacrifice throws are, when breakfalls are missing. With secured ukemi, a thick mat and supervision the throw is controllable. In judo, injuries occur mainly when being thrown [5].
Yes, twice: Uke flies over you and you roll backward yourself. Without secure breakfalls for both, nobody gets thrown.
That is individual. Expect months and a coach. That is a practical rule of thumb, not a study.
Both are backward sacrifice throws and belong to the ma-sutemi-waza of the extension programme in the DJB system [1]. In tomoe-nage you set the foot in Uke's lower abdomen and carry him over you. In sumi-gaeshi you hook the back of the knee and tip him over the corner. Learn them one after the other, not at the same time.
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