| Japanese name | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Foot sweep | De ashi barai | Foot technique: sweep the advancing foot |
| Big outer reap | O soto gari | Leg technique: reap the leg from outside |
| Big inner reap | O uchi gari | Leg technique: reap the leg from inside |
| Hip throw | O goshi | Hip technique: lift over the hip |
| Shoulder throw | Ippon seoi nage | Hand technique: over the shoulder |
| Scarf hold | Kesa gatame | Pin from the side, arm around the neck |
| Side hold | Yoko shiho gatame | Pin across the chest from the side |
On this page
Judo has dozens of throws, but children start with only a handful. Coaches choose simple, safe techniques that teach the basic principles of balance, timing and posture, and children practise them hundreds of times with a cooperative partner before trying them against resistance.
How throws are taught
Every throw follows the same three stages, known in Japanese as kuzushi, tsukuri and kake: unbalancing the partner, fitting into position, and executing the throw. Children learn these slowly. First they practise the movement without throwing, called uchikomi, often dozens of times. Then they throw a cooperative partner onto a soft mat, holding the partner’s sleeve so they land safely. Only later do they try techniques in randori, free practice. Children must be able to fall well before they are thrown; our guide to judo breakfalls explains how.
Foot sweeps and leg reaps
Foot sweeps are timing techniques. In de ashi barai, the advancing foot sweep, the child sweeps the partner’s foot just as they step forward, so the partner falls with very little force. Leg reaps include o soto gari, the big outer reap, where the child steps beside the partner, breaks their balance backward and reaps the leg from behind, and o uchi gari, the big inner reap, which reaps the leg from inside. These are often the first throws children learn.
Hip throws
In o goshi, the major hip throw, the child steps in, turns their back to the partner, places their hip under the partner’s center and lifts them over. Hip throws teach children to use their whole body rather than their arms, and they are a big step toward feeling like real judo.
Shoulder throws
Ippon seoi nage, the one-arm shoulder throw, is one of the most famous throws in judo. The child turns in, traps the partner’s arm over their shoulder and throws them forward. Many clubs teach children a kneeling version or wait until they are a little older, since it involves a bigger fall.
The first pins
On the ground, children learn osaekomi waza, pins that hold a partner on their back. Kesa gatame, the scarf hold, pins from the side with an arm around the partner’s neck and the other trapping their arm. Yoko shiho gatame, the side four-corner hold, pins across the chest from the side. Children also learn escapes from each pin. Chokes and armlocks are not taught to young children.
Throws and belts
Many clubs follow the Gokyo, the Kodokan’s traditional grouping of throws into five sets, as a rough guide to which techniques come at each belt. Our guide to judo belts for kids explains how promotions work, and judo words for kids covers the Japanese terms.
Never at home
Children should never practise throws at home, on siblings or friends. Throws need proper mats, a coach and a partner who knows how to fall.
Questions parents and students ask
What is the easiest judo throw for kids?
Foot sweeps such as de ashi barai and leg reaps such as o soto gari are often taught first because they are simple and the partner does not fall from very high. Hip and shoulder throws follow once children can fall well.
Are judo throws safe for children?
Yes, when taught properly. Children learn breakfalls first, practise throws slowly with cooperative partners, and coaches control the pace. Dangerous techniques are not allowed for children.
What is the Gokyo?
The Gokyo is the traditional list of judo throws grouped into five sets, created by the Kodokan. Many clubs use it as a guide to which throws are taught at each belt.
