Sukui-nage
掬投すくいなげ
- Te-waza
- Gokyō: Dai-yonkyō
Key idea
The defining action scoops and lifts the lower body while moving behind or underneath uke to take the balance backward.
Kodokan official demonstration
Kodokan technique list (opens in a new tab)YouTube (opens in a new tab)
How it works
The central principle of Sukui-nage is the coordinated action that scoops and lifts the lower body while moving behind or underneath uke to take the balance backward.
Kuzushi
Create usable imbalance
Create the imbalance described by the official definition and continue it into the entry. Uke should not be able to recover stable support before the decisive action.
Tsukuri
Enter and stay connected
Enter with stable posture and continuous control. Use the official demonstration to check the required position, contact line, and direction.
Kake
Complete the defining action
Complete the defining action described in the official definition and shown in the demonstration. Maintain control through uke’s fall.
Key points
- To identify Sukui-nage, watch for the moment the hand-led control becomes decisive rather than naming the technique from the landing alone.
- The official definition centres on an action that scoops and lifts the lower body while moving behind or underneath uke to take the balance backward.
- When reviewing Sukui-nage, check that balance breaking, contact and direction stay connected from entry through the controlled finish.
Similar techniques
| Technique | Japanese name | Key difference |
|---|---|---|
| Ippon-seoi-nage | 一本背負投 | Ippon-seoi-nage converts forward instability into a close back-and-shoulder carrying relationship; Sukui-nage scoops and lifts the lower body. |
| Seoi-nage | 背負投 | Seoi-nage couples the opponent’s upper body to a turning trunk and shoulder line; Sukui-nage scoops and lifts the lower body. |
| Kata-guruma | 肩車 | Kata-guruma lifts uke across the shoulders and back of the neck after controlling a leg and breaking balance forward; Sukui-nage scoops and lifts the lower body. |
Reference
Open the detailed source material when you need definitions, technical distinctions, training context, or references.
Official definition
What this technique is
Within the Kodokan list, Sukui-nage belongs to hand techniques. Its name is attached to the action that scoops and lifts the lower body while moving behind or underneath uke to take the balance backward, not to every contest exchange that ends in a similar fall or final position. The official Sukui-nage demonstration is therefore the best starting point for recognizing the technique before comparing variations in timing, grip or stance.
Core principle
The central principle of Sukui-nage is the coordinated action that scoops and lifts the lower body while moving behind or underneath uke to take the balance backward. In this technique, timing, balance breaking and continuous control must work together. Pause the official Sukui-nage demonstration before the decisive action and check what support remains, where contact is maintained and whether tori is lifting, reaping, blocking, rotating, wrapping or applying controlled pressure.
Detailed execution
Key recognition points
- To identify Sukui-nage, watch for the moment the hand-led control becomes decisive rather than naming the technique from the landing alone.
- The official definition centres on an action that scoops and lifts the lower body while moving behind or underneath uke to take the balance backward.
- When reviewing Sukui-nage, check that balance breaking, contact and direction stay connected from entry through the controlled finish.
Distinguishing this technique
The practical identifying feature of Sukui-nage is the hand-led control: scoops and lifts the lower body while moving behind or underneath uke to take the balance backward. Compare that action with neighbouring names in the same Kodokan category. If the contact point, control route or sacrifice direction changes, the result may belong under a different official name even when the landing position looks similar.
Training and safety
Training and safety
Practise only under a qualified Judo instructor with controlled entries, safe falling space and an agreed stopping procedure. The Kodokan technique name and its use in a particular competition ruleset are different questions; current IJF rules restrict direct leg-grabbing actions, so confirm the permitted application before competitive use.
Competition rules
Competition note
This Kodokan-recognised technique is not a permanent competition-status label. Under the IJF Sport and Organisation Rules dated 14 August 2026, hooking or grabbing the leg, gripping the trousers, or touching below the top of the inner thigh with the hand or arm is penalised with shido. Whether a particular variation is permitted depends on the actual contact and execution.