BaffledExperts by Adam Norman

8: Sacrifice Throws

In a sacrifice throw, both you and your opponent will end up on the ground. In the throw I describe, you use your body weight and good timing to drag him down and roll him over. In a real fight, the key would be to land in, or move quickly into, a superior position. In a judo competition, it doesn’t matter. Any throw that puts your opponent on her back is a good throw, no matter where you land.

In the throw I describe, sumi gaeshi, you take a strong, two-handed grip on your opponent, step close to her, put your shin on her thigh and belly, and, while falling backward, throw her over your head. It’s a spectacular throw when done correctly.

When it is done poorly, it is only spectacularly funny. You will end up on your butt or back while your opponent stands looking down (literally and figuratively) on you. You’ll feel like an idiot, and with good reason: you will look like an idiot.

In a real fight, sacrifice throws would be quite dumb, although they happen. In the best case, you will be able to roll over your opponent and into a good position. But, honestly, this almost never happens even on the mat. If your throw is merely good, you’ll throw your opponent onto his back, and you too will land on yours. You will sting your opponent. Maybe you'll bruise him. But since neither of you will end up in a particularly dominant position, both of you will stand up and start again. And if your throw is not excellent and complete, your opponent will end up in a position to kick you right in the Taylor Mades.

That said, sacrifice throws are an important part of judo, and they're really fun. Sumi gaeshi isn't the most fun (a distinction reserved for the hilarious, totally useless, and utterly harmless tomoe nage), but it is effective.

Sumi gaeshi
Use sumi gaeshi when your opponent is bent over towards you. Unless you are a giant (or lucky) your opponent will only bend over like this if she is trying to grab your legs for a takedown.

When your opponent is bent over and facing you,

1. Reach with your right hand, and grab a piece of his gi somewhere on his back. Put your arm flat on his back, like you are resting it on an armrest. The deeper your grip, the better your throw will be.
2. Step in close with your left foot. (If he is rushing toward you to grab your leg, this is not necessary.) Do the following three actions at one time:

• Sit down, putting your bum on your heels
• Raise your right leg, placing your shin against your opponent’s right hip and your foot in his crotch, with your foot flexed to hook his groin
• Pull with your arms to lift your opponent over your left shoulder.

As you come down onto your bum and roll onto your shoulder blades, push with and straighten your right leg. Uke will be thrown onto his butt, face up.

Try to secure a hold down on him; one very fancy way is to keep rolling like you are doing a backwards somersault. (You can see that in the first clip in the video above.) With luck, you can go straight into full mount. If that doesn’t work for you (I’m too big to roll like that), roll over and hold him down in what we call ‘The 69’, for obvious reasons. In real dojos, it’s called ‘hara shiho gatame’.

Defending sacrifice throws
It is easy to avoid being thrown in sumi gaeshi: don’t bend over. Once caught bent over, you are in a bad position: your tenderest meat is right there by his shin.

Principle 7: Take the fall

Sometimes, a man has a choice: to lose gracefully or go down fighting. In judo you will face this all the time. You can jump, brace, or cartwheel to avoid being thrown. You can spin, like a cat in midair, to turn a your opponent’s good throw into an incomplete one.

Don’t be a child: Lose gracefully. Losing gracefully is safe. Losing gracefully protects you. Losing allows you to land on your side, with your head off the mat and your arms extended.

A couple of years ago, my friend went through a dangerous phase. He stopped turning his head when doing ippon seoi nage, and so he was tossed a few people, including me, straight down, head first. It wasn’t a long phase, thank god, and it’s one we all go through—confusing effectiveness with technique. Still, it should never have happened.

So, one night, while warming up, he tossed me with ippon seoi nage. In midair, I could see that things were looking pretty bad, so I jumped, put out my hand to cartwheel a little, and landed safely. I told him he was being a dick. He threw me again, and did the same thing again. I told him again.

Later that very same night, he threw a friend of mine who had only been coming for a few weeks. James didn’t take the fall—he didn’t know how to. He got spiked, straight down, and bent his neck at an ungodly angle. I thought, we all thought, that he had broken it—and you know, he might have. My friend fucked up very badly, and it nearly cost everyone everything.

Sometimes, when fighting someone who is not very good, you will find yourself on the edge of being thrown. Jump. Jump high. This is the very reason we practice breakfalls. Getting thrown hurts a little, but not as much as the alternatives. And don’t worry about the audience. The good fighters will know exactly what you did and why you did it. We have all done it ourselves—after all, we got good by being able to fight the next day.

The following video shows professional fighters at serious competitions generally not breakfalling. They're doing everything they can to win, and all of them fight right until the moment someone hits the mat. Noble, perhaps, but the loser does not have to fight the next day. They're not practicing.

A sacrifice counter: tani otoshi
In my dojo, more fights are won with tani otoshi than with all other throws combined. Tani otoshi is a side sacrifice counter. It is a totally lame throw, as it relies on your opponent committing to throw you. You only trick him. When he has come in and done all the work, you lean back and throw him over your ankle.

Start by standing there dumbly. Wait for your opponent to do something brave, like attempt ippon seoi nage. When he comes in (for a right side throw),

1. Twist to your left. (Your right side is trapped by him pulling on your right arm).
2. Stick your left leg out and sit down a bit
3. Apply principle 6 and hit him hard with a clothesline to the chest with your right arm.

The clothesline should push your opponent back and force him to fall over your extended leg. Try to redeem your reputation after doing such a sucky throw by securing a good hold down. It’s the least you can do.

Principle 8: Don’t be a lame-ass wuss.

Judo is a full contact sport. Losing can be hard on your body, and winning still hurts a lot. Still, don’t be a baby. Don’t stiff arm your opponent to keep him away. Don’t wait for him to come in so that you can win with a counter. Be a fighter. Develop courage.