Sukui nage (掬投) is the judo scoop throw: you step behind your partner, scoop their thighs with your hands from the front and lift them backward. It is one of the 40 throws of the Gokyo no Waza.
- Japanese name: sukui nage, 掬投. English: Scoop Throw.
- Kodokan classification: te-waza, a hand technique.
- Gokyo no Waza: Yonkyo, the fourth group.
What does sukui nage mean?
Sukui Nage (掬投) is classified by the Kodokan as te-waza, a hand technique. The judoinfo.com te-waza list gives its English name as Scoop Throw. The Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com places it in Yonkyo, the fourth group, so it is one of the 40 judo throws of the traditional syllabus.
How do you do sukui nage?
The Kodokan defines sukui nage as a technique to uplift and throw down the opponent by breaking his balance backward while stepping behind him and holding both of his thighs from the front side with both hands or another technique to uplift the opponent's one of thighs and throw him down by inserting the hand between his legs. The steps follow that definition, right-handed as the Kodokan writes it; mirror them for the left.
- Break the balance backward.
- Step in behind your partner.
- Hold both of their thighs from the front with both hands, or one thigh with a hand between their legs.
- Lift and throw them down backward.
Learn it with a coach and a partner who can breakfall, on a proper mat, and build speed only once the steps are clean.
Video: KODOKAN official channel
What is the difference between sukui nage and ushiro goshi?
Both lift your partner and drop them. The Kodokan's ushiro goshi is a counter that lifts the hip from behind; sukui nage is an attack that scoops the thighs from the front.
Is sukui nage legal in judo competition?
Yes. The IJF Sport and Organisation Rules score a throw only when it is a Kodokan classified technique or a recognised variation, and sukui nage is on the Kodokan list, so a clean sukui nage can score yuko, waza-ari or ippon.
There is a limit. The IJF rules allow grips under the belt only down to the top of the inner thigh, and penalise leg grabbing, gripping the trousers and touching the leg below that line with shido in standing judo, so the scoop has to stay within it.
In BJJ a throw counts as a takedown: 2 points under the IBJJF rules once your partner lands on the back, side or seat and you hold the top for three seconds.
See where it sits among the 40 judo throws. Rash guards and kit for the mat are in our judo training gear.
Sources
- Kodokan defines sukui nage, Kodokan Judo Institute
- Judoinfo.com te-waza list, JudoInfo
- Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com, JudoInfo
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
- IBJJF rules, IBJJF