What are the basic throws and techniques I will learn first? What do you teach as Beginner Judo Techniques?
When people ask about Beginner Judo Techniques, they often expect a list of throws they will learn during their first few classes. However, good Judo instruction involves much more than simply working through a syllabus. The order in which techniques are taught can significantly affect safety, understanding, confidence, and long-term development.
A beginner does not need twenty throws. Instead, they need a small number of techniques that they can understand and practise properly.
My beginner program therefore starts with breakfalls, followed by Tai-otoshi and Uki-goshi. Only after students gain a basic grasp of these techniques do I progressively introduce other throws.
This approach recognises an important principle. Beginner Judo Techniques should build upon one another rather than being presented as unrelated movements.
Ukemi Comes Before Throwing
Before students can become comfortable throwing, they need to become comfortable being thrown.
This means learning ukemi, the breakfall skills that allow a Judoka to fall safely while protecting the head and controlling the body.
The basic falls include:
- Ushiro ukemi – backward breakfall
- Yoko ukemi – side breakfall
- Mae ukemi – forward breakfall
- Mae mawari ukemi – forward rolling breakfall
Judo Australia also places considerable emphasis on ukemi within its entry-level coaching material, including backward breakfalls and forward Judo rolls. Judo Australia's National Entry Level Program demonstrates this emphasis.
Learning to fall is not something that should be regarded as an optional extra. It provides the foundation that allows students to practise throwing with greater confidence.
I want students to understand that being thrown is an important part of learning Judo. They are not simply learning how to make somebody else fall.
Tai-otoshi and Uki-goshi
The first two throws in my beginner progression are Tai-otoshi and Uki-goshi.
I deliberately keep the initial repertoire small. Students need time to understand the basic principles involved before they are presented with numerous additional techniques.
These throws give students opportunities to develop important concepts such as balance, movement, kuzushi, positioning, and control.
More importantly, students begin learning how their own body movement affects their partner.
That understanding is more valuable than simply being able to reproduce the shape of a particular throw.
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Why I Teach O-uchi-gari Before Ko-soto-gari
Once students have gained a reasonable understanding of the first techniques, I introduce O-uchi-gari before Ko-soto-gari.
There is a simple teaching reason for this sequence.
Beginners often have considerable difficulty understanding the hooking action of their own leg. Therefore, teaching two different hooking actions at the same time can create unnecessary confusion.
I prefer students to gain at least a semi-mastery of one direction of the hooking action first.
Once that movement becomes familiar, I can introduce the inverse hooking action required for Ko-soto-gari.
This is an important aspect of Beginner Judo Techniques. Teaching order should consider how beginners actually learn, rather than simply following a list.
Once students understand both movements, they can eventually begin exploring combinations.
My article Ko-Uchi-Gari to O-Uchi-Gari Judo Throw Combination Technique explores the broader idea of linking techniques rather than treating every throw as an isolated movement.
De-ashi-barai Is About Timing
De-ashi-barai presents a different teaching problem.
At first glance, it can appear to be a relatively simple technique. However, successfully applying it requires timing that beginners often do not yet possess.
The throw depends upon recognising the right moment to attack the moving foot.
Therefore, I teach De-ashi-barai as a supplementary throw rather than making it one of the core techniques of the beginner program.
Students can practise it and gradually develop their timing without feeling that they must immediately master it.
That distinction matters because technical difficulty does not always correspond to how complicated a technique looks.
Why O-goshi Can Wait
O-goshi is one of the throws that many beginners want to learn.
It looks impressive, and it is relatively easy to recognise when watching Judo. However, I do not teach it immediately.
The reason is primarily connected with the fall.
O-goshi can produce a relatively high and sometimes hard fall. Consequently, students need a significant grasp of their falling skills before I introduce it.
My article O-Goshi: The Judo Throw Everybody Wants To Do discusses some of the common problems associated with learning this throw.
The article also emphasises that O-goshi depends upon leverage, balance, positioning, and kuzushi rather than simply lifting the opponent.
That reinforces an important principle. A throw should not be introduced merely because students are eager to learn it.
The student's existing skills should determine when the technique becomes appropriate.
Why O-soto-gari Is Delayed
O-soto-gari provides perhaps the clearest example of why apparently simple techniques require careful teaching.
In principle, O-soto-gari is relatively easy to explain and understand. However, when performed incorrectly, it can potentially create a dangerous situation.
The person receiving the throw needs good head control before practising the technique safely.
There is also another practical reason for delaying O-soto-gari.
Beginners have a remarkable tendency to use it during Randori, sometimes regardless of whether the situation actually calls for it.
For reasons that are difficult to explain, O-soto-gari can become the answer to almost every problem.
Students may attempt another technique, encounter resistance, and suddenly decide that O-soto-gari must be the solution.
Consequently, delaying the technique has a long-term benefit.
I want students to develop a repertoire that includes O-soto-gari, rather than a repertoire consisting almost entirely of O-soto-gari.
My article Osoto-otoshi, Osoto-gari & Osoto-gaeshi: What Is The Difference? explores some of the technical distinctions surrounding this family of techniques.
The point is not that O-soto-gari is a bad beginner technique. Instead, it is a technique that benefits from being introduced at the appropriate time.
Uchi-mata Is Not a Beginner Throw
Uchi-mata is another technique that I regard as advanced.
I have never completely understood why some instructors introduce it so early in a student's development.
Uchi-mata requires considerable coordination, balance, movement, timing, and body control. Those qualities take time to develop.
There are many other throws that provide better opportunities for beginners to develop their fundamental Judo skills.
Consequently, I prefer students to develop a broader technical foundation before they begin working seriously on Uchi-mata.
Groundwork Begins With Control
Beginner Judo is not limited to throwing.
Students also need to develop basic osaekomi-waza, or holding techniques.
My preferred sequence begins with Kesa-gatame and develops naturally into Kata-gatame.
I regard these techniques as a sequence rather than completely separate techniques.
Students can therefore learn how the position and control of Kesa-gatame can develop into Kata-gatame.
Other basic holds can then be introduced as the student's understanding develops:
- Kesa-gatame – scarf hold
- Kata-gatame – shoulder hold
- Yoko-shiho-gatame – side four-quarter hold
- Kami-shiho-gatame – upper four-quarter hold
My article Osaekomi-waza: All Judo Pinning Techniques provides a broader look at the holding techniques used in Judo.
Technique Before Quantity
A beginner does not become a better Judoka simply by learning more throws.
Instead, they improve by developing an understanding of the techniques they already know.
A useful beginner progression therefore looks something like this:
- Develop reliable breakfalls.
- Learn Tai-otoshi and Uki-goshi.
- Develop sufficient understanding before adding more throws.
- Introduce O-uchi-gari before Ko-soto-gari.
- Practise De-ashi-barai as supplementary timing work.
- Delay O-goshi until falling skills are sufficiently developed.
- Delay O-soto-gari for safety and repertoire development.
- Leave Uchi-mata until the student has developed greater technical ability.
- Develop groundwork through Kesa-gatame and Kata-gatame.
This progression is not about deliberately making Judo complicated.
Instead, it recognises that students learn more effectively when each new skill has a relationship with something they already understand.
Judo Australia similarly emphasises gradual development and supervised practice, with students learning proper falling techniques as part of safe progression.
Build a Repertoire, Not a Single Throw
One of the most important goals of beginner Judo should be developing options.
A student who knows one throw extremely well has achieved something valuable. However, a student who can recognise different opportunities has begun developing genuine Judo adaptability.
That is particularly important once Randori becomes part of training.
Randori teaches students that techniques do not happen exactly as they did during a demonstration. Partners move, resist, react, and create unexpected opportunities.
Therefore, students need enough techniques to respond appropriately.
This is where the careful progression of Beginner Judo Techniques becomes important.
The goal is not to rush students through every throw in the Gokyo. The goal is to give them enough understanding to begin solving problems through Judo.
Learn the Technique, Then Learn When to Use It
Learning a Judo technique involves more than remembering where to put your feet.
Students need to understand balance, movement, timing, positioning, safety, and their partner's reactions.
That understanding takes time.
Therefore, a good beginner program should resist the temptation to teach techniques simply because they appear on a grading syllabus.
Students should have opportunities to practise each technique repeatedly. They should also have opportunities to experience what happens when the technique does not work.
That process gradually changes a technique from something they can demonstrate into something they can actually use.
Build Your Judo One Technique at a Time
Beginner Judo Techniques should provide the foundation for everything a Judoka learns later.
The best starting point is therefore not the largest possible collection of throws. It is a carefully chosen group of techniques that develop falling, balance, movement, control, and confidence.
Start with ukemi. Develop Tai-otoshi and Uki-goshi. Add techniques progressively as the student's skills justify them.
Give O-uchi-gari time before introducing Ko-soto-gari. Develop De-ashi-barai's timing without demanding immediate mastery.
Wait until students can fall confidently before teaching higher-risk throws. Delay O-soto-gari until students have developed a broader repertoire.
Most importantly, remember that every student develops differently.
The objective is not simply to teach a student more Judo. It is to help them understand the Judo they are learning and apply it appropriately.
That is how a collection of beginner techniques gradually becomes the foundation of a capable Judoka.
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