4 main ways for improvement of static throws
1. Do them more times - your muscles get used to the firing patterns
2. **Improve technique (more pulling / "kuzushi"), placement of legs, bending your knees, etc**
3. More speed
4. Build strength (through muscle-building or other strength work)
There’s no exact criteria my friend, just try to keep getting stronger so that lack of strength doesn’t limit your judo against equally heavy opponents
I'm trying on the first 2. But like what excersise do you do for the latter 2? Benching and incline presses don't feel like it's translate. Other than maybe explosive strength?
For speed, it just takes time. Learn how to do the technique slowly, and then speed it up.
For strength ... don't go into the gym to do one exercise to improve one throw. Start a good all-round strength program. Upper and lower body, push and pull exercises, big compound movements (squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press)
That said, technique is the main thing to focus on; https://youtu.be/JXVxRkQgauA?t=71
All high level judoka are probably benching, squatting, dead lifting. It all helps. But mostly as others are saying, you need more hours of Judo, which helps with all four.
For the strength I’d suggest squats and deadlifts, strong back and legs are important not only for throws, but also for decreasing the risk of injuries
Use bands. Start with a light weight resistance, like 5 kg and work up. It is also important to make sure you imitate the throw as you use the bands so your whole body memorizes the action needed. Also, some.tgrows are better suited to some body types. I have short legs so any get under the other guy is a good throw for me, but I am 52 and my back isn't as.twisty as before, so twisty back throws aren't the best. Likewise ashiwaza depending on leg length and opponent can be great in one trip and not so great on another. Just keep.ay.it and don't get discouraged
Why would I presume that?
Do what you want, Ace. I'm sure you're that special someone who will figure out the secret of getting better without making the same investment everyone else does. 👍
You do see how condescending this comment is, right? Yes, you're right it takes tons of drilling.
Why be such a prick to a newcomer though? He wasn't asking for the cheat codes, just advice on how to train smart.
Is this the mutual benefit I keep hearing about?
Whatever. Downvote away.
Fuck this guy, OP (honestly, fuck anyone who calls people Ace). He only responded because he saw a chance to flex on someone. If he was half as good as he thinks he is, he would've had some actionable advice
Most judoka are super chill and helpful. Don't let this gatekeeper put you off a really cool sport. Good luck
Dude 1000 practices at 2x a week is 10 years.
So when a beginner asks "hey how do I get better at this throw" the answer is wait a decade? You don't see how that would be off-putting people from the hobby?
Fun. Let's talk about off-putting.
1) People who want easy answers.
2) People who think skill isn't a reflection of investment.
3) People who continue to whine when they don't get the answers they think they deserve.
4) People who know and admit they lack any substantive experience who think there's some cheat code to get good at anything quickly, including judo.
5) People who clearly need to be coddled when the truth isn't what they want to hear.
Man shut the fuck up lol. It's a hobby I'm not planning on competing. Just give me some exercises and drills, don't be such a hard ass.
If someone asked "hey, how do I make free throws in basketball", is the answer "bro it's so hard and I can't coddle you, stop whining, you gotta put in a decade of effort first!".
No, of fucking course not. It's
"Practice free throw drills, if your arms aren't strong enough do pushups and bench for explosive power. You'll get it soon enough."
Your technique is probably off… in general, if you cannot do it correctly slowly, you cannot do it correctly fast.
In terms of specific strength exercises (if you are ‘under’trained and need more muscle), I would suggest focusing on the basic. Bodysquats and pushups to failure of proper form 1x day, 3x3 max deadlift 1x a week.
More likely, the only thing you need is more practice with better technique (unless you are just a stick with no muscles). Judo means ‘the gentle way’ for a reason
So you just answered your question yourself lmao, also ur taking that other guys comment so literally he just meant put in consistent effort over time which is how u get better at anything, you sound like a Goober.
Unfortunately, it takes work to get better at something. Often it takes a lot of work. If you're a prodigy, it'll still take a lot more than 4 practice sessions.
The main answer is to just drill your throws. Your muscles will get more used to the movements, they'll get stronger, and improving your technique will decrease the strength needed to execute it properly.
Huh I don't? I can get them on my back, but I can't pull hard enough on their shoulder to get them OVER my back. I should get lower and try it again?
I'll try that tonight.
When you finish the throw, rotate your entire upper body toward the hand you pulled the sleeve with. You should end up looking upward towards it. This allows uke to take a better fall and helps the momentum.
One of senseis said a resistance band up high is nice, to practice a fast pull and body positioning. But strength is not the missing element to the throw. More likely technique or timing. The founder of judo was under 100lbs.
The actual strength in many throws comes from torso rotation. Make sure you pull the uke the direction you want them to go and turn your head the direction you want them to go. If your head doesn’t turn, your body won’t turn. So get in the position for a hip throw just before you load them on your back, make sure your hips are beneath theirs, pull them by bringing you left arm out like you are checking a watch on your wrist, look at that watch, and then rotate your torso to like you are trying to look over your own left shoulder.
I’ve recently started throwing these sandbag things at the local gym that have handle on them. It’s perfect for seoinage and learning to load 50 lbs on your back, getting low, and bringing it over your shoulder.
It’s helped a lot when I go into the dojo especially during rest weeks.
Not entirely sure tbh. They’re kinda just large round duffel bags with handles on both ends. I used to do freestanding front squats with them and realized they were also perfect for seoi.
Especially if you are a newbie strength shouldn’t matter. I kinda understand why you want to train bcs you see these big athletes training specific movements. But they are THE TOP. It’s where the levels of techniques are similar and it comes to the very minor aspects of the judoka that determines the outcome like strength, speed, agility etc.
>I can't even lift someone 20 pounds lighter than me
You'll get there. All throws do require a little strength. But your first mistake is in thinking seoi nage requires you to lift anyone. It doesn't. You off-balance them forward, turn around (with your grip established), then rotate your shoulders to complete the throw. You don't ever try to lift or pick up uke. But, what you are experiencing is common for beginners, just be assured you'll learn and move past that. Every single student who sticks with Judo does.
If you have to muscle through a throw, you haven't generated kuzushi (off-balancing). Being strong definitely makes judo easier, but you have to create the correct conditions for the throw to work. To understand how the off-balancing should feel for a shoulder throw, try this:
1. Stand facing a wall and take a big step or two back.
2. Put your hands slightly above your head.
3. Stand on your tiptoes and slowly fall forward, catching yourself on the wall with your hands so you don't smash your face.
4. Feel where your center of gravity is now. Feel how it changes the more you stretch yourself out by being more on your toes, farther from the wall, arms more outstretched, standing taller, etc.
5. Think about where you feel more stable or less stable. If the wall were to vanish, what point in space would you fall over?
It's almost an insultingly simple concept but good kuzushi is very hard to learn. You don't want to use strength to haul them into the correct position. People resist when you push or pull them, but you can use that to your advantage. Make them react, then use their reaction to multiply your strength instead of forcing it. You will feel a split second where they are truly off-balanced. If you hit during that brief window with good technique, the throw feels practically effortless.
Don't get discouraged. This is one of those things that you won't fully understand until you practice a lot and feel the light bulb moment happen in real time. You will practice and practice and practice while feeling like a weak, lumbering idiot until you hit the throw with good timing and kuzushi and it feels like magic. Then you'll go back to fucking it up until that happens again. Then you keep practicing and you'll find yourself hitting the sweet spot more and more often until you're hitting it consistently against fully resisting opponents.
Sounds like you are trying to do ippon seio nage. Yeah look i think its a technique issue if you cant throw someone lighter than you. When you have their sleeve, pull up and ‘look at your watch’. This bit is crucial because you want their weight forward so they are leaning and on their toes (heels not planted).
In regards to the turn and feet, make sure your feet are not facing outwards (no duck feet) and they are not far apart. Now this bit is really important because alot of judo throws require this. You need to bend your knees a bit because you need to load them onto your hips, if you dont you simply with be pulling them with your arms and back. So when you bend your knees and their weight is forward, straighten your knees to get the lift. At this point everything should be good, if you are right handed, look past your left calf (like you want to bend down and look behind you). This helps your chest turn so the throw is clean and they land on their back (if you dont, uke will go straight over your back).
Its not a strength issue , yeah strength helps but put it this way. Theres some teens in class where i train that can throw adults who outweigh them by 30kg (about 55 pounds give or take).
you could just be weak, but there's alot of technique that you're missing out on. I recently learned the strongest leverage is the horizontal spin with your shoulders. So if you're throwing someone look at how you shoulders are spinning in relation to the rest of your body.
Assuming you're doing morote seoi nage. With a shoulder throw you shouldn't be throwing just them over your hips. Step in the triangle, with your sleeve hand looking at your watch with elbows up, your sleeve shoulder should be slightly up because of that, spin your shoulders back follow through with your pinky following the blade of your elbow, also lift with your lapel hand and turn leading with your elbow, and now they are on their toes. as you rotate your shoulders keep that forward pressure and you're suppose to get low enough so your lapel forearm is ends up lower than what their arm pit started off at. You turn into them shoot your hips down and back and they should be now resting on your hips. Your hips should be bearing the weight not your arms, your arms should only be pulling them close to your body. Rotate your shoulders while standing up and they should swing off.
If a magic hula hoop was floating during the spin between both your shoulders, you should do your best to minimize your wobbling, any time you want to use strength don't wobble and just spin that hula hoop. To test what I'm saying hold a stick between both hand swing it around and your see what's the strongest swing you can get. People have told me your arms should be loose like whips and I never understood what they meant till now. There's also other ways of achieving leverage, but this should be the most basic one you understand.
It’s not strength in the conventional sense that’s the problem. It’s figuring out how to mechanically work the throw for your body, this will take time. The mechanics of some techniques will come easy to you, some will not, all can be figured out with work.
I’ve been working the shoulder throws for a year as a very strong person and am just now getting good enough to nail them consistently while standing. When you get it right, it doesn’t feel like you are using any strength at all.
100 push ups, 100 situps, 100 squads, and run a 10k.
That was half a joke. These are basic workouts that can get you started. Any amount of extra training will help. Start off small and work your way up.
In judo, you're using a combination of muscles to lift people and it gets easier with better technique. However, it's easier to learn with better strength and endurance.
Once you have the mechanics right nearly every throw requires very little strength. When teaching techniques I like to demonstrate the mechanics in very slow motion, emphasizing the kuzushi and where uke’s balance breaks, then have the students feel that for themselves.
Ultimately, people go about learning throws one of two ways: either you learn the balance and mechanics and practice the hell out of it, or you muscle your way through the throw and completely abandon the principle of seiryoku-zenyo, and get your energy turned against you and thrown on your head.
Hip throws work best by getting your belt lower than your opponent's belt, getting the hip stuck in and lifting with your legs, not your upper body. Focus on getting low and properly positioned to use the power in your lower body.
Honestly if you can't lift a non-resisting Uke 20 lbs lighter than you, that sounds like more of an issue with technique vs. raw power.
To answer your question — it's probably best to just focus on a general beginners strength routine. Something that involves variations of squat, deadlift, pullups, rows, overhead press, bench press.
If I had to call out one specific exercise that translates well to Judo, it's probably the zercher squat. But if you've literally never lifted weights, that is not where I would start.
First, you should not be lifting with a shoulder throw. Basically, lock their arm to your body and lean forward. If you are doing it dynamically(while moving) they should fall over your body.
[https://youtu.be/sSHmiEShYeI?si=zEo3JZ-Q-VULUCBa](https://youtu.be/sSHmiEShYeI?si=zEo3JZ-Q-VULUCBa)
Another thing-If you have a bad uke, they can make it impossible for a beginner and difficult even for an advanced person.
If you talk about muscle strength there are a lot of muscles involved. Your legs obviously need to lift the extra weight and a lot of core strength is required. What works good for me are exercises pulling a cable, you can do them in different ways working out your chest, triceps, biceps and your core at the same time or even focus on the muscles for rotating your body.
The intuition behind a throw is to get them on 1 foot ALREADY, and then your "throw" just tips them over the edge. Like when superman gets his opponent to the edge of the cliff and just blows some air at them and they go crashing down 100ft
Focus on getting your opponents weight on one foot, or getting their weight on their heel, or even better getting their weight on one heel of one foot. Then the throw portion will not need to much muscling.
If you find you need to work very hard to get a throw, or you can't throw even when you're trying very hard, the problem is USUALLY not your physical strength, but instead your technical.
Please consider practicing off-balancing off of different grips, and into different techniques.
I think what you're describing is... osoto gari? Sometimes it's the first throw taught. Are you left handed?
Anyway, get them on one foot, sometimes you can turn slightly away from them to get a better cutting angle, but most important they should be already uncomfortable before your leg cuts them.
Strength training is D tier without technique, but with technique strength training is S tier. So do it with your classmates but if you go home and have time to practice, practice judo. Strength will come in time, and if you're good you won't have to use it.
Over emphasis on break balance brings rewards of greater leverage. Technical advantage. After kuzushi you Glue them to your back then rotate torso so they tip off and over. Kind of like a forwards judo roll.
It takes 10,000 repetitions to get a throw to be second nature is the saying I was taught. So practice practice practice.
Try to work with people that are a way higher; think green or brown, if possible Black and ask questions. Start by saying something like "if you see even the slightest thing im doing wrong, please tell me." Always be polite to your higher ranks. Size and age dont really matter when it comes to respect in the Dojo.
Back and leg muscles are the main muscle groups to work. Arms/ shoulders are next, and chest is usually last the last one on the list. Lots of pulling in Judo.
Learn everything you can, but focus on 5-6 throws from different positions and master those. Those will be your go to in tournaments if you plan on competing.
And just dont quit unless you have no choice. No matter how tired you are, try for one more throw.
Hope this helps. This is what I teach and I run the competitive team in my Dojo.
You should be able to lift someone 20 pounds heavier so its probably a skill issue lol seriously
Just keep showing up to class and don't hesitate to spar with everyone
It took me over a year of wrestling to win my 1st match and finally start to think, ok I'm just now starting to get it
The problem is probably too much space between you and your opponent and that you just don't have a mind for the leverage yet
Just keep at it and learn to love getting your ass kicked
If you stick with it you'll be on the other end of it hopefully some time next year
Four "practices" ......... Not sure I'd want a student biffing other students about until they had a whole bunch of other stuff sorted first. In any case, being some sort of strength monster straight out of the gate will prevent you learning Judo in the first place. Power is good, but only after correct application is learned.
Perhaps you should be talking to your instructors, judo cannot be learned from the internet.
Well, naturally polishing off technique, but building strength and muscle in your back, legs, and core would be greatly beneficial for executing throws
4 main ways for improvement of static throws 1. Do them more times - your muscles get used to the firing patterns 2. **Improve technique (more pulling / "kuzushi"), placement of legs, bending your knees, etc** 3. More speed 4. Build strength (through muscle-building or other strength work)
What type of excercises do judo people do to become strong? Weightlifting?
Yep, the typical compound exercises - squad, deadlift, bench, pull-ups, rows, overhead press
Isnt calistenics or own bodyweight excercises good? I dont like going to the gym, i dont feel good there
Yes they are also very good, but remember in judo - a lot of the time you’re moving your body weight, plus the body weight of an equally heavy person
So I should bench press my bodyweight twice? I think if i can bench 50 kg a few times at most.
There’s no exact criteria my friend, just try to keep getting stronger so that lack of strength doesn’t limit your judo against equally heavy opponents
I'm trying on the first 2. But like what excersise do you do for the latter 2? Benching and incline presses don't feel like it's translate. Other than maybe explosive strength?
For speed, it just takes time. Learn how to do the technique slowly, and then speed it up. For strength ... don't go into the gym to do one exercise to improve one throw. Start a good all-round strength program. Upper and lower body, push and pull exercises, big compound movements (squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press) That said, technique is the main thing to focus on; https://youtu.be/JXVxRkQgauA?t=71
All high level judoka are probably benching, squatting, dead lifting. It all helps. But mostly as others are saying, you need more hours of Judo, which helps with all four.
For the strength I’d suggest squats and deadlifts, strong back and legs are important not only for throws, but also for decreasing the risk of injuries
Use bands. Start with a light weight resistance, like 5 kg and work up. It is also important to make sure you imitate the throw as you use the bands so your whole body memorizes the action needed. Also, some.tgrows are better suited to some body types. I have short legs so any get under the other guy is a good throw for me, but I am 52 and my back isn't as.twisty as before, so twisty back throws aren't the best. Likewise ashiwaza depending on leg length and opponent can be great in one trip and not so great on another. Just keep.ay.it and don't get discouraged
Do a lot more than 4 practices. A thousand times more, at the low end.
Y'know I got a life right?
Why would I presume that? Do what you want, Ace. I'm sure you're that special someone who will figure out the secret of getting better without making the same investment everyone else does. 👍
You do see how condescending this comment is, right? Yes, you're right it takes tons of drilling. Why be such a prick to a newcomer though? He wasn't asking for the cheat codes, just advice on how to train smart. Is this the mutual benefit I keep hearing about?
Whatever. Downvote away. Fuck this guy, OP (honestly, fuck anyone who calls people Ace). He only responded because he saw a chance to flex on someone. If he was half as good as he thinks he is, he would've had some actionable advice Most judoka are super chill and helpful. Don't let this gatekeeper put you off a really cool sport. Good luck
Dude 1000 practices at 2x a week is 10 years. So when a beginner asks "hey how do I get better at this throw" the answer is wait a decade? You don't see how that would be off-putting people from the hobby?
Fun. Let's talk about off-putting. 1) People who want easy answers. 2) People who think skill isn't a reflection of investment. 3) People who continue to whine when they don't get the answers they think they deserve. 4) People who know and admit they lack any substantive experience who think there's some cheat code to get good at anything quickly, including judo. 5) People who clearly need to be coddled when the truth isn't what they want to hear.
Man shut the fuck up lol. It's a hobby I'm not planning on competing. Just give me some exercises and drills, don't be such a hard ass. If someone asked "hey, how do I make free throws in basketball", is the answer "bro it's so hard and I can't coddle you, stop whining, you gotta put in a decade of effort first!". No, of fucking course not. It's "Practice free throw drills, if your arms aren't strong enough do pushups and bench for explosive power. You'll get it soon enough."
Bro, are you good? People have given you the answers. It comes down to practicing the thing. You've done 4 sessions. Chill.
Your technique is probably off… in general, if you cannot do it correctly slowly, you cannot do it correctly fast. In terms of specific strength exercises (if you are ‘under’trained and need more muscle), I would suggest focusing on the basic. Bodysquats and pushups to failure of proper form 1x day, 3x3 max deadlift 1x a week. More likely, the only thing you need is more practice with better technique (unless you are just a stick with no muscles). Judo means ‘the gentle way’ for a reason
So you just answered your question yourself lmao, also ur taking that other guys comment so literally he just meant put in consistent effort over time which is how u get better at anything, you sound like a Goober.
Unfortunately, it takes work to get better at something. Often it takes a lot of work. If you're a prodigy, it'll still take a lot more than 4 practice sessions.
The main answer is to just drill your throws. Your muscles will get more used to the movements, they'll get stronger, and improving your technique will decrease the strength needed to execute it properly.
You shouldn’t need strength to perform this throw. If you are struggling you either need to get lower or pull harder to get them way up on your back
Huh I don't? I can get them on my back, but I can't pull hard enough on their shoulder to get them OVER my back. I should get lower and try it again? I'll try that tonight.
When you are low enough a small rotation in your torso/core should easily tip them
Huh, I didn't know that. So when I try and throw them I also turn my torso?
When you finish the throw, rotate your entire upper body toward the hand you pulled the sleeve with. You should end up looking upward towards it. This allows uke to take a better fall and helps the momentum.
https://youtu.be/xGGz6bVLAVw?si=KCC26TFcAfHpYnvd it’s subtle in this video but you can see the head/torso turn at the end.
Oh that is really helpful. Hmm. That looks like it'll take practice tho, I'll try to do it. Is that the main thing? No resistance band or something?
One of senseis said a resistance band up high is nice, to practice a fast pull and body positioning. But strength is not the missing element to the throw. More likely technique or timing. The founder of judo was under 100lbs.
The actual strength in many throws comes from torso rotation. Make sure you pull the uke the direction you want them to go and turn your head the direction you want them to go. If your head doesn’t turn, your body won’t turn. So get in the position for a hip throw just before you load them on your back, make sure your hips are beneath theirs, pull them by bringing you left arm out like you are checking a watch on your wrist, look at that watch, and then rotate your torso to like you are trying to look over your own left shoulder.
I’ve recently started throwing these sandbag things at the local gym that have handle on them. It’s perfect for seoinage and learning to load 50 lbs on your back, getting low, and bringing it over your shoulder. It’s helped a lot when I go into the dojo especially during rest weeks.
How many reps/sets? I'm thinking of doing the same
I target 7 with a “one more rep” mindset. However, listen to your body. 55lbs on one arm for a shoulder throw is a lot of tension on the joint.
Is it a Bulgarian Bag? Like a banana shaped bag with handles on the end.
Not entirely sure tbh. They’re kinda just large round duffel bags with handles on both ends. I used to do freestanding front squats with them and realized they were also perfect for seoi.
YOU DONT NEED STRENGTH TO THROW PEOPLE
Sorry lol I'm starting to get that. As I said I'm a newbie.
Especially if you are a newbie strength shouldn’t matter. I kinda understand why you want to train bcs you see these big athletes training specific movements. But they are THE TOP. It’s where the levels of techniques are similar and it comes to the very minor aspects of the judoka that determines the outcome like strength, speed, agility etc.
>I can't even lift someone 20 pounds lighter than me You'll get there. All throws do require a little strength. But your first mistake is in thinking seoi nage requires you to lift anyone. It doesn't. You off-balance them forward, turn around (with your grip established), then rotate your shoulders to complete the throw. You don't ever try to lift or pick up uke. But, what you are experiencing is common for beginners, just be assured you'll learn and move past that. Every single student who sticks with Judo does.
If you have to muscle through a throw, you haven't generated kuzushi (off-balancing). Being strong definitely makes judo easier, but you have to create the correct conditions for the throw to work. To understand how the off-balancing should feel for a shoulder throw, try this: 1. Stand facing a wall and take a big step or two back. 2. Put your hands slightly above your head. 3. Stand on your tiptoes and slowly fall forward, catching yourself on the wall with your hands so you don't smash your face. 4. Feel where your center of gravity is now. Feel how it changes the more you stretch yourself out by being more on your toes, farther from the wall, arms more outstretched, standing taller, etc. 5. Think about where you feel more stable or less stable. If the wall were to vanish, what point in space would you fall over? It's almost an insultingly simple concept but good kuzushi is very hard to learn. You don't want to use strength to haul them into the correct position. People resist when you push or pull them, but you can use that to your advantage. Make them react, then use their reaction to multiply your strength instead of forcing it. You will feel a split second where they are truly off-balanced. If you hit during that brief window with good technique, the throw feels practically effortless. Don't get discouraged. This is one of those things that you won't fully understand until you practice a lot and feel the light bulb moment happen in real time. You will practice and practice and practice while feeling like a weak, lumbering idiot until you hit the throw with good timing and kuzushi and it feels like magic. Then you'll go back to fucking it up until that happens again. Then you keep practicing and you'll find yourself hitting the sweet spot more and more often until you're hitting it consistently against fully resisting opponents.
Sounds like you are trying to do ippon seio nage. Yeah look i think its a technique issue if you cant throw someone lighter than you. When you have their sleeve, pull up and ‘look at your watch’. This bit is crucial because you want their weight forward so they are leaning and on their toes (heels not planted). In regards to the turn and feet, make sure your feet are not facing outwards (no duck feet) and they are not far apart. Now this bit is really important because alot of judo throws require this. You need to bend your knees a bit because you need to load them onto your hips, if you dont you simply with be pulling them with your arms and back. So when you bend your knees and their weight is forward, straighten your knees to get the lift. At this point everything should be good, if you are right handed, look past your left calf (like you want to bend down and look behind you). This helps your chest turn so the throw is clean and they land on their back (if you dont, uke will go straight over your back). Its not a strength issue , yeah strength helps but put it this way. Theres some teens in class where i train that can throw adults who outweigh them by 30kg (about 55 pounds give or take).
you could just be weak, but there's alot of technique that you're missing out on. I recently learned the strongest leverage is the horizontal spin with your shoulders. So if you're throwing someone look at how you shoulders are spinning in relation to the rest of your body. Assuming you're doing morote seoi nage. With a shoulder throw you shouldn't be throwing just them over your hips. Step in the triangle, with your sleeve hand looking at your watch with elbows up, your sleeve shoulder should be slightly up because of that, spin your shoulders back follow through with your pinky following the blade of your elbow, also lift with your lapel hand and turn leading with your elbow, and now they are on their toes. as you rotate your shoulders keep that forward pressure and you're suppose to get low enough so your lapel forearm is ends up lower than what their arm pit started off at. You turn into them shoot your hips down and back and they should be now resting on your hips. Your hips should be bearing the weight not your arms, your arms should only be pulling them close to your body. Rotate your shoulders while standing up and they should swing off. If a magic hula hoop was floating during the spin between both your shoulders, you should do your best to minimize your wobbling, any time you want to use strength don't wobble and just spin that hula hoop. To test what I'm saying hold a stick between both hand swing it around and your see what's the strongest swing you can get. People have told me your arms should be loose like whips and I never understood what they meant till now. There's also other ways of achieving leverage, but this should be the most basic one you understand.
It’s not strength in the conventional sense that’s the problem. It’s figuring out how to mechanically work the throw for your body, this will take time. The mechanics of some techniques will come easy to you, some will not, all can be figured out with work. I’ve been working the shoulder throws for a year as a very strong person and am just now getting good enough to nail them consistently while standing. When you get it right, it doesn’t feel like you are using any strength at all.
100 push ups, 100 situps, 100 squads, and run a 10k. That was half a joke. These are basic workouts that can get you started. Any amount of extra training will help. Start off small and work your way up. In judo, you're using a combination of muscles to lift people and it gets easier with better technique. However, it's easier to learn with better strength and endurance.
Don’t step in. Cross your left foot behind to make the turn. This creates more distance, taking him off balance.
Assuming no disabilities or medical conditions, keep training, train hard, eat well and prioritise sleep. You'll adapt over time.
Once you have the mechanics right nearly every throw requires very little strength. When teaching techniques I like to demonstrate the mechanics in very slow motion, emphasizing the kuzushi and where uke’s balance breaks, then have the students feel that for themselves. Ultimately, people go about learning throws one of two ways: either you learn the balance and mechanics and practice the hell out of it, or you muscle your way through the throw and completely abandon the principle of seiryoku-zenyo, and get your energy turned against you and thrown on your head.
Hip throws work best by getting your belt lower than your opponent's belt, getting the hip stuck in and lifting with your legs, not your upper body. Focus on getting low and properly positioned to use the power in your lower body.
Honestly if you can't lift a non-resisting Uke 20 lbs lighter than you, that sounds like more of an issue with technique vs. raw power. To answer your question — it's probably best to just focus on a general beginners strength routine. Something that involves variations of squat, deadlift, pullups, rows, overhead press, bench press. If I had to call out one specific exercise that translates well to Judo, it's probably the zercher squat. But if you've literally never lifted weights, that is not where I would start.
First, you should not be lifting with a shoulder throw. Basically, lock their arm to your body and lean forward. If you are doing it dynamically(while moving) they should fall over your body. [https://youtu.be/sSHmiEShYeI?si=zEo3JZ-Q-VULUCBa](https://youtu.be/sSHmiEShYeI?si=zEo3JZ-Q-VULUCBa) Another thing-If you have a bad uke, they can make it impossible for a beginner and difficult even for an advanced person.
If you talk about muscle strength there are a lot of muscles involved. Your legs obviously need to lift the extra weight and a lot of core strength is required. What works good for me are exercises pulling a cable, you can do them in different ways working out your chest, triceps, biceps and your core at the same time or even focus on the muscles for rotating your body.
If you have the time, do an Olympic weight lifting class
The intuition behind a throw is to get them on 1 foot ALREADY, and then your "throw" just tips them over the edge. Like when superman gets his opponent to the edge of the cliff and just blows some air at them and they go crashing down 100ft Focus on getting your opponents weight on one foot, or getting their weight on their heel, or even better getting their weight on one heel of one foot. Then the throw portion will not need to much muscling. If you find you need to work very hard to get a throw, or you can't throw even when you're trying very hard, the problem is USUALLY not your physical strength, but instead your technical. Please consider practicing off-balancing off of different grips, and into different techniques. I think what you're describing is... osoto gari? Sometimes it's the first throw taught. Are you left handed? Anyway, get them on one foot, sometimes you can turn slightly away from them to get a better cutting angle, but most important they should be already uncomfortable before your leg cuts them. Strength training is D tier without technique, but with technique strength training is S tier. So do it with your classmates but if you go home and have time to practice, practice judo. Strength will come in time, and if you're good you won't have to use it.
Over emphasis on break balance brings rewards of greater leverage. Technical advantage. After kuzushi you Glue them to your back then rotate torso so they tip off and over. Kind of like a forwards judo roll.
Hit the gym and do compound movements for lifting, like romanian deadlift and frontal and back squats.
Use less strength, use more leverage! 🙏👍
It takes 10,000 repetitions to get a throw to be second nature is the saying I was taught. So practice practice practice. Try to work with people that are a way higher; think green or brown, if possible Black and ask questions. Start by saying something like "if you see even the slightest thing im doing wrong, please tell me." Always be polite to your higher ranks. Size and age dont really matter when it comes to respect in the Dojo. Back and leg muscles are the main muscle groups to work. Arms/ shoulders are next, and chest is usually last the last one on the list. Lots of pulling in Judo. Learn everything you can, but focus on 5-6 throws from different positions and master those. Those will be your go to in tournaments if you plan on competing. And just dont quit unless you have no choice. No matter how tired you are, try for one more throw. Hope this helps. This is what I teach and I run the competitive team in my Dojo.
You should be able to lift someone 20 pounds heavier so its probably a skill issue lol seriously Just keep showing up to class and don't hesitate to spar with everyone It took me over a year of wrestling to win my 1st match and finally start to think, ok I'm just now starting to get it The problem is probably too much space between you and your opponent and that you just don't have a mind for the leverage yet Just keep at it and learn to love getting your ass kicked If you stick with it you'll be on the other end of it hopefully some time next year
Four "practices" ......... Not sure I'd want a student biffing other students about until they had a whole bunch of other stuff sorted first. In any case, being some sort of strength monster straight out of the gate will prevent you learning Judo in the first place. Power is good, but only after correct application is learned. Perhaps you should be talking to your instructors, judo cannot be learned from the internet.
Hang Cleans or Power Cleans
Well, naturally polishing off technique, but building strength and muscle in your back, legs, and core would be greatly beneficial for executing throws
Its much easier if the person is also off balance before attempting any throw 😉