What is the Tomoe Nage?
Tomoe nage is a sacrifice throw: you drop to your back, plant a foot on their hip/belt line, and roll them over your head or shoulder to reverse positions. In BJJ it appears from standing collar-and-sleeve fights and also as a dynamic entry into open-guard sweeps when a pure throw is stuffed.
Break Forward
They must load into you.
- Establish collar-sleeve or wrist control
- Pull them onto their toes
- Choose the planting foot and target hip
- Commit to the drop
Plant and Roll
- Sit/drop to your back safely
- Plant the foot on the hip/belt line
- Pull them over as you extend the planted leg
- Roll through the shoulder line
Come Up Top
Finish the exchange on top.
- Follow to mount or a stable top pin
- Clear posts immediately
- If stuffed, recompose open guard with frames
- Only then attack submissions
Key Grips & Control Points
- Collar and sleeve or double-sleeve control (gi)
- Wrist and head control adaptations in no-gi
- Planting foot on the hip or belt line
- Hands that pull them over as your back hits the mat
Timing & Movement Cues
- Drop when they drive forward into your grips
- Plant the foot as their weight rises onto their toes
- Roll through when their posture is already broken forward
Pressure & Weight Distribution
- Sacrifice cleanly — half drops get stacked
- Foot placement on the hip must lift, not just poke
- Follow the roll to top; unfinished tomoe becomes their pass
Typical Counters to Expect
- Sprawling hips back and circling the planted foot
- Stacking into your guard as you drop
- Releasing grips mid-throw to kill the pull
Follow-Up Options
- Mount or side control after a clean overhead roll
- Open-guard retention and flower-style sweeps if the throw stalls
- Armbar chains if they post hands on the way over
Setups & Entries
- Collar-sleeve pulls that bend them forward
- Failed hip throws that leave them overextended
- Guard-pull timing that converts into a true tomoe
Training Drills
- Controlled tomoe entries to a soft mat return
- Gi collar-sleeve tomoe to mount
- Stuffed tomoe to open-guard recovery
Coaching Notes
- Commit to the sacrifice or keep standing — in-between loses
- Pull with the hands as the foot lifts
- Always have a guard plan if they sprawl the throw
Related Study
Connect this movement with complementary positions and attacks.
Summary
Tomoe nage drops to the back, plants a foot on the hip, and rolls the opponent over into top control. Commit to the sacrifice, pull as you lift, and recover open guard cleanly if they sprawl.