Prohibited techniques
Judo prohibits techniques in two quite different ways, and the difference decides what you should do about them. A few are barred outright because the person receiving them cannot fall safely. Others are barred by contest rules while judo carries on teaching, grading and demonstrating them. Both are listed below, kept apart on purpose.
Never to be applied
These are documented so they can be recognised and refereed, deliberately without step-by-step instruction. Attempting one in competition is direct hansoku-make; do not practise them in randori.
- Ashi-garami, entangled leg lock, Kansetsu-wazaProhibited in competition and free practice: the knee can give way before there is time to submit, which is why judo restricts joint locks to the elbow.
- Do-jime, trunk squeeze, Shime-wazaProhibited act under competition rules: squeezing the trunk with crossed legs (scissoring the body) is penalised with hansoku-make. Unlike most banned techniques it has no legitimate contest history to preserve; it is listed so it can be recognised and stopped.
- Kani-basami, crab scissors, Sutemi-wazaProhibited in competition since the 1980s after serious knee and leg injuries to receivers; attempting it in shiai is direct hansoku-make. It remains part of judo's historical canon and study.
- Kawazu-gake, one-leg entanglement, Sutemi-wazaProhibited in competition: falling backwards with a leg entwined around the opponent's leg risks severe knee and ankle injury. Named for the sumo wrestler Kawazu, and older than judo itself; it is retained in the vocabulary so it can be recognised and refereed.
Barred in competition
Contest rules bar these, but judo still teaches them and federations still examine them: several are on the British Judo Association's dan grade syllabus. Each keeps a full technique page, step by step. Read the restriction on the page before taking one into a contest, because it is rarely a blanket ban and the wording matters.
- Kata-guruma, shoulder wheel, Tachi-wazaPenalised in competition in its classical form, where tori's hand passes between uke's legs: current IJF rules give a shido for the hand reaching the leg. The version that takes uke across the shoulders without touching the legs is thrown in contest today, so what is penalised is the form rather than the technique. The BJA sets kata-guruma as a 4th Dan fundamental skill.
- Sukui-nage, scooping throw, Tachi-wazaPenalised in competition in its classical form, which scoops uke's legs from behind: current IJF rules give a shido for taking the legs with the hands or arms. What is penalised is the contact with the legs rather than the throw. Nothing changes outside contest, and the BJA sets it as a 5th Dan fundamental skill.
- Daki-age, high lift, Tachi-wazaProhibited in competition: current IJF rules give a direct hansoku-make for lifting an opponent off the mat and forcing them back down without a judo technique, so the high lift has no legal finish in contest. It remains part of the Kodokan classification and is demonstrated with a controlled lowering.
- Hiza-soto-muso, outer knee twist-down, Tachi-wazaPenalised in competition: the blocking hand works directly on uke's leg, which current IJF rules answer with a shido. Outside contest the technique is unaffected.
- Kibisu-gaeshi, heel reversal, Tachi-wazaPenalised in competition: the hand catches the heel, which current IJF rules count as a leg grab and answer with a shido. Outside contest the technique stands unaltered, and the BJA sets it as a 3rd Dan fundamental skill.
- Kuchiki-taoshi, single-leg drop, Tachi-wazaPenalised in competition: catching the leg with the hand draws a shido under current IJF rules. The grip becomes legal once both judoka are clearly in ne-waza and the standing exchange has stopped. It is taught and examined as normal, and the BJA sets it as a 4th Dan fundamental skill.
- Morote-gari, two-hand reap, Tachi-wazaPenalised in competition: current IJF rules answer any grip, block or push on the leg with the hand or arm with a shido, and taking both legs at once is the plainest case of it. Nothing restricts the technique outside contest, and the BJA sets it as a 5th Dan fundamental skill.
- Te-guruma, hand wheel, Tachi-wazaPenalised in competition: the lifting hand grips the inner thigh, and current IJF rules give a shido for touching the leg below the top of the inner thigh. Grips on the jacket and under the belt down to that line are allowed. The technique appears by name in the BJA Mon syllabus this reference transcribes.
- Waki-gatame, armpit armlock, Kansetsu-wazaRestricted in competition when applied standing: the arm is trapped under tori's armpit with nowhere for the elbow to go, so uke cannot always submit in time. Current IJF rules grade the penalty by the risk, giving a shido where uke can still escape and hansoku-make where the lock is on and there is no escape. On the ground it is a legal armlock, taught, demonstrated and examined, and the BJA sets it as a 1st Dan fundamental skill.