circle throw

Circle throw is the English translation of the Japanese tomoe nage — the judo sacrifice throw in which the attacker sits back, places a foot on the opponent’s hip, and rotates the opponent over the foot in a circular arc.

Etymology. The “circle” descriptor renders tomoe — a Japanese term for a comma-shaped motif found in traditional crests, evoking circular or spiral motion — into English. Nage means “throw.” The translation captures the throw’s rotational geometry: the opponent travels in a circular arc over the attacker’s planted foot. “Circle throw” appears in older English-language judo translation material and in regional contexts where translators preferred metaphorical English rendering to direct transliteration. The Japanese tomoe nage predominates in modern no-gi and BJJ vocabulary.

Mechanics. The throw uses the attacker’s planted foot on the opponent’s hip as the rotational axis — the opponent’s centre of mass travels over the foot in a controlled arc while the attacker’s grip and body weight commit the rotation. The connection through the hip-anchor and the upper-body grip drives the throw to completion.

Cross-reference. Tomoe nage remains the Japanese-language standard. Full mechanical coverage on Tomoe Nage.