Kaiten-nage (Rotary Throw)
回転投げ
The defender presses the attacker's head down and lifts his arm up behind his back. The body turns about its own axis and falls forward.
Quick Facts
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Common mistakes: pressing on the throat instead of the nape and back, lifting the arm without pressing the head down at the same time, and throwing before the trunk has actually twisted.
💡 Key Tip
Head down and arm up must happen at the same moment. If one lags, the attacker straightens and the technique falls apart.
About
Kaiten-nage, the rotary throw, works with two opposing directions at once, and from that comes its name. With one hand the defender presses the attacker's head and neck down, with the other he lifts the extended arm up and back, so the trunk twists around its long axis. In this position the attacker can neither step back nor straighten up: the shoulder is locked above the level of his back and the head is below the level of his hips, so a single way out remains — a forward fall over his own shoulder. The technique is used above all against a direct attack to the head and against a grab from behind, where the defender passes under the arm and comes out on the outside. It is practised in two main variants — soto kaiten, working from outside the arm, and uchi kaiten, passing from inside. It is a technique where it shows plainly whether the student leads with the whole body or merely pushes with the hands.