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| Tomoe actually refers to a "swirl" |
Tomoe-nage is often referred to as the "stomach throw" because that's where tori places his foot (or feet) -- on uke's stomach -- when executing the throw. But that's not a correct translation.
A more accurate translation would be to call it the "whirling" throw or if you want to be even more precise, the "swirling" throw. But I guess "stomach throw" rolls off the tongue a lot easier than "whirling" or "swirling" throw.
In its traditional form, the tomoe-nage is done with tori falling onto his back and pulling uke on top of him as he places his foot (or feet) directly on uke's stomach. He then throws uke straight over.
This was the tomoe-nage used by the great Shozo Fujii of Japan. Toshihiko Koga of Japan also favored the traditional form of tomoe-nage.
However, this form is seldom seen in competition these days, where the yoko-tomoe-nage prevails. Almost all tomoe-nage is done in this fashion nowadays.
It's called the yoko-tomoe-nage (side tomoe-nage) possibly because instead of falling straight back, tori drops with his head aimed at uke's far leg. If done properly, tori's body would be at an almost 90 degree angle to uke's body. The "yoko" aspect of this throw could also possibly refer to the fact that uke is usually thrown to the side rather than over the top.
I suspect that the reason this technique is more popular than the traditional one is that it's actually more effective and easier to score with.
The main dangers of doing this technique is if it fails, you could potentially get a shido for false attack or you might get pinned. You very rarely get countered although it has happened on some occasions at top international competitions, where uke actually sweeps away one of tori's legs as tori executes the tomoe (this is very rare though because it requires perfect timing).
The yoko-tomoe is most effective when tori and uke are in a kenka-yotsu (opposite) stance situation. For example, tori is in a right-handed stance and uke is in a left-handed stance. It's an unusual technique in that the throwing leg is usually the weak leg. For example, if tori is right-handed and has a right-handed sleeve-lapel grip, he would throw with his left leg. Similarly, if tori is left-handed and has a left-handed sleeve-lapel grip, he would throw with his right leg.
There are exceptions of course. Karen Briggs of Great Britain was right-handed but she threw with her right leg. This bucks convention wisdom though and I should say the overwhelming majority of right-handers would do tomoe-nage with their left leg.
Tomoe-nage is more often seen in lightweight matches. Many seoi-nage specialists use tomoe-nage which is a good complement to the throw. It's worth noting that both Fujii and Koga are seoi-nage specialists.
However, there are some heavyweights who can do tomoe-nage. France's Jean-Luc Rouge (President of the French Judo Federation) was one of the few heavyweights who used tomoe-nage regularly in competition. Like Fujii and Koga, he used a more traditional version of the throw. Russia's Tamerlan Tmenov was another heavyweight who used this throw but he did the more modern yoko-tomoe-nage.
Yoko-tomoe-nage was one of the techniques my first competition coach taught me when I was starting out in competition training. I guess it's not surprising given that my main technique was seoi-nage. Tomoe is a good complement to seoi.
I'll be teaching the yoko-tomoe-nage to my players this technique on Friday. I have the technique broken down into its constituent parts already.
1. Firstly the stance
2. Secondly the grip
3. Thirdly the drop onto the mat (it's a sacrifice technique)
4. Fourthly, the execution of the throw
Each component has got to be done right. There is a certain amount of finesse and timing required to get it right. It took me literally years to learn how to do it right. It's not an easy throw to do but nothing good comes easy, right?
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