The classical version of ippon-seoi-nage is often taught in a flawed way. Firstly, you are told to throw off the sleeve rather than the lapel. A sleeve grip is very loose. A lapel grip is much tighter.

Secondly, you are told to bend your knees, almost to the point of squatting. Not only is this a very unstable situation to be in, it's also very difficult to lift uke into the air when your knees are bent.

If you look out for standing ippon-seoi-nage in competition, you will notice that most of the time, the throw is done off the lapel grip and uke's knees are either straight or inserted in between uke's legs. It is rarely, if ever, done the classical way.

This video shows you what the straight-leg ippon-seoi-nage looks like. It can be done against an opponent who is either the same height or taller than you. If your opponent is shorter, we recommend the leg-insertion version.