4x World Champion, Fujii Shozo never got the chance to compete in the Olympics. His first opportunity was in 1972 but he was unable to compete due to a knee injury. In ’76 he dislocated his elbow and almost forced him into retirement. Following this injury, he had to completely change Judo style because his best move, the se oi nage, couldn’t be used due to his elbow not bending all the way. Although he qualified for the Olympic team in ’80, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan led to the Olympic boycott with 50 other nations during the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Fujii, who went on to coach at Tenri is known for having great technique. Here, he emphasizes several important points when executing the Se oi nage. 

Although in middle school he primary move was the uchi mata, he was instructed to learn the se oi nage when he went to Tenri high. With daily drilling, it took him 1 year to be able to execute in competition. 

Se oi nage basics: 

• Keep the opponents belt on your back.
• Don’t allow your hips to sway to the right or left. (might work against a light opponent but not against a heavy opponent)

Se oi nage concepts: 

• Step your first foot out front in a straight line from your opponent. 
• Don’t step too deep. This will make it difficult to rotate your hips.
• Not stepping too deep makes it easier to break down your opponents posture. 
• Open up their armpit. Make sure you are opening the space between the elbow and their ribs in an upward motion not downward. 
• Once there is space put your opposite elbow in that space, as your quickly turn your hips. 
• Lift your hips and throw. 

Things not to do with the se oi nage:

• Don’t touch your knees to the mat.
• Don’t step in too deep. Make your initial step is out front so you can turn your hips properly. 
• Make sure you make plenty of space (between their arm and ribs) to insert your other arm. 
• Connect your back to their chest. There shouldn’t be space between your back and their chest. 

Se oi nage drills:

• Practice stepping in and quickly corkscrewing down to a squat. (This will help build strength in the legs and hips) 
• Place your collar hand on your belt and only use the sleeve hand to open up your partner while spinning into position. 

The se oi nage is a move that needs a lot of repetition drilling. There are many moving parts to the move and in addition to developing strength in the legs and hips, you body needs to learn the movements of the position. A good move you can use the se oi nage with is the ko uchi gari. This type of move where you attack your partner going backwards and forwards is very effective.