The Origins of Throws in Martial Arts

Throws sit at the heart of many martial arts, uniting self-defence and sport through skillful control and timing. From judo to wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and traditional karate, throws have shaped how fighters subdue opponents while protecting themselves. Today, these techniques are not just built for power—they rely on precision, balance, and quick decision-making.

Understanding how and why throws developed across different cultures shines a light on the shared roots of martial arts. Learning their origins isn’t just useful for improving technique. It deepens your respect for each style’s history, reinforcing the connection between martial discipline, practical safety, and the evolution of combat sports.

Ancient Roots: The First Throwing Techniques

The story of throwing techniques starts deep in human history. Cultures across the world developed throws as a practical answer to survival, sport, and personal defence. When you look closer, you’ll see the same core ideas. balance, leverage and timing—threaded through wrestling traditions from Greece, China, and India. Each one added its own flavour, but all share a drive to control an opponent without simply relying on brute force.

Wrestling and Pankration in Ancient Greece: Core to Sport and Survival

Wrestling stood tall among the earliest formal sports in Greece. In the Olympic Games, wrestling was a true test of both skill and endurance. Ancient Greek wrestlers mastered throws, sweeps and body locks to control their matches, making use of every ounce of balance and leverage.

Pankration, a contest that blended boxing and wrestling, took throwing to another level. It was more than a game, it prepared warriors for life and death on the battlefield. Throws in pankration helped fighters break an enemy’s balance, subdue them fast, and even avoid injury themselves in close combat.

Some hallmarks of Greek throwing techniques:

• Hip throws and trips to use an opponent’s force against them.
• Sweeps for quick take-downs that confirmed dominance both on the soil of Olympia and in combat.
• Joint controls to pin and immobilise, showing not just power but true control.

You can read more about pankration’s relationship with ancient wrestling and the role of throws in these events.

Chinese Shuai Jiao: Over 4,000 Years of Grappling

China’s Shuai Jiao is one of the oldest forms of wrestling known, dating back over four millennia. Long before kung fu became famous, Chinese soldiers trained in Shuai Jiao to stay agile and effective in armed and unarmed combat.

This art focused on standing grappling, where the goal was to throw an opponent to the ground. Moves like shoulder throws, sweeping trips, and fast leg hooks all required careful control of balance. Shuai Jiao’s teachings passed down to later Chinese martial arts, shaping techniques used in styles like kung fu and sanda.

What set Shuai Jiao apart?

• Emphasis on speed and timing rather than strength alone.
• Jacket-grappling, which let fighters grip more securely for throws.
• Practical application on both the training field and battlefield.

Shuai Jiao’s legacy lives on, not only as a sport but as a key influence in the family tree of Chinese martial arts. The art’s focus on leverage and explosive throws remains at its core. You can dive deeper into Shuai Jiao’s ancient origins and technical influence and see how it shaped modern martial arts styles.

Indian and Combat Wrestling

In India, Pehlwani (or Kushti) became the backbone of traditional wrestling and self-defence. What started as a mix of indigenous and Persian wrestling styles eventually grew into a unique discipline, blending throws, locks, and pins with physical conditioning and custom rituals.

Pehlwani throws aimed to gain control quickly, drive opponents to the mat and follow up with locks that could finish a contest. Wrestlers trained both for contests in the mud pits and for readiness during conflict. Combining power with smart use of gravity and timing.

Typical features in Pehlwani wrestling:

• Morcha (stance), which made balance the first line of defence.
• Throwing techniques like the dhobi paat (shoulder throw), popular for its speed and flash.
• Joint locks to force a submission when a throw didn’t finish the job.

Pehlwani’s strong focus on throws and holds set the tone for how Indian wrestling would evolve—both as a sport and as a pillar of local martial traditions. Explore more about Pehlwani’s origin and signature throw techniques and its cultural impact on wrestling.

These ancient arts show that while cultures may be different, the heart of throwing—balance, leverage, and survival. Has always been a shared language.

Evolution in Asia: Samurai, Jujutsu and the Birth of Judo

Japanese martial traditions give us some of the clearest stories of how throwing techniques grew from pure survival skills to systematic martial arts. From armor-clad samurai on ancient battlefields to the classrooms of modern judo, Asia’s grappling legacy impacts nearly all martial arts today. Let’s see how this evolution played out and how throws shaped the direction of Karate, Aikido, and more.

Samurai Era: Jujutsu and Practical Combat

When feudal Japan was at war, samurai wore heavy armour and often fought up close. In that world, quick thinking and the ability to control an enemy were not optional—they were the difference between life and death.

Jujutsu became the answer for samurai when swords, spears, and arrows failed. The armor’s weight made powerful punches less useful, but throws and joint locks worked even when both fighters were protected from strikes. Samurai learned to:

• Unbalance their opponents by using subtle shifts of weight and timing
• Exploit the armours limits, turning it into a disadvantage for their enemy
• Throw with purpose— either to end a fight or control the situation for a finishing move

These skills meant a samurai could survive grappling on the battlefield. The principles behind their throws, such as using an opponent’s aggression against them—remain at the core of modern judo and jiu-jitsu. For more on how samurai used jujutsu for practical combat, this overview on the history of jujutsu explains its direct connection to modern grappling arts.

Judo: Scientific Analysis and Systematic Throws

Photo by juan idier Alba Enriquez

Near the end of the 1800s, Japanese educator Jigoro Kano took jujutsu and shaped it into judo. He wanted to make self-defence safe, teachable, and universal, so he examined old throws and reorganised them under new rules. Kano:

• Named and categorised each throw for clear teaching and safety.
• Used a scientific approach—throwing was based on kuzushi (off-balancing), tsukuri (entry/setup), and kake (execution).
• Focused on safety so people could train and compete without serious injury.

Some of the major types of throws Kano selected (and their purpose):

1. Seoi Nage (Shoulder Throw): Lifting an opponent off the ground and flipping them over the shoulder, using timing and centre of gravity.
2. O Goshi (Major Hip Throw): Pulling an opponent onto the hip, rotating the body, and sending them to the mat.
3. Sacrifice Throws (Sutemi Waza): The thrower drops to the mat intentionally to flip the opponent over using momentum.

Kano’s systematic approach made techniques safer so they could be practiced at full speed, turning the art from deadly battlefield tactics into Olympic-caliber sport. Judo’s naming conventions and technical breakdowns later influenced other martial styles worldwide. You can see a detailed lineage of these changes in Jujutsu and the origins of Judo.

Cross-Pollination: How Karate and Aikido Adopted Throws

As judo grew influential in Japan, its structured throws started to appear in other martial arts, especially Karate and Aikido. While Karate began as a striking art, integrating throws added a vital layer for self-defence and made it more adaptable in real fights.

• Karate: Early Karate focused on punches and kicks, but many teachers saw the power of judo-style throws. They included takedowns and hip throws to round out their systems. This blending helped Karate practitioners stay safe in grappling scenarios and expanded their response options. Learn more about the connection between Karate and Judo.
• Aikido: Founded by Morihei Ueshiba in the early 20th century, Aikido borrowed deeply from jujutsu and judo, especially in how attacks are redirected. Many Aikido techniques rely on similar principles as judo: breaking balance, entering safely, and performing smooth throws. Some moves could even be practiced as judo throws if done with more force. See real discussions on Judo techniques in Aikido and how these arts share core concepts.

This cross-pollination didn’t just stop in Japan. The rise of mixed martial arts and global tournaments kept spreading these ideas, making the study of throws part of nearly every complete martial art.

The Western and Global Spread of Throwing Arts

As martial arts spread around the globe, throwing techniques developed new life outside Asia. European wrestlers refined their craft both on the battlefield and for personal honour. Later, cross-cultural exchanges blended old and new styles, setting the stage for today’s modern grappling. Throws didn’t stay locked in tradition—they adapted to new sports, military needs, and the bright lights of MMA.

Traditional Western Wrestling and Medieval Manuals

Western wrestling has deep roots. European history records wrestling in ancient myths, medieval battlefields, and local village festivals long before cameras and global martial arts tournaments. Techniques for lifting, tripping, and throwing fueled both sport and survival.

By the Middle Ages, wrestling was already featured in illustrated manuals used to teach knights, soldiers, and even royalty. These books broke down techniques for grappling in armour—where a smart throw could tip the scales in close combat. Battlefield manuals like the German “Fechtbuch” and English fencing guides described:

• Over-the-shoulder throws to unseat armored foes.
• Hip tosses and sweeps to use an opponent’s size against them.
• Joint locks and pins drawn from folk wrestling styles.

Wrestling became a favorite sport among European nobility, often showcased at tournaments. Such matches built respect for technical skill, not just brute strength. By the 1800s and 1900s, the rise of catch wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling brought formal rules, helping turn folk grappling into organised competition.

Read more about the history of wrestling and its documented throws in Europe to see how these skills crossed from battlefield to sporting arena.

Modern Grappling Fusion: Catch Wrestling, Sambo, and BJJ

New approaches emerged when Western and Eastern fighting styles crossed paths. Catch wrestling, born in 1800s England, built on local “folk” styles but absorbed ideas from everywhere sailors, circus performers, and immigrants met. This melting pot led catch wrestling to focus on:

• Quick takedowns and throws for pinning or submitting fast.
• Blending pins with joint locks so every throw could finish a fight.
• Adaptable rulesets, letting fighters use whatever was effective.

Sambo soon followed in Russia. Its creators studied Judo, local wrestling, and military needs to build a new art for police and soldiers. Sambo techniques combined explosive throws from Judo with the grittier control and submissions found in catch wrestling, making it useful for both self-defence and sport.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) refined throws and ground fighting even further. When Judo came to Brazil, the Gracie family and others sharpened throws for small spaces, with street self-defence in mind. BJJ’s system built on wrestling for takedowns, Sambo for versatility, and Judo for technical throwing entries.

Some core points of this global fusion:

• Catch wrestling influenced Sambo and BJJ, giving both arts more ways to win through throws or submissions. Learn more about catch wrestling’s influence on modern grappling arts.
• Sambo merged standing throws with ground grappling, which helped Russian athletes succeed on the world stage. Find a detailed look at how Sambo, BJJ, and wrestling styles connect.
• BJJ broke out internationally, powered by its success in MMA, where smart throws help fighters control and end matches quickly.

Photo by Artem Podrez

Throws in Today’s Martial Arts: Sport, Self-Defence, and MMA

Throws aren’t just the stuff of history books. Today, they shape the tactics of modern martial artists whether on the mats, in the ring, or on the street. Effective throws can turn the tide of a fight, giving athletes a strong tool for both offence and defence.

In sport settings, throws rack up points, wow audiences, and often decide matches in judo, wrestling, and sambo. MMA takes this a step further—fighters use throws to dictate where a fight happens, setting up ground-and-pound or fast submissions. BJJ and wrestling-inspired throws are among the safest ways to escape danger or gain the upper hand in real situations.

Today’s trends and sport rules shape how throws are taught and applied:

• MMA and grappling tournaments keep throws at the centre of high-level competition.
• Self-defence programs blend quick takedowns with traditional strikes, keeping real-world needs in mind.
• Rule sets in Olympic sports sometimes limit dangerous throws to protect athletes, but technical variety still thrives.

Martial artists continue to adapt, blend, and sharpen throwing skills for every context. Whether in the gym, on the mat, or under bright lights, the art of the throw stays essential and always evolving.

For a detailed look at how different grappling styles refine and use throws, check out this comparison of BJJ, Sambo, and Catch Wrestling.

Conclusion

The story of throws in martial arts is a global legacy shaped by need, innovation, and cultural exchange. Every tradition from the ancient wrestling pits of India to the training halls of Japan and the athletic stages of the West. Added a layer to what has become a universal skill set. Learning throws connects us to centuries of practice where survival, respect, and strategy walked hand in hand.

Studying and training throws isn’t just about gaining a technical edge. It’s a way to honour those who came before and to grow as both a martial artist and a person. Whether you train for competition or self-defence, approach each session with care, precision and gratitude for the knowledge passed down through generations.

Keep exploring the roots and methods behind each throw. Share what you learn and never stop refining your craft. Grappling unites us and your journey helps keep this tradition alive.

Thank you for reading—add your story, thoughts, or favourite technique below and keep the conversation going.