How bouts are won — the kimarite types

The pushing and thrusting family covers all winning techniques achieved without gripping the belt — attacking with open hands to the chest, shoulders, throat, and face to drive the opponent out or down. This is the family of oshi-zumo (pushing sumo), one of the sport's two fundamental styles.

Pushing techniques tend to produce faster bouts. A wrestler with superior tachiai speed and a powerful drive can end a match in under two seconds with a clean oshidashi before the opponent can establish a grip. The tradeoff is vulnerability to pull-down counters — committing too hard to a forward push can be redirected.

• Oshidashi
  押し出し
  Frontal push-out — the second most common technique overall. Open-hand drive to the body, no belt grip, walking the opponent across the boundary.
• Tsukidashi
  突き出し
  Frontal thrust-out — rapid alternating thrusts rather than a sustained push. More dynamic, harder to sustain against a heavy opponent digging in.
• Oshitaoshi
  押し倒し
  Frontal push-down — the opponent is driven to the ground rather than out of the ring. Typically occurs when they stumble forward under pressure.

The yori (force-out) family covers techniques where the wrestler grips the opponent's belt and drives them out or down through forward body pressure. This is the heart of yotsu-zumo — classical belt wrestling — and yorikiri is its definitive expression.

Belt force-outs reward superior lower-body strength, grip positioning, and the ability to neutralise the opponent's defensive manoeuvres while maintaining forward momentum. A clean yorikiri executed at full speed against a resisting opponent is one of the most technically demanding acts in sumo.

• Yorikiri
  寄り切り
  Frontal force-out — the single most common technique in sumo, accounting for approximately 32% of all Makuuchi victories. Belt grip, drive forward, walk opponent out.
• Yoritaoshi
  寄り倒し
  Frontal crush-out — like yorikiri but the opponent falls as they cross the boundary rather than stepping cleanly out.
• Kimedashi
  極め出し
  Arm-lock force-out — both arms locked to the opponent's sides, immobilising them before driving them out. Rare and visually striking.

This family uses the opponent's own forward momentum against them — deflecting, redirecting, or pulling to cause them to touch the ground. These are primarily counter-attacking techniques, most effective against wrestlers who commit strongly to their tachiai charge.

Hatakikomi (slap-down) is the most common of these and the third most frequent technique overall. It carries a slightly ambivalent reputation — effective but sometimes seen as the resort of a wrestler who lacks the power or position to engage directly. A well-timed hatakikomi against a faster or stronger opponent, however, is a legitimate tactical choice.

• Hatakikomi
  叩き込み
  Slap-down — stepping aside and slapping down on the charging opponent's back or shoulder. The third most common technique in Makuuchi.
• Hikiotoshi
  引き落とし
  Pull-down — grabbing the arm or shoulder and pulling the opponent forward and down as they overcommit.
• Tsukiotoshi
  突き落とし
  Thrust-down — a thrusting motion redirected downward rather than forward, causing the opponent to fall rather than step out.

The nage (throw) family is the largest single group and arguably the most visually spectacular. All involve gripping the opponent's belt and using rotational force — pivoting the body to swing the opponent off their feet and to the ground. The distinction between individual throws is primarily the grip position: overarm (uwate) or underarm (shitate), and the direction and mechanics of the pivot.

Belt throws require exceptional timing and lower-body stability — the wrestler executing the throw must resist being thrown themselves as they pivot. Great throwing wrestlers tend to have strong hips and exceptional balance. Uwatenage and shitatenage are the most frequently seen; the rarer variants within the family appear only a handful of times per year across the entire professional circuit.

• Uwatenage
  上手投げ
  Overarm throw — outer belt grip, pivot, the opponent is swung to the ground. One of the most dramatic techniques when executed at full speed.
• Shitatenage
  下手投げ
  Underarm throw — inner belt grip, pivot. Requires more leverage to execute against a heavier opponent than the overarm variant.
• Kotenage
  小手投げ
  Arm throw — the opponent's arm is locked at the elbow and used as a lever to throw them, without a belt grip. Bridges the nage and kake families.

This family covers techniques involving the legs — hooking or sweeping an opponent's leg, or lifting them bodily off the ground. They require precise timing and often represent the highest-risk, highest-reward option available to a wrestler in a tight situation.

Tsuridashi (lift-out), in which the wrestler lifts the opponent completely off the ground and carries them across the boundary, is one of sumo's most impressive physical feats and draws loud reactions from the crowd. Leg trips and sweeps tend to appear when both wrestlers are locked at the belt and neither can gain forward traction — a sudden foot hook can shift the balance instantly.

• Tsuridashi
  釣り出し
  Lift-out — the opponent is lifted completely off the ground and carried out of the ring. Requires exceptional strength. Crowd-pleasing when it occurs.
• Kirikaeshi
  切り返し
  Heel kick reversal — the back of the opponent's knee is swept while their body is driven in the opposite direction.
• Sotogake
  外掛け
  Outer leg trip — hooking the outside of the opponent's leg with your own while driving their upper body in the opposite direction.

The largest and most varied family, covering everything that doesn't fit cleanly into the previous categories. This includes arm and body twists, backwards body drops, and the rarest techniques in the entire catalogue — moves that may go years between appearances even across the full professional circuit.

Several techniques in this family are primarily of historical or theoretical interest — officially recognized but effectively never seen. Others, like zubuneri (duel armlock twist) and izori (backward body drop), appear occasionally and always generate significant attention when they do. A rare kimarite at a high-stakes bout can dominate post-tournament discussion for days.

• Zubuneri
  ずぶ捻り
  Duel armlock twist — both arms locked and twisted simultaneously to bring the opponent down. Extremely rare.
• Izori
  居反り
  Backward body drop — bending backward under a charging opponent so they fly over. Requires unusual flexibility and precise timing.
• Nichonage
  二丁投げ
  Two-mast throw — a leg sweep and upper body throw executed simultaneously. Among the rarest techniques in professional sumo.