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This video is a great demonstration of not just technique but the logic behind how branches of technique are designed to fit together. It’s an obvious concept, yet in the modern era of hyper-specialized combat sports, it often gets lost—something that was never the case in traditional Japanese combative approaches.

I’ve always said that the traditional throwing techniques of jujitsu (jiu-jitsu / jujutsu) and judo—aside from their physical impact and psychological disorientation—are the best instant “guard pass” there is. And that’s no coincidence!

Modern sport-based grappling, especially in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), has developed an intricate system of techniques to “pass the guard.” Against a skilled grappler, passing the guard (getting past an opponent’s legs when facing them) requires significant skill. Whether in competition or a real fight, legs are powerful tools, and one must approach them with caution and strategy.

While jujitsu and pre-WWII judo have always included techniques for passing the guard, BJJ spends more time developing this specific skill than any other grappling system. Why? Because of the deemphasis on stand-up fighting and the decline of high-level throwing skills.

Historically, in true combative settings, throwing overwhelmingly cleared the opponent’s legs immediately and impactfully, leaving them vulnerable to strikes, pins, joint locks, or strangles—without the need to engage in a prolonged battle to pass the guard. Instead of navigating around the opponent’s defenses, the throw removes the opportunity for them to establish a guard in the first place while inflicting damage.

The downside? Throwing takes time to master. Some judo sensei have been known to say, “Six years nage-waza, six months newaza”—emphasizing the long-term investment required to develop strong throws. But that same time investment exists in guard passing for those who lack effective throws. Without proper throwing skills, many grapplers default to tackling their opponents with basic takedowns (frequently a bad double-leg), often landing in the opponent’s guard—making guard passing a necessity rather than an option. This leads to an overemphasis on a skill that was once secondary to a well-rounded jujitsu strategy.

This isn’t to say guard passing isn’t valuable—it always existed in jujitsu and judo. But throwing has historically been the classical solution to avoid the need for hyper-specialization in this area. For those maintaining a self-defense-oriented approach, that logic still holds true today.

Ironically, some people suggest, “Learn judo for throws and BJJ for groundwork—it would be awesome to combine both.” But that’s exactly how the arts were originally designed! Jujitsu was always a seamless blend of stand-up and ground fighting. It was only through sport rule modifications and hyper-specialization that these once-unified skills were divided into separate compartments.

This BJJ competition video perfectly illustrates the traditional approach: A skilled thrower instantly passes the guard with a throw, maintains control post-throw, and seamlessly transitions into an armlock (juji-gatame) without any interference from the opponent’s lower body. This is the way jujitsu was designed to function—before excessive specialization fractured its natural flow.

Credit to those who keep the art intact, not just collecting skills but understanding why and how they logically fit together.

Categories of Technique vs. Domains of Combat

Drawing of jujutsu / judo practice from the early “modern” period.

In the world of Japanese martial arts, particularly judo & jujutsu, one often hears the terms katame-waza (grappling techniques) and newaza (ground fighting) used interchangeably. Even the best teachers do this and for ease of class instruction it is almost always permissible. Because of this, however, occasionally students ask, “What is the difference between katame-waza & newaza? Are they two terms referring to the same thing?”

The easiest way to answer is to understand that Japanese combative techniques can be broken down and organized in several different ways all of which are valid. Each way has its merits and depending on the context, a sensei might use one over another. For the sake of this short essay and answering this particular question, we’ll focus on the two broad ways this organization usually takes place.

One method is to organize combative skills into branches or categories of technique. In pre-World War 2 Judo, this was broken down into:

Atemi-Waza (Striking Technique)
Nage-Waza (Throwing Technique)
Katame-Waza (Grappling Technique)

Notice, there isn’t any Newaza or “ground fighting” technique in there. Or is there?

Katame-Waza refers to grappling techniques. Many grappling techniques take place on the ground. So, in some sense it seems that Katame-waza (grappling) encompasses Newaza (ground fighting). However, not all grappling techniques take place on the ground. Many joint locks and strangulation / choking techniques happen in the standing position, especially when one is thinking about the these arts as true fighting arts as opposed to sporting contests.

So that settles it, right? All newaza is katame-waza but NOT all katame-waza is newaza, right? Well, not exactly…

You see, katame-waza simply categorizes specific types of techniques as GRAPPLING. It doesn’t state where the specific grappling technique is taking place. It could be standing, on the ground, or even sitting in a chair. It is a category of technique without reference to WHERE the technique is taking place. Yes, much of grappling happens on the ground but that isn’t always true.

The other way of breaking down combative skills isn’t based on Categories of Technique model but rather based on the specific DOMAINS OF COMBAT. There are more than these two, but broadly speaking we can say they are Tachi-Waza (standing) and Newaza (ground).

Simply stating “ground fighting” doesn’t necessarily mean strictly and exclusively grappling techniques are in use. It is 100% true that newaza or ground-fighting is most dominated by the category of technique broadly known as grappling (katame)…but if someone attempts a kick from the grounded position or performs an elbow strike from top position they are STILL engaged in newaza, they just used a striking technique (atemi) while in the ground phase or domain of combat. Thus, newaza is referring to where the battle is taking place or the domain of combat (most dominated by grappling) and it is not in itself necessarily any one type of fighting technique. You can be striking on the ground (newaza) and grappling on the feet (tachi-waza). You can clearly throw standing but you can also perform throws from the ground. In Japanese these are called nogare-kata or simply positional reversals. In the terminology of the modern sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), these are often referred to as “sweeps.” The fundamental principles are the same even if the domain of combat (standing vs ground) has changed.

As opposed to pre-WW2 judo, the modern version of sport-based Judo has entirely eliminated atemi-waza or striking techniques. As such, katame-waza (the grappling category of technique) and ne-waza (the domain of combat that takes place on the ground) are in all but the most rare of cases referring to grappling on the ground.

Outline of the Branches of Technique of Pre-WW2 Kodokan Judo

Nonetheless, those who preserve the art as a true martial art for self-defense should understand both the categories of technique and the particular domains of combat models for organizing and outlining an understanding of the art. In standing phase of combat (tachi-waza) one can strike, throw, and grapple (joint lock, choke, etc.). In the ground phase of combat (newaza) one can strike, throw, and grapple.

Most frequently, although not always, the various forms of sparring (randori or kumite) sees the domains of combat broken apart to closely correspond with particular branches of technique. Atemi-waza or striking often happens in karate kumite or kickboxing-style sparring with the usual exclusion or minimization of serious attempts to throw the opponent or apply grappling holds. In jujitsu & judo randori or free sparring it is usually throwing on the feet and grappling on the ground. This is where the fuzziness between the terms so often happens. The impression one is left with is that (in this case) katame-waza & newaza are one and the same…practically speaking in some forms of practice they are but they are actually referring to two different models of understanding: domains of combat or categories of technique.

judo

Throwing is the “Instant Guard Pass”

Katame Waza vs Newaza • What’s the Difference?