Wazari

An award of Wazari is a “near Ippon” and is equivalent to half a point.

Situations for an award of Wazari occur;

• When the contestants are standing (Nage-waza) and one Judoa throws the other with Skillful Control, but lacks one or more of the remaining elements; Speed, Force and on the Back. A direct side landing is a Wazari, as it lacks the element of “on the back”.

If a contestant scores a second Wazari (two half points), they are awarded Ippon (one point) and the match ends.

This information is meant as a summary and not substitute for the IJF’s Sport and Organization Contest Rules.  Consult the current IJF SOR Article D.15 for more information;

IJF_Sport_and_Organisation_Rul-1646858825.pdf (rackcdn.com)

The following examples illustrate throws that meet the criteria for Wazari.  There is skillful control of the technique, but one or more of the other elements (Speed, Force and on the Back) for Ippon are missing.  Can you spot the missing element?

Example 1

Example 2