Harai goshi (払腰) is the judo sweeping hip throw: you load your partner onto the back of your hip and sweep their legs away with yours. It is a big, committed throw and a close relative of uchi mata.
- Japanese name: harai goshi, 払腰. On the judoinfo.com list of Japanese judo terms, koshi means hip.
- Kodokan classification: koshi-waza, a hip technique. The Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com places it in Dai Nikyo, the second group.
- In judo: taller players favour it because the long sweeping leg reaches across both of the partner's legs.
What is harai goshi in judo?
The Kodokan defines harai goshi as a technique to sweep up the opponent with the right leg and throw him down by breaking his balance forward and loading him onto the back of the right hip.
The difference from uchi mata is where the leg goes: in harai goshi it sweeps across the outside of the partner's thighs, in uchi mata it goes between the legs and lifts the inner thigh.
How do you do harai goshi?
Right-handed; mirror for the left.
- Break the balance forward and to their right front corner. Pull the sleeve and lift with the lapel hand so their weight comes onto their toes.
- Step in and turn. Place your right foot in front of their right foot, pivot and bring your left foot back so you face the same way they do, standing on your left leg.
- Load them onto the back of the right hip. Pull them tight to your back with both hands; their right hip should be against your right hip.
- Sweep. Swing your right leg back and up across the front of their right thigh, sweeping both legs off the mat while your upper body bends forward.
- Rotate and finish. Keep pulling the sleeve down and across as you turn, so they roll over your hip and land on their back in front of you.
The most common mistake is sweeping before the load. If the leg swings while their weight is still on their own feet, you kick their thigh and fall over. Load first, sweep second. Our judo training gear is rash guards made for people who train; wear one under the gi on drilling days.
Video: KODOKAN official channel
What are the counters and variations of harai goshi?
Harai goshi gaeshi: the Kodokan describes it as counteracting the harai goshi attempt by reaping or hooking the attacker's pivot foot from the outside with the foot or leg. Your partner takes your supporting leg away while you stand on it. A rushed entry with the hips left behind is what feeds it.
Harai makikomi, the same sweep wrapped into a side sacrifice throw, and hane goshi are also on the Kodokan list of techniques.
Is harai goshi legal in judo competition?
Yes. The IJF Sport and Organisation Rules score a throw when it is a Kodokan classified technique or a recognised variation, and harai goshi is one, so a clean throw can score yuko, waza-ari or ippon.
The IJF rules name it among the throws where diving forward head first onto the mat is hansoku-make, so finish standing or on your side.
In BJJ a throw counts as a takedown: 2 points under the IBJJF rules once your partner lands on the back, side or seat and you hold the top for three seconds.
Sources
- Kodokan defines harai goshi, Kodokan Judo Institute
- Judoinfo.com list of Japanese judo terms, JudoInfo
- Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com, JudoInfo
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
- IBJJF rules, IBJJF
Related terms
O goshi (hip throw), Uki goshi (floating hip), Osoto gari (major outer reap), Off-balancing, Hip techniques, Entry and execution.