Kosoto gari (小外刈) is the judo minor outer reap: you reap your partner's foot from the outside, at the heel, while their weight sits on it. It is the outside twin of kouchi gari.
- Japanese name: kosoto gari, 小外刈. The judoinfo.com ashi-waza page lists it as a small outside reaping technique.
- Kodokan classification: ashi-waza, a foot and leg technique. The Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com places it in Dai Nikyo, the second group.
- In judo: a favourite against partners who stand with one foot forward and lean on it, and a common follow-up when a hip throw entry is blocked and they lean back.
What is kosoto gari in judo?
The Kodokan defines kosoto gari as a technique to reap the opponent's right foot from the outside with the left foot and throw him down by breaking his balance backward. Your left foot comes around the outside of their right foot and reaps the heel forward, in the direction their toes point, while your hands push them back over it.
The judoinfo.com ashi-waza page groups it with the sweeping, reaping and hooking leg throws.
How do you do kosoto gari?
Right-handed, as the Kodokan describes it; mirror for the left.
- Break the balance backward onto their right heel. Push with the lapel hand and pull the sleeve down and back, so their weight loads the right foot.
- Step to the outside. Move your right foot to a point beside and slightly behind their right foot, so you stand at their side.
- Reap from the outside. Sweep your left foot around the outside of their right ankle and catch the back of the heel with the sole of your foot.
- Reap forward. Drive the foot in the direction their toes point, lifting the heel off the mat, while your hands push them straight back.
- Follow them down. Keep the sleeve grip to soften the fall and move straight into a pin.
The most common mistake is reaping backward, against the direction of their toes, which just kicks the ankle. Reap along the line of the foot, forward and up, and make sure the hands are pushing them back at the same instant. Done on a loaded foot, the reap needs very little force. Our judo training gear covers the kit for drilling the entry alone.
Video: KODOKAN official channel
Which throws are related to kosoto gari?
Kosoto gake: the Kodokan describes it as breaking the balance backward, hooking the left foot or leg from the outside on the right leg and lifting the body. The hook replaces the reap and the throw becomes a lift-and-trip. Yoko gake: the same outer-ankle attack finished as a side sacrifice throw. Both are on the Kodokan list of techniques.
Is kosoto gari 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 kosoto gari is one, so a clean throw can score yuko, waza-ari or ippon.
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 kosoto gari, Kodokan Judo Institute
- Judoinfo.com ashi-waza page, JudoInfo
- Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com, JudoInfo
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
- IBJJF rules, IBJJF
Related terms
Kouchi gari (minor inner reap), Osoto gari (major outer reap), De ashi harai (foot sweep), Off-balancing, Foot and leg techniques.