O goshi (大腰) is the basic judo hip throw: you wrap an arm around your partner's waist, load them onto the back of your hip and roll them over. It sits in the first group of the Gokyo no Waza.
- Japanese name: o goshi, 大腰. 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 Ikkyo, the first group.
- In BJJ: the hip throw turns up from the clinch and the body lock. Read Judo for BJJ Players for how judo throws carry over.
What is o goshi in judo?
The Kodokan defines o goshi as a technique to load the opponent onto the back of the hip and throw him down by breaking his balance forward and inserting the right arm through his left armpit while holding his hip and drawing it closer.
The arm around the back marks o goshi out from the other hip throws: with a lapel lift it is tsurikomi goshi, with a grip on the back of the belt tsuri goshi, with the arm around the neck koshi guruma.
How do you do o goshi?
Right-handed, as the Kodokan describes it; mirror for the left.
- Break the balance forward. Pull with your sleeve hand so your partner's weight comes onto their toes.
- Step in and turn. Place your right foot in front of their right foot, pivot on it and bring your left foot back, so you face the same way they do with your knees bent.
- Put the arm through the armpit and around the hip. Slide your right arm under their left armpit and around their lower back, hold their hip and draw it tight to you.
- Load them onto the back of the hip. Your hips are lower than theirs and pushed across in front of them; keep pulling the sleeve so their chest is flat on your back.
- Throw. Straighten your legs, bend forward and rotate them over the hip, pulling the sleeve down toward the mat so they land on their back.
The most common mistake is the hips. If your hips stay beside theirs there is nothing to roll them over and you end up lifting with your arms. Get low, get across in front, then stand up. Our judo training gear covers the kit for drilling the entry.
Video: KODOKAN official channel
What are the common counters to o goshi?
Ushiro goshi: the Kodokan describes it as throwing the opponent down vertically by counteracting their throw attempt and holding and lifting their hip.
Utsuri goshi is the same lift finished as a hip throw. Both are on the Kodokan list of techniques.
Is o 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 o goshi 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 o 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
Uki goshi (floating hip), Tsurikomi goshi (lifting pulling hip), Harai goshi (sweeping hip throw), Hip techniques, Off-balancing, Pulling hand and lifting hand.