Tani otoshi (谷落) is the judo valley drop: you slide a leg behind both of your partner's legs and fall onto your side, taking them down. It is the classic answer to a partner who turns in for a hip throw and stalls.
- Japanese name: tani otoshi, 谷落. On the judoinfo.com list of Japanese judo terms, yoko sutemi waza means side sacrifice throws.
- Kodokan classification: yoko-sutemi-waza, a side sacrifice technique. The Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com places it in Yonkyo, the fourth group.
- In BJJ: the same movement is a common finish from the body lock and from the back clinch when you have one leg behind your partner. Read Judo for BJJ Players for how judo throws carry over.
What is tani otoshi in judo?
The Kodokan defines tani otoshi as a technique to pull and throw down the opponent by breaking his balance backward and laying down the body onto the left side while sliding the left leg behind him. Your leg becomes the edge of the valley; your falling weight pulls them over it.
A partner turns in for a hip throw, you block with your hips, step your leg behind both of theirs and sit down to the side, and they fall backward over your leg.
How do you do tani otoshi?
Left-sided, as the Kodokan describes it; mirror for the right.
- Get to their side or behind them. From a blocked hip throw, bring your chest to their side with a grip on the belt or around the waist and a grip on the sleeve or lapel.
- Break the balance backward. Pull them back and down onto their heels with both hands.
- Slide the left leg behind. Stretch your left leg along the mat behind both of their legs, foot pointing outward, so your leg lies across the back of their ankles or calves.
- Lay down onto the left side. Sit and then roll onto your left side, keeping both grips, so your body weight pulls them backward over your leg.
- Follow to the top. As they land, roll toward them and come up into side control or a pin.
The safety point matters more here than in most throws. If your leg is behind their knee and they fall straight down onto it, their knee takes the load. Keep your leg low, across the ankles or calves, and pull them backward and to the side so they fall over the leg, never onto it. Our judo training gear covers the kit for throwing practice.
Video: KODOKAN official channel
Which side sacrifice throws are related to tani otoshi?
Yoko otoshi slides the leg to the outside of their foot with the balance broken sideways; yoko gake sweeps the outer ankle while laying down. Both are on the Kodokan list of techniques.
Is tani otoshi 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 tani otoshi 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 tani otoshi, 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
Yoko wakare (side separation), Sumi gaeshi (corner reversal), Body lock takedown, Sacrifice techniques, Breakfall, O goshi (hip throw).