The Reap
The reap — seated guard entry threading inside leg across. Creates ashi, outside ashi, or cross ashi depending on the response.
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The reap is a ground-level leg entanglement entry performed from a seated or guard position. The guard player threads their inside leg across and behind the opponent’s leg — the attacking foot passes behind the opponent’s near leg, creating an immediate entanglement geometry that provides access to ashi garami, outside ashi garami, or cross ashi depending on which direction the opponent moves and which configuration the bottom player commits to.
The reap is distinct from the false reap — the reap threads the leg to the inside of the opponent’s leg (between the legs), while the false reap threads to the outside. This geometry determines which submissions are most directly accessible. The reap provides the most direct path to cross ashi / inside heel hook because the leg position naturally creates inside access.
The position itself carries no elevated injury risk. The submissions it leads to — particularly the inside heel hook from cross ashi — are elevated risk. Practitioners entering the reap should understand the downstream risk profile before drilling entries with speed or resistance.
Elevated RiskThe Reap is an elevated risk technique. The reap threads the inside leg behind the opponent’s near leg, and that geometry gives immediate inside heel hook access. The inside heel hook loads the knee in rotation — ACL and medial structures — and it does not warn before it damages. The entanglement also holds the leg while the entry is completed, so a defender who waits to feel pain has already waited too long. Serious injury can occur Rotational damage can occur within a small number of degrees once the heel is captured..
If you are new to this technique: read this section before anything else. Understanding the danger is part of understanding the technique.
The person applying the technique is responsible for releasing immediately.
Communicate before drilling. Know your partner's experience level with this position.