The Reap — Defending
Defending the reap in no-gi — the entanglement entry you answer before it becomes a position. Clear the threading leg, hold the knee line, and know the one counter that attacks back.
Adapted from the original page. Grappling.Games did not write this. Sources.
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The reap from the standing side — you are the player whose leg is being threaded. The seated player has passed their inside leg across and behind your near leg, and from that geometry ashi garami, outside ashi and cross ashi are all one movement away.
This is the only page in the defending set that describes an entry rather than a position. Nothing is entangled yet. Nothing is loaded. What exists is a leg across yours and a decision about which entanglement it becomes — and which one it becomes is partly yours to influence.
That makes this the most valuable defensive moment in the whole family, and the one that gets the least attention. Every page on the inside line describes a position you should have prevented. This is where the prevention happens.
Elevated RiskThe Reap (Defending) is an elevated risk technique. The reap itself loads nothing — its safety tier is standard for that reason. The risk is entirely downstream: the cross-ashi it most directly produces carries the inside heel hook, which rotates the tibia against the knee and fails ligaments before pain arrives. Serious injury can occur Not applicable at the reap. One transition later it is shorter than a decision, which is the argument for treating this position as urgent despite it being safe..
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.