Kosoto Gari
Kosoto gari is a judo foot throw in which the attacker reaps the opponent's far leg from outside while driving their weight forward.
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Kosoto gari — minor outer reap — is a standing judo throw in which the attacker reaps the opponent’s far leg from outside while driving the upper body forward. The reaping foot contacts the back of the opponent’s heel from the outside; the upper body drive forces the opponent’s weight onto that same heel at the moment of contact. With weight committed and the support point removed simultaneously, the opponent falls backward and to the reaped side.
Kosoto gari is the smaller, more precise sibling of osoto gari. Both attack from the outside and both pair with collar-tie or underhook upper-body control. The difference is target and scale: osoto reaps the opponent’s posting leg (the leg already bearing weight) with a large arc through the back of the thigh and knee; kosoto reaps the heel of the leg as weight transfers onto it, with a small contact through the back of the ankle. Where osoto is a committed full-body reaping throw, kosoto is a timing technique — the entire throw lives in the moment of weight transfer.
INV-ST01Invariant "Destabilising the opponent requires controlling the secondary leg — the leg that is not the primary base. Moving the secondary leg removes the opponent's ability to rebalance."
Why it works hereThe reap targets the leg in the instant it is becoming the primary base — the moment of weight transfer is the only moment at which destabilisation works. Before transfer, the reap moves an unloaded leg with no effect. After transfer, the leg is fully planted and braced, and the previously unloaded leg has become the available secondary leg for recovery. Only mid-transfer is the reaped leg both load-bearing and the only available base.
See full invariant page → INV-06Invariant "Base is a function of weight distribution over a support point. Disrupting the support point disrupts the base regardless of the size of what sits on it."
Why it works hereKosoto fires when the opponent's far heel is the only support point for the weight that has just landed on it. Removing the heel removes the entire support — the throw does not fight the opponent's strength, it acts on geometry. This is why kosoto succeeds against larger opponents when timed correctly: the disruption is to the support point, not to the muscular resistance.
See full invariant page → INV-13Invariant "Kuzushi (off-balance) is the prerequisite of every throw. The opponent must be moved out of their base of support before the throwing action begins."