Osoto Gari
Osoto gari is the major outer reaping throw — the attacker drives the opponent's upper body back and sweeps their posting leg with a large reaping motion.
Adapted from InGrappling, Osoto Gari. System Games did not invent this curriculum.
Manage injuries →Position map Connects to 5 positions across 2 relationshipsOpen in the map →12345←Enters from
Osoto gari — the major outer reap — is the foundational outer reaping throw of judo and the most common judo entry in no-gi collar-tie exchanges. The attacker drives the opponent’s upper body backward and across, loads the opponent’s posting (near) leg with that drive, and reaps the loaded leg with a large outer arc through the back of the thigh. The combination of upper-body drive and lower-body reap rotates the opponent backward over the swept leg.
Osoto’s geometry is direct: drive the head and shoulders back, reap the loaded leg out from under the load, follow through to the mat. Where uchi mata requires a 180-degree pivot and back-exposure tolerance, osoto attacks straight through the opponent’s posture with no turning of the back. This makes osoto the easier no-gi judo entry to teach and the higher-percentage finish at developing levels — the throw fails into a forward stumble rather than a back-take exposure.
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 hereOsoto reaps the opponent's posting leg — the leg bearing the load that the upper-body drive has just placed onto it. The drive forces the opponent to step back and post; the reap fires once that post is the only remaining base. Removing the loaded leg leaves no available secondary leg to recover with — the unloaded leg has just lifted to step and cannot be replanted in time.
See full invariant page → INV-11Invariant "Hip control determines the path of the opponent. Where the hip is steered, the opponent must follow."
Why it works hereThe collar tie or underhook on the entry side controls the opponent's hip line through their head and shoulder — pulling the head down and across rotates the hip line and directs the throw path. Without this hip control, the drive becomes a simple push that the opponent absorbs by stepping; with it, the drive translates into rotation through the opponent's body.
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."