How To Do A Tani Otoshi Correctly & Safely

The tani otoshi is an original judo throw created by Kano Jigoro. In other forms of grappling, the throw is often referred to as a “valley drop” in catch wrestling and BJJ. Whilst the move is reasonably common in judo and a good option to have in conjunction with other throw entires such as the seoi nage.

The tani otoshi has gained notoriety elsewhere in the grappling world due to horrific knee injuries, particularly in MMA. This is because the tani otoshi is being performed by non-trained grapplers, who may be outstanding at leg locks, but still white belts at judo techniques.

Despite having a positional advantage on your opponent when the throw is executed. The tani otoshi is still considered a sacrifice throw since you are plummeting your own bodyweight towards the ground with the idea of taking your opponent with you.

Entry To Tani Otoshi

The most common entries to the tani otoshi are a variety of hip throws. Entry can be done using a standard collar and sleeve grip on your opponent.

The idea behind the entry is that you are essentially tricking your opponent into thinking that you are going to perform a seoi nage, uchi mata, or any other kind of back facing throw. The opponent will plant their feet and/or move backward so that their weight is not distributed forwards over their hips. They also may attempt to try an ura nage, which is pretty much what you want and expect.

As your opponent is planted to the floor and ready to throw you, it is now the best time to redistribute your weight towards your far leg. Your front leg will go behind the opponent to be used as a blocker, whilst all of your body weight will now be planted in your back leg. As you are side on to your opponent, it will be very difficult for them to throw you, even if they have superior grips.

Mechanics Of The Throw

The very first thing you should know about the tani otoshi is that it is a throw and is NOT a foot sweep. This will make sure you understand the correct technique and also avoid injuring others.

Ideally, you want as much body to body contact with your opponent as possible and to be looking at the side of their head when performing the throw. Your front leg should come behind both of the opponent’s legs and be used as a blocker to stop any kind of backsteps. This is why the tani otoshi is a throw and not a footsweep.

From this position, you can launch all of your body weight from your other leg, which should perform a slight single leg squat.

As you’re pulling the opponent backward, you should naturally come to a top position. In an ideal Judo setting, this should already be an ippon. In other forms of grappling you are in a good side mount position and can work on a variety of attacks. If an ippon hasn’t been scored, a spinning armbar is not a bad option for pure judo.

Throw Yourself Backwards – Don’t Sit

This is covered later in the article regarding the controversy section. However, for the actual mechanics of the throw, the idea is to fall on your side towards your blocking leg.

If you sit down (as if you were to sit on a chair) you will be going forwards, rather than sideways. In the best-case scenario for your opponent, you will just be sitting like a koala on their leg and they will not have moved. This is obviously not a good situation for you in a judo match either.

A worst-case scenario would be that you put all of your body weight through your opponent’s knee. The knee is not made to bend inwards, so you will not take the opponent to the floor either. They will simply have a knee that bends inwards and now require surgery.

Variation From Back Position

Since you are very rarely in a reverse body lock position in judo, a tani otoshi is rarely seen in the sport. However, it is a common position in BJJ, wrestling, and regular self-defense, so can be taught from this position too.

When you have both hands around the opponent’s waist from behind in a body lock position, there are a few options available to you. One of which is a tani otoshi. It works mechanically in a very similar to way to the side-on tani otoshi. You want to bring all of your opponent’s weight backward, whilst you are slightly off to one side. From here you can place the instep of your foot behind the heel of the opponent to block them from stepping backward.

Once on the ground you should maintain control of your opponent (especially in self-defense) and work your way up the body. From here you will have a variety of options such as strikes or submissions, depending on whether they are needed or not.

Controversy Surrounding Tani Otoshi

The tani otoshi was publicly denounced by famous BJJ & MMA coach John Danaher. Danaher banned the technique completely from his classes in Renzo Gracie’s NYC gym.

The tani otoshi is viewed by some teachers as an avoidable injury. The idea behind this is that the throw requires uncontrolled bodyweight to be dropped to the floor. When drilling with a partner, it is very easy to get this technique down pat, since your uke is standing still and not resisting.

However, in a dynamic sparring environment, techniques will never be perfect. There may be several people on the mat at once, or your opponent might be trying to escape your grips. If for whatever reason you fall onto the outside of your opponent’s knee, it can cause a catastrophic ACL injury. This injury can potentially be career-ending, or at least require surgery and 6 months of rehabilitation.

If the tani otoshi is performed perfectly, knee injuries will never happen. However, against resisting opponents, techniques can almost never be performed perfectly. It is up to the discretion of the instructor as to whether this move will be banned or not in your dojo. Always ask first if you are unsure about banned techniques.