How to do the O Goshi throw – Also known as the Hip Toss

When it comes to Judo, the O Goshi throw may be the most popular and well-known. This is because it is one of the most commonly taught techniques in Judo and is arguably one of the easier moves to pull off. The O Goshi works by stepping your hips in front of your opponent. Whilst underneath them, you lower your hips below theirs whilst holding their arm. As you posture back up, their weight is carried on your back until you slam them into the ground.

Not only is this move highly effective, it is also one of the visually more appealing moves in Judo. Due to its high impact upon landing, it is considered a big move that can often end with an Ippon. In terms of self-defense, it also has other practical applications as you can land in a pin against your opponent. In doing this on a hard floor, it’s also possible to break their ribs if done hard enough. With this said, the O Goshi is an awesome move to learn and is very powerful.

Setting up the O Goshi

The O Goshi begins like many Judo moves with setting up the initial grips. As usual, you will need to grab the opponent’s elbow and lapel to begin your offense. After this has been achieved, you will then need to step forwards toward the lapel-grip side. Put another way, you should step forward with the opposite leg of the elbow grip. The idea is to dominate the inside space which is vitally important for the O Goshi. Once this has been done, you then want to get a grip around your opponent’s back. This can be done in two ways and is dependent on your height and preference.

Generally, smaller Judoka prefer to grab under the opponent’s arm and grip the belt. However, taller practitioners sometimes prefer gripping over the arm and into the armpit of the opponent. Regardless, you will need to make this grip change from the lapel once you have moved into your opponent. After this has been done, you can then squat and turn your back on the opponent. As you now control their arm and hips, you are safe from counters and are ready to start finishing the throw.

Finishing the O Goshi

So far, we’ve established the main position which is to get beneath and under the opponent whilst controlling their back and arm. The next step is to finish the throw. To do this, you need to keep control of the far arm’s elbow, meaning the original elbow grip should never change. If you do not control the elbow, then the opponent can pull their arm back and defend the attack. However, by controlling the elbow, they cannot do this meaning the window of escape is far smaller.

The second part of the finish is to then posture back up, this time loading the hips of the opponent onto yours. Basically, the idea is to use leverage to hold and carry their body weight. If you try putting their chest onto your hips then it won’t work. However, even very heavy people can be lifted using the hip-to-hip method.

To finish the hip toss, you then want to bump your hips up and use your back grip to slam the opponent onto the floor. With your elbow grip, you should be pulling their arm the opposite way. This creates a twist on the opponent’s body which helps throw them to the floor. In short, when put onto your hips, both feet of the opponent should leave the floor.

Whilst simultaneously controlling their elbow, you are taking away their base which makes it easy to pick them up and drop them. Remember, when under the opponent, you want to bend over to really elevate the opponent into the air. In simple terms, this is the idea of the O Goshi, picking up the opponent and putting them off the ground using your hips, and then dropping them from this position.

Common problems

One of the biggest issues that people face with the O Goshi is the initial footwork. This is why it’s important to drill the move until it really clicks. As mentioned, you want to step in with the leg on the side of the lapel grip. However, you need to tweak a few things to get in front of the opponent. In short, you don’t just do one big step and land in the right position.

Instead, you then have to pivot on your other foot and make two short adjustments with your feet to face away from the opponent. This movement can be quite precise and difficult to handle if new, so it’s understandable if you originally struggle with it. When looking at the throw, a lot of people can see the obvious factors such as hip positioning and the elbow control, but don’t fully understand the foot adjustments that are needed.

The second problem encountered is controlling the upper body of the opponent to really make the throw work. For example, if you do this wrong then you can and will get countered. One example of this is in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu where the O Goshi is also used. Sometimes, you will see people lose control of the elbow mid-throw. At this point with the opponent situated on your back, then can jump two hooks in and take the back. From there, they can start looking for attacks and chokes of their own.

With this in mind, it’s important to finish the O Goshi as quickly as possible when set up. You shouldn’t give the opponent time to escape or think of a counter. At the same time, don’t rush the O Goshi to the point of giving up control. You want your body to be tightly connected to the body of the opponent, and for your grips to stop them from re-gripping themselves.

Using the O Goshi in self defense and outside of Judo

As established, the O Goshi is often reliant on Judo grips and wearing a gi. However, in winter environments people will often wear coats and jackets that resemble the gi anyway. If confident enough, you could engage in an O Goshi during a street fight, depending on your level of Judo. If done correctly, you could land with the opponent in kesa gatame which could possibly break their ribs landing on a hard floor. Even without a rib break, you would earn a high level of control from this position.

Secondly, you could finish the throw whilst standing and keep the elbow grip to set up a juji gatame if necessary. Thirdly, the O Goshi could also be used as a counter to a sneak attack. If an attacker crept up behind you and grabbed your back, you could adjust your grips and use the O Goshi to counter. Similar Judo throws from here also include the Seoi Nage and Uki Goshi. With this said, the O Goshi acts as both a proactive and reactive self-defense situation.

Next, is using the O Goshi in MMA. This means using the throw without a gi, which is also possible. To do this, you need to modify your grips, but basically, you would cup the elbow instead of grabbing the material. Similarly, you would hug the hips, rather than grab the belt. Like most Judo moves, the O Goshi is easier to do in a gi due to higher levels of control.

Not only this but with sweat involved which is common in fighting, it may be harder to control the opponent who would naturally become more slippy. Nonetheless, it is still a viable strategy when using Judo in MMA. UFC champion Ronda Rousey used to do this throw with great results, proving its power in a fighting scenario.

Final Thoughts

The O Goshi is a very powerful and technical Judo throw. As the English translation says, it’s literally a hip toss but obviously has a lot of micro-details going on which make it work. As previously mentioned, you will need to study and practice the setup and throw thoroughly to make it work. However, once that is done, the O Goshi can become a big part of your game.

Not only is it practical for Judo, but it is also good for various self-defense situations and isn’t exclusive to the gi either. With this said, the O Goshi is versatile and is also a nice option to have when up close with your opponent. Due to its use of close proximity, the O Goshi may offer something a little different when compared to other takedowns. Because of this, it may be one worth learning for the future.