How to do the Ouchi Gaeshi Judo takedown

The Ouchi Gaeshi is a counter takedown in Judo which is also known as the ‘inner reversal’. It is a foot technique (ashi waza) that relies on attacking the opponent as they attempt an inside reap. It should be noted that the Ouchi Gaeshi is specifically intended to counter the Ouchi Gari. Because of this, the Ouchi Gaeshi should be considered a reactive move, rather than proactive. It is also a technique it is also situational and depends on how the opponent tries to trip you. Like many Judo counters, if you manage to pull this off it can be a source of humiliation for your opponent.

However, in practical terms it is a useful reversal to know. It is good to learn how to defend against attacks, but to instantly counter them with attacks of your own is even better. This means that the Ouchi Gaeshi is good to learn. Having said this, due to its fairly complex nature, it is not advised for new Judo students. Because it relies heavily on timing and subtle foot work, it may be too advanced for a new Judoka to handle. Further, if they try it too much, it could lead to getting thrown by inner reaps.

Setting up the Ouchi Gaeshi

The Ouchi Gaeshi works by countering the Ouchi Gari. Whether you intentionally lure the opponent into this reap or whether you use it purely as a counter is up to you. To begin this, you must start by letting the opponent establish their grips and be the aggressor. This means letting them stepping in close and attempt the reap. Remember, you cannot let the opponent dominate you here, as otherwise you will get thrown. Because of this, you should try and maintain your posture and stance whilst letting the opponent attempt the Ouchi Gaeshi.

A key part of setting up the Ouchi Gaeshi is to keep your grips active at all times. You can’t be bullied by the opponent pushing and pulling you. Instead, you must keep your grips strong and therefore protect your upper body. Similar to posture and stance, if the opponent pushes your weight backward then the reap may take you down.

Another way to enter the Ouchi Gaeshi is by learning how to read the Ouchi Gari entry. Generally, the opponent will have to pivot to get into the reap. This may take years to see it coming in full, but you can learn to read their body as they twist to get the hook in. It is at this moment that you should step to the side. By stepping to the side, you’re effectively moving out the way of the attack. Further, you are also creating an angle by stepping off the opponent. As is always the case in Judo, angles are used to attack and defend, so it is important not to just read the attack, but also to react and step away from the reaping leg.

Finishing the Ouchi Gaeshi

Once the opponent has committed to a poor Ouchi Gari, then you can begin your own offense. This means you generally have a choice of two finishes. The first method is to step out of the way of the reap by kicking back with your reaped leg like a donkey. This takes real timing and you cannot let the reap control your leg, otherwise you will lack the power to kick back and it will fail.

Perhaps the main weakness of the Ouchi Gari is if you commit too much and fail, then you can get countered due to poor body weight distribution. By its nature, the Ouchi Gari requires putting your weight down on the floor. This is fine if the reap is secure, but if not then it is open to counters.

Specifically, by stepping back you can unwrap the reap. At the same time, you can then use your upper body to punch forward with the collar grip. Due to the momentum, power and position of the opponent, it will put the opponent to the floor. For this particular variation, it relies heavily on the opponent being aggressive and committing fully. This means that this particular variation is ideal against assertive, proactive Judoka’s.

The second variation is the more common of the two. This relies on sweeping the opponent’s opposite leg as they pivot. For instance, if they try reaping with their right leg, then their left leg will have to back step. It’s as the back step is being made that you should hit the sweep. Remember not to kick as this is poor technique and ideally you want to land your foot behind the knee. As this part of the leg is particularly weak during the back step. In other words, yet again you are timing it to land as the opponent turns.

Like the first variation, you should also be using your upper body simultaneously. This means that you should be punching your collar grip down toward the floor. The punch should mimic the direction of the opponent’s pivot and simply add to their momentum. Once again, due to their commitment to the initial reap, they should be trapped with no counters at this point. Often they will fall on the side on their shoulder, with you being able to pin or submit as a result.

Problems with the Ouchi Gaeshi

As mentioned in the introduction, this isn’t a particularly easy move to learn and can take many hours of practice. Again, the first issue is that you entice this move too much, then you may just get reaped. If the opponent manages to entangle your leg deep enough, then even with good technique – you will still struggle to move correctly due to the leg wrap.

The next issue applies to almost all counters and reversals in Judo. Whilst these reversals are worth learning, too often they aren’t common enough to justify learning, at least in the earlier stages of your training. Even though the Ouchi Gaeshi is fundamentally sound, it is very situational which makes it a low percentage move. That is, low percentage as in it will rarely crop up, rather than low percentage as in it doesn’t work. For newbies, it may be worth focusing on less reactive techniques, to begin with.

Generally, the Ouchi Gaeshi should be considered by those who are already advanced in Judo and have a good feel of weight distribution and timing. Even if you have a good theoretical understanding of Judo, the Ouchi Gaeshi is still a move that has a strong degree of ‘feel‘ about it. Regardless of these problems, this shouldn’t put you off learning the Ouchi Gaeshi either. Like all Judo moves, it has pros and cons and is worth learning.