How to do the Ouchi Gari Judo Throw – Also Known as the Inside Trip

The Ouchi Gari is a classic Judo trip that has been used for years. Although it is obviously done in Judo with gi grips, its influence has even spread to the world of MMA to great effect. Elsewhere, it has also been used successfully in BJJ and Sambo. By using your inside leg to create a trip, it can be used to put the opponent on the floor. Not only this but the Ouchi Gari has also been effective in sport Judo with a high chance of securing an Ippon. Another benefit is its low risk.

In brief, if the Ouchi Gari fails to trip the opponent over, it has a few downsides. Whilst some Judo throws have a high risk, this isn’t the case with the Ouchi Gari. Instead, if it fails then you can often reset your legs and recover to a neutral position. Although known as the Ouchi Gari in Japan, the English translation is called the inside trip. This is due to the inside leg tripping the leg of the opponent. Similarly, if your leg hooks in from the outside, then it is known as the outside trip.

Setting up the Ouchi Gari

Like all Judo moves, the Ouchi Gari depends on the initial grips and stance. Like always, you will want a grip on the collar and a grip on the elbow. Remember, the higher up on the collar, the more dominant your grip will be. This may sound obvious, but sometimes people forget this. If you don’t want to grab on the elbow, you can grab the material slightly below the elbow. The next part of the set up is to move in and close the distance. A big part of the success of this throw depends on closing the distance. In short, the closer you are, the easier it is to finish. It is easier to do this by pulling your opponent to you which is done by pushing and pulling, then finishing with a pull to end with.

The footwork of the Ouchi Gari

Typically, you should step inside with your non-tripping leg. Put another way, the foot that acts as a reap should follow up. To begin with, the non-tripping leg should enter the inside space. In other words, if you were to trip with your right leg, you would step forward with your left leg. As the reaping leg should be on the side of the collar grip, this always means you should enter with the same leg as the elbow grip.

Once this setup has been accomplished, you must then place your reaping leg to the floor. This should be done by pointing your knee inwards with your feet facing outwards. The idea isn’t to drop your foot on the floor, instead it should be placed behind the calf. With this done, the throw should be accomplished as far as the feet and legs are concerned.

The upper body work of the Ouchi Gari

The upper body should be lower than that of the opponent. The reason for this is being closer to the ground. Once closer to the ground, this allows you to have more power and control over the throw so it is quite important. Not only this, but you can use your head to but the opponent and push them away.

Often, your upper body should be going away from the side of the reap. For instance, if the reap is on the right of the opponent’s body, then your upper body should be leaning towards the other side of the body. This means if done correctly, your weight is on both sides of the opponent’s body. The lower part should be dominated by your reap, whilst their upper body should be controlled by your grips. A key concept of the Ouchi Gari is to lean your weight on the opponent. This makes things far easier and allows gravity to aid the takedown.

Putting it all together

As mentioned, the throw relies heavily on weight distribution and dropping onto the opponent. One key tip to finish the Ouchi Gari is to hop with the reaping leg. This is a typical Judo trick that can finish a stubborn opponent. For example, if they have good balance, then hopping can destroy this. The idea is to put several hops together which takes the opponent off their foot. As the foot is stuck in mid-air, it cannot find the floor until taken down.

One mistake a lot of people make with this trip is avoiding the upper body work as the blatant part is the reap. However, the upper body stuff is just as vital. One part of this involves staying in line with your opponent. At the same time, you should also twist your lower body towards the reap. When done correctly, this will enhance your technique and make things much easier.

Using the Ouchi Gari in MMA and no gi

As touched upon in the introduction, the Ouchi Gari has gained popularity over the years in MMA. Similarly, it is also popular in no gi BJJ and grappling. As there is no gi or lapel to hold onto, this obviously changes the mechanics of the trip. Whilst the lower-body attack is the same, the upper body control is very different. Often, this means getting an underhook and overhook. Usually, the underhook will be on the same side as the reaping leg, whilst the overhook is on the other side. This means that when the trip is completed, you will land in top half-guard. From here you can work passing or striking in MMA. It’s important to have the reaping leg aligned with the underhook to stop getting swept or your back took once falling. Nonetheless, it has proven to be a great representative of Judo without the gi.

Final Thoughts

The Ouchi Gari is one of the oldest Judo moves. Not only this but it is arguably one of the most effective. The throw works by planting your weight over the legs and upper body of the opponent. From there, you can then drop forwards to complete the trip. As always with Judo, make sure your grips are set up beforehand and to be aggressive with your conviction. Perhaps one of the strengths of the Ouchi Gari is chaining it with the Uchi Mata. By keeping your opponent constantly thinking, you can strike fear into them which leads to a takedown.

Overall, the Ouchi Gari is a fantastic trip to learn. For those who don’t use the move, you are truly missing out. Put another way, if you master the technique then it will completely change the way you approach the inside space. If done correctly, then getting a chest-to-chest connection will never be the same.