How To Perform The Kouchi Gari – Small Inner Reap
Kouchi gari is a traditional judo throw created by Kano Jigoro. It is classified as an ashi-waza and is a subset of nage-waza. Whilst the technique is not purely a throw, it is also not purely a foot sweep. The kouchi gari is a mixture of both a sweep and a throw. The benefit of the kouchi gari is that it has very low risk with a high reward (ippon).
If the kouchi gari is compared to other throws in judo, particularly sacrifice techniques, nothing is given up when you miss. If you were to compare a kouchi gari to the very popular hip throw, uchi mata (which is not a sacrifice technique), you are still in a much better position when your throw fails.
Even though the kouchi gari is perceived to be a conservative throw, this is a very positive attribute. There is no need to risk everything for a throw you will complete even 90% of the time. If you can complete a throw 30% of the time but not risk any counters, this is ideal for competition judo.
Kouchi Gari Setup
Seoi Nage Or Tai Otoshi Fake
Perhaps the most basic entries to kouchi gari are to fake various hip throws such as seoi nage. The reason for this is the fundamental principle of judo. By pretending to throw your opponent forwards, they will naturally move backward. If they don’t do this then they will become instantly vulnerable to any throw you threaten.
As an example, a tai otoshi has a similar setup to kouchi gari so is ideal. Here you will move to one side and pretend to show your back to the opponent as if to bring your leg across their body. However, instead of moving across and throwing your opponent, you will simply face your opponent and perform an inside reap.
The great thing about tai otoshi and kouchi gari is that they can be used interchangeably. Whenever you set up one of these throws you can always move to the other. The opponent will always have to be on their guard about being thrown either forwards or backward. They will not be able to defend both at once.
Sode Tsurikomi Fake
By giving your opponent a sleeve grip, they may think that they are in a good position. By rolling your wrist and dominating the same side sleeve grip, your opponent will be very concerned about a sode tsurikomi. When their sleeve is dragged across their body, this will increase the worry and cause them to over adjust.
As the opponent is so cautious about being thrown forwards, they will be moving backward. As you step across the body of the adversary, there is an easy entry into kouchi gari since the opponent is leaning so far backward. A simply inside trip should be enough to send them stumbling backward.
Since the setup is so effective for a fake sode tsurikomi, there is a very good chance you won’t need to follow the opponent to the mat and can remain standing.
Mechanics Of Kouchi Gari
The kouchi gari has the same theoretical rules as all other judo throws. You must create or influence your opponent to redistribute their weight incorrectly. The idea behind this is to make your opponent move forwards by pushing them backward, or pushing them back so they move forwards.
There are 2 main parts to the mechanics of the ouchi gari, both performed separately, yet simultaneously to one another.
For the upper body of the opponent, you must have a good solid collar grip which you snap up forwards. A small pull of your opponent forwards will make them want to move backward. From this point, you can make a fist and drive it up into the face of the adversary. This will force their upper body backward and into the throw, as wherever your head goes, your body will follow.
As for the lower body, you must curve your foot to cup the opponent’s inner ankle. A small and sharp push kick should widen the opponent’s base past a point where their balance is severely limited. Whilst a wide base is generally better than standing upright for grappling sports, there is a point when the base becomes too wide, becoming vulnerable to forwards and backward motion.
When these two motions are combined, the opponent should have no choice but to fall back to the mat. If you are going to push the opponent to the floor with all of your weight (which you generally should in judo competition). You should always make sure to keep your sleeve grip so that you can start controlling the opponent for newaza transitions if necessary.
Troubleshooting Problems
The main problem with setting up the kouchi gari for beginners is not understanding that it is both an upper and lower body throw. A lot of novices can actually get the footwork and timing performed correctly. However, like all judo throws, the opponent’s upper body must be off-balance and the kouchi gari is no exception.
You must use the force of your collar grip to force the opponent backward at the same time as you are tripping them.
Secondly, you must create the right distance and angle between yourself and the opponent. This is something that can be learned, but only really understood through practice. A common mistake is not leaving enough space for your opponent to put their lead leg into. Another common mistake is not giving yourself the correct angle to sweep your opponent’s foot. If you are too close and parallel to your opponent, you will not get the correct power or angle to complete the technique.
Applications To Other Grappling Sports
Due to its low risk, the kouchi gari is a decent option for self-defense. Whilst it isn’t a powerful throw that will put your opponent on the floor to a point where they won’t get up, it does at least offer a low risk solution to putting your opponent on the concrete. Another key detail is that you can choose a variation of kouchi gari where you don’t go to the floor.
By staying upright, you can simply do a push and pull motion to get your opponent to the ground. You do not need to follow them all the way if you don’t want to.
The kouchi gari is not too practical for other grappling sports since many of them do not stop at ippon. There are many variations to the kouchi gari where you must powerfully throw your opponent to the floor and follow them down. Whilst you should maintain reasonable control over the elbow and one leg of the opponent, in sports such as BJJ or ADCC competition rules, this still won’t stop you from having your back taken.
For this reason, kouchi gari is not exclusively a judo throw, however, it is best suited to current judo rules due to its limitations.
