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    Ko-soto-gari

    小外刈 · こそとがり · minor outer reap · said KOH SOH-toh GAH-ree

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    Demonstrations

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    Illustration: source not recorded. Rights and removal
    Ko-soto-gari illustration

    The IJF publishes an animation of Ko-soto-gari: watch it on judo.ijf.org.

    About this technique

    A small outside reap against uke's heel, timed as the foot takes weight, throwing uke straight back.

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    A technique to reap the opponent’s right foot from the outside with the left foot and throw him down by breaking his balance backward.
    The Kodokan's definition

    Key points

    1. Attack the heel from outside with the sole of your foot
    2. Reap in the direction of uke's toes-to-heel line
    3. Push uke's weight back over the reaped heel with the hands

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    Ashi-waza (foot and leg techniques) · Gokyo 2nd set

    At a glance

    , classification, Gokyo set, Kodokan number, contest rules, grades that require it
    What it is
    Nage-waza (throwing techniques), Ashi-waza (foot and leg techniques).
    Gokyo
    2nd set (Dai-nikyo).
    Kodokan number
    306 (KSG).
    Contest rules
    No rule singles it out.
    Required for

    Step by step

    These steps describe the standard right-handed form without relying on the video.

    1. From a right-handed grip, watch with your hands for your partner's right foot stepping towards you, or draw them into that step.
    2. As the right foot lands and before it settles, place the sole of your left foot behind their right heel.
    3. Reap the heel forward, in the direction their toes point, with a shallow scooping action of your sole along the mat.
    4. At the same moment push down and back with both hands, so their weight travels back over the heel that is being taken.
    5. They sit back and land on their back close in front of you. Keep the sleeve held so the fall is guided, not free.

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    Receiving it

    Just as your stepping foot takes weight, its heel is scooped forward from behind and your hips keep going back: a sudden sit-down feeling. Fold into a rear breakfall, chin tucked, and slap with your free arm as your back reaches the mat. It is a short fall but an abrupt one.

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    VI judo notes

    Feel the timing through the sleeve. You are waiting for the moment their right foot lands and has not yet settled, which reaches you as a brief heaviness through the grips, and then the sole scoops along the mat to find the heel. Scooping along the mat rather than lifting the foot means the heel is found by contact and you never sweep at empty space.

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    In competition

    , how often it scores at IJF level, and two contests where it worked

    Senior IJF competition, 2020 to 2026, from 73,099 contests. Counts scores, not attempts.

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    In combinations, counters and transitions

    , 7 recorded, 16 awaiting review

    16 more pairs involving it are recorded and awaiting review before they get a page. A video that shows one of them is what gets it reviewed: suggest one.

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    Reference pages elsewhere

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