Ko-soto-gari (minor outer reap) opens group two of the gokyo. Tori reaps uke's heel from the outside with the sole of the foot, just as the weight lands on it, and drops uke backward. It is a short, quiet movement that catches even experienced opponents.
It belongs to the same family as o-soto-gari but plays out at the other end of the range. No chest-to-chest contact and no big leg swing.
Gari or gake: two throws, almost one name
Among the ashi-waza of nage-waza, two techniques share nearly the same name. Ko-soto-gake, in group three, hooks uke's leg from behind and holds it while the body drives. Ko-soto-gari reaps.
You feel the difference in the foot. With gari, the sole chases the heel toward uke's toes, like brushing away a crumb. With gake, the foot hooks and stays.
The heel that carries the weight
For a right-hander, tori's left foot reaps uke's right heel. The kuzushi loads that heel. Uke has to be off-balance toward the rear right corner.
The left hand (hikite) pulls the sleeve down, close to your hip. The right hand (tsurite) pushes the lapel back and down, toward the target heel. Both hands work in the same direction.
How to do ko-soto-gari
- Your right foot steps slightly outside uke's right foot, to get closer without going in.
- The left foot, sole turned in, comes against the back of uke's right heel.
- It reaps toward uke's toes, skimming the mat.
- At the same moment the hands drive uke back and down.
The reap and the push of the hands are two opposing forces. The foot goes forward while the upper body goes back. Uke turns around the hip and falls onto the side or the back.
Three mistakes to fix
Reaping too high. A foot against the calf does nothing. It has to catch the heel, almost at mat level.
Next, reaping a light foot. If uke has not put weight on the right leg, the foot slides away and uke just hops. Ko-soto-gari goes in when uke's foot takes the weight, or when you have forced it to.
Then there is dropping your head forward. The reap pulls your shoulders forward and your hands stop driving back.
When to attack
The textbook moment is uke stepping back. The rear foot lands and the weight arrives on it. If it is the right foot, it is yours.
Another chance comes when uke defends a forward throw by pulling the hips back. The weight goes to the heels, and ko-soto-gari punishes that reflex.
In an opposite-stance matchup, the lead feet face each other and the target heel is further away. There you mostly use ko-soto-gari after turning uke, when the right foot steps back.
Combinations
Ko-soto-gari fits naturally with any attack that makes uke step back. Ko-uchi-gari on the right foot, then ko-soto-gari on the same foot when uke pulls it back, is a very effective combination. You attack the same heel twice, first from the inside and then from the outside.
The other way round, if uke lifts the foot to dodge the reap, the weight goes forward. Follow with a forward throw such as uchi-mata or harai-goshi.
Counters
An alert uke lifts the attacked foot and puts it down further away. Uke can also turn the hips and answer with a hip throw, since tori often ends up in front of them, slightly to the side.
For uke, the best defense against ko-soto-gari is still to keep the weight on the balls of the feet.
How to learn it
One drill: uke walks backward along a line. Tori follows and places the sole against uke's right heel every time it lands, without reaping. That teaches the rhythm. Then tori reaps on one step out of three.
In our view it is one of the best-value throws for smaller judoka against taller ones, who often step back with wide feet. It needs no strength and no entry, just a foot in the right place at the right moment.