Purpose

Osoto-gari (major outer reap) is the foundational no-gi judo entry from the over-under clinch. The throw has three components: kuzushi (loading the near foot), step (positioning the attacking leg outside the loaded foot), and reap (the actual sweep of the loaded leg). New practitioners typically conflate these into a single explosive action and fail consistently because the components are out of sequence — the reap arrives before the load is set.

This drill isolates the entry — kuzushi and step — without the reap. The receiver does not get thrown. The point is to make the entry consistent before the throw is added.

Setup

Both partners in over-under clinch — attacker has the underhook on the right, partner has the underhook on the left (and a single collar tie). Receiver agrees to be cooperative throughout: stay in stance, allow the load, do not counter.

Execution

Step 1 — establish kuzushi: From the over-under, the attacker uses the underhook to drive the receiver’s right hip forward and the collar tie (if available) or the overhook to pull the receiver’s head down and toward the loaded side. The receiver’s right foot becomes weighted; their left heel rises. Hold the load for one second.

Step 2 — step across: With kuzushi held, the attacker steps their own left foot across — outside and slightly behind the receiver’s right foot. The attacker’s left foot does not yet sweep; it is positioning for the reap. The attacker’s hip arrives on the receiver’s hip line.

Step 3 — initiate the reap (no completion): The attacker’s right leg lifts off the floor and posts the back of the calf against the back of the receiver’s loaded leg. The reap is initiated — the attacker can feel the receiver’s right leg about to be swept — but the action stops here. No throw.

Step 4 — reset: Both partners return to over-under stance. Run the next rep.

Run twenty reps, ten on each side (switch the underhook configuration at rep 10).

Coaching Notes

The step-across is the technical heart of the entry. Practitioners who fail osoto in live exchange usually fail at the step — they try to reap from too far away, or they step in front of the receiver’s foot rather than outside and behind. The drill exists specifically to make this step automatic.

The “outside and behind” foot placement is what generates the angle that makes the reap work. If the attacker’s reaping leg is in front of or directly beside the receiver’s loaded leg, the reap pushes the receiver backward — they hop, they catch their balance, they do not fall. If the reaping leg is outside and behind, the reap rotates the receiver around their loaded foot and they cannot recover.

The instruction to stop before the throw is non-negotiable. Practitioners who try to finish in this drill train themselves to commit to the throw before they have set the load and the step. The drill is for the entry skill specifically.

Common Errors

Stepping in front of the foot: Attacker’s stepping foot lands in front of or beside the receiver’s loaded foot. The angle is wrong. Reset and step outside-and-behind.

Reaping without the step: Attacker tries to reap from the over-under stance directly, without repositioning the foot. The reap has no angle and produces a shoving match. Always step before reaping.

Insufficient kuzushi: Attacker steps without first loading the receiver’s foot. With weight evenly distributed, the reap moves nothing. The kuzushi is what makes the reap work — without it, the technique is a bumping action.

Releasing the underhook during the step: Attacker drops the underhook to focus on the step. The hip control disappears, and the receiver’s hip moves out of line. The underhook stays connected throughout.