cutting the corner

Cutting the corner is the continuous form of the name for the trip finish shared by the single and the double leg, and the phrasing most often used while coaching it live.

Etymology. The name describes the attacker’s path rather than the opponent’s fall. The attacker cuts across the corner of the opponent’s stance — from the front of the held leg to the outside of the free one — and the throw is what happens when they arrive there with the opponent’s weight still committed. The continuous form is the one that survives in the room because the instruction is usually given mid-movement.

Mechanics. The held leg is driven laterally toward and across the opponent’s midline, which rotates their hips and commits weight to the free leg. The attacker then steps their outside foot past that free foot — past, not level with it — while keeping shoulder contact through the step. With the only remaining base blocked and the weight already travelling, the opponent falls backward and to the blocked side.

Cross-reference. The sibling finishes are the sweep single, which removes the base by running the opponent out of steps, and the lift-and-dump. Full mechanical coverage on Cut the Corner.