de ashi

De ashi is the shortened judo name for de ashi harai — the advancing foot sweep that catches the opponent’s lead leg at the moment they step forward, redirecting the foot before it can plant and bear weight.

Etymology. De (出) means “advancing” or “going out”; ashi (足) means “foot” or “leg”; harai (払) means “sweep” or “brush.” The full term — de ashi harai — translates as “advancing foot sweep.” The shortened form de ashi predominates in spoken judo and submission grappling vocabulary, where the full term is reserved for formal instructional contexts and competition commentary. The technique appears in the foundational go-kyo of judo throws and is one of the earliest throws taught in standard judo curricula because of its low entry threshold and its illustration of the timing principles that underlie the broader foot-sweep family.

Mechanics. The sweep catches the opponent’s lead foot at the moment of forward weight transfer — the small window where the foot is still in motion before it lands and accepts the body’s weight. The attacker’s foot redirects the lead leg sideways while the upper-body grip pulls the opponent’s centre of gravity forward; the loaded leg, suddenly without ground contact, cannot post to recover the off-balance. Timing on the weight-transfer moment is the prerequisite for the sweep to transfer through.

Cross-reference. English-speaking no-gi and wrestling generally use the descriptive “advancing foot sweep” or the full Japanese term. Full mechanical coverage on De Ashi Harai.