major inner reap

Major inner reap is the literal English translation of the Japanese ouchi gari — the judo throw in which the attacker reaps the opponent’s supporting leg from the inside with a deep leg-and-hip engagement that drives the opponent over backward.

Etymology. The term is the direct rendering of o (“major” or “great”) + uchi (“inner”) + gari (“reap”) into English. “Major inner reap” appears in older English-language judo translation conventions and in international judo material. The “major” descriptor distinguishes this throw from kouchi gari (minor inner reap), which targets a different leg and uses a shallower reaping engagement. The throw pairs structurally with osoto gari (major outer reap) — the inner and outer versions of the same deep-reap pattern.

Mechanics. The throw destabilises the opponent’s standing base by reaping the supporting leg out from beneath their hip-line from the inside — the reaping leg drives through the back of the opponent’s leg from the centreline while the upper-body drive commits the opponent’s weight backward.

Cross-reference. “Large inner reap” is the alternate translation. Full mechanical coverage on Ouchi Gari.