minor inner reap

Minor inner reap is the literal English translation of the Japanese kouchi gari — the judo foot-sweep in which the attacker reaps the opponent’s heel from the inside line of the foot.

Etymology. The term is the direct rendering of ko (“minor” or “small”) + uchi (“inner”) + gari (“reap”) into English. “Minor inner reap” appears in older English-language judo translation conventions and in international judo material. The “minor” descriptor distinguishes this sweep from ouchi gari (major inner reap), which targets the supporting leg deeper above the knee rather than the heel. Both translations coexist in instructional vocabulary; the literal English form is more common in regional and translated material.

Mechanics. The sweep destabilises the opponent’s standing base by removing the heel from beneath their weight at the moment of transfer — the reaping leg sweeps the heel from the inside while the upper-body pull commits the opponent’s weight forward over the swept foot.

Cross-reference. Kouchi gari remains the Japanese-language standard; “inner reap” is the unqualified general translation. Full mechanical coverage on Kouchi Gari.