minor outer reap

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

Etymology. The term is the direct rendering of ko (“minor” or “small”) + soto (“outer”) + gari (“reap”) into English. “Minor outer reap” appears in older English-language judo translation conventions and in international judo material where translators preferred literal labels. The “minor” descriptor distinguishes this sweep from osoto gari (major outer reap), which targets a different leg and uses a deeper leg engagement. Both translations appear 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 supporting foot at the moment of weight transfer — the reaping leg sweeps the opponent’s heel from the outside while the upper-body pull commits the opponent’s weight forward over the swept foot.

Cross-reference. “Small outer reap” is the same translation with a different “minor” rendering. Full mechanical coverage on Kosoto Gari.