Valley drop

Valley drop is the English-language translation of tani otoshi — the sacrifice throw in which the attacker drops behind the opponent’s lead leg while pulling them backward over the leg lever, ending with the opponent crashing into the “valley” created by the attacker’s body position.

Etymology. Tani (谷) means “valley”; otoshi (落) means “drop.” The combined term — valley drop — describes the geometry of the throw: the attacker drops to the ground behind the opponent’s leg, creating a low-lying space (the “valley”) into which the opponent falls as their weight transfers backward. The Japanese name is the canonical search term; the English “valley drop” is the literal-translation equivalent that appears occasionally in instructional contexts where the rotational mechanics need to be described without the Japanese vocabulary.

Mechanics. The throw requires the attacker to drop onto their side or back behind the opponent’s lead leg, simultaneously using the leg as a barrier and pulling the opponent’s upper body backward over it. The attacker’s body weight drops to the ground first, with the lever-leg blocking the opponent’s recovery step; the opponent’s centre of gravity, drawn over the leg, continues backward until base is lost.

Cross-reference. The Japanese tani otoshi is the primary search term across judo and submission grappling. Full mechanical coverage on Tani Otoshi.