Yoko-otoshi

Yoko-otoshi is the judo name for the lateral drop throw — the sacrifice throw in which the attacker drops to their side while pulling the opponent over the attacker’s outside leg, ending with the opponent on their back.

Etymology. Yoko (横) means “side” or “sideways”; otoshi (落) means “drop.” The combined term — side drop — describes the attacker’s body motion during the throw: a controlled fall onto the side rather than the upright lifting motion of a non-sacrifice throw. The technique sits in Kodokan judo’s sutemi-waza (sacrifice throws) catalogue under the yoko-sutemi-waza (side-sacrifice) subgroup. The technique entered submission grappling through judo and freestyle wrestling cross-training and remains in active use in both contexts.

Mechanics. The throw requires the attacker to drop their hips below the opponent’s centre of gravity by falling laterally, while using the outside leg as a lever bar across the opponent’s lower body. The opponent’s weight, drawn forward by the attacker’s grip, rotates over the leg lever; the attacker’s body weight on the side completes the off-balance loading. Because the attacker commits to the ground in the throw, the technique is classified as a sacrifice throw — failure leaves the attacker on their back with the opponent on top.

Cross-reference. English-speaking no-gi and wrestling use “lateral drop” or “lateral fall.” Full mechanical coverage on Lateral Drop.