O-goshi

(major hip)

This shows the basic action of the hip throws. Stand in the right natural posture. Step with your right foot to a spot just in front of your opponent's feet. Pivoting on the ball of your right foot swing your left leg and foot round to about the position where your right foot was first. You should now have made a complete turn and be facing the same way as your partner with your feet about shoulder width apart. As you take the first step with the right foot, let go of your partner's jacket, and as you swing your body and left leg round put your arm round the opponent's waist and pull him forward onto your right hip. Do not move close in to your partner with the foot movements. Turn more or less on the spot where you are and aim to pull the opponent forward and on to your hips.

Koshi-Waza (Hip Throws)

Opportunities for the leg throws mentioned in the previous section occur mostly when the opponent is standing fairly upright or bracing back against a forward throw. Should your opponent be bending forward at the waist with his arms fairly straight, it will be difficult to do the leg throws described in the previous chapters. However, against this posture forward hip throws are usually employed and three of the most important will be described in this section.

Using this one sided stepping movement as above, keep on trying to catch the right moment your partner steps forward. After a little bit of experimenting you will find the right occasions to avoid hurting your partner's ankles, take care to use the flat of your foot. The actual sweep with the right leg is not a hook or a push. The moment when the opponent's leg is in the right position is very short. Thus it is necessary to sweep across as fast as possible - using the weight and impetus of your leg rather than force and strength. In the beginning this will cause some bruised ankles but in the long run this is the style to aim for.

This concludes the leg throw section. Three of them are rear throws and one is to the side. There are other leg throws some of which are forward throws and several variations of the ones already mentioned. As can be seen from the above throws there is almost no position the opponent can put his legs in without being vulnerable to attack. The beginner would do well to bear in mind all the opportunities for them and depending upon where your partner's weight is or how he is moving or reacting attempt to put them all in practice.

One of the best ways for practising these or any other throw is to throw somebody with them as many times as the person can take, the faster and harder the better. Concentrate on speed rather than brute force.

This throw can be likened to somebody stepping on a banana skin. Their foot comes down on to the skin and then slides away. Stand with your partner in right posture. With your right leg step backwards and then forwards and so on, get your partner to do the same with his left leg. This should be something like a natural walk except that only one leg moves in order to isolate the throwing movement. Your left leg and the opponent's right leg do not move.

As the opponent's leg steps forward and is about an inch off the mat, using the flat of your right foot, sweep his foot across diagonally in front of your own left foot.If you have caught his foot at the right moment he will fall over. If you are a bit slow and his foot and weight are solidly on the mat it will seem like uprooting a tree trunk. If you are too soon in sweeping his foot it will just dangle in the air because his weight will still be on his rear foot. To finish off the throw the right arm pulls the man down to the mat. When this throw is done, with speed and correct timing the man may be levelled off almost at hip height.

De-ashi-barai

(advancing foot sweep)

This throw embodies fully the judo principle of seriyoku-zenyo - the maximum efficient use of mind and body. When it is done properly the thrower exerts very little force at all. Success in this throw depends upon speed and timing. De-ashi-barai is attempted a lot by beginners with the result that the opponent's shins get very bruised. Like o-soto-gari it seems easy but is in fact quite difficult.

Study the action shots of this throw. The opportunity for this throw occurs when your opponents steps forward. As he lifts his foot up and steps forward most of his weight is supported on the other foot but just at the time his front foot is an inch or so off the mat all his weight will be transferred to it and this is the moment for the throw.

In this throw the arms and shoulders push the opponent back and over his right leg. The action of the arms is not isolated. They start working before or at the same time you step out with your left leg.

This throw is my particular favourite. I've studied it for a long time and have come to the conclusion that the action of the arms is most important especially the right arm.

This throw seems deceptively easy. One reason for this is that it is easy to move the feet quickly and get the right leg almost in position. For this reason everybody tries it. However, because of bad arm work in the majority of cases, it rarely comes off.

With his right leg in position, it is often possible for an experienced man to hop forward until his arms come into play and with further hopping and hooking with his right leg force the throw through. However, to move in quickly and throw the man on the spot needs positive armwork. Look carefully at the arms in the plates.

O-soto-gari (major outer reap)

This throw ranks as number two in the big contest throws. The reasons for this is that there is nearly always an opportunity for it. Secondly, it can be done very quickly and thirdly, once in position, it is very difficult for the opponent to escape. Also the man who uses o-soto- gari can apply a lot of power for forcing the throw through even if he is only partially in position. Study the photographs. You will see that the attacker has swept his partner's leg off the ground with his right leg and is throwing him to his right back corner.

The moment for this throw is when your opponent's right leg and side are forward either when he is stationary or moving forward or backwards. Stand with your partner in the natural posture. In order to sweep the opponent's leg successfully step with the left foot out to his right side and close to his right foot.Instantly the right leg follows through sweeping in an ellipse against the back of the opponent's leg. To complete the throw sweep vigorously back with right leg scooping both of the opponent's legs up and dropping him on his back. As in all these throws where you take away an opponent's legs, you must make sure that his weight is on the leg. Notice in plate 161 that my opponent's left foot is almost off the mat.

The hands help by pushing in this direction and for pinning the man on the leg you are taking away. The left hand which holds the sleeve pushes the opponent's arm into his waist and your right hand, holding the collar, pushes the opponent's head and shoulders over and back.

If you are right-handed and hold the opponent's right sleeve it is generally better to attack his right leg. There is nothing to stop you using your right leg against the opponent's left leg. However because your right hand is holding the collar and not controlling the arm it is often possible for your partner to escape from the throw by using his left arm.

As a man walks forward or backwards there is a moment when all his weight is on one foot. This changes from foot to foot with each step. Experiment with your partner to find these moments. Even at a slow walking pace the weight passes fairly quickly from leg to leg. In ko- soto-gari, it is necessary to attack instantly at this moment. Try to combine this throw with the previous one. For example, if you attack with the major inner ear (o-uchi-gari) your partner will sometimes react by putting his left leg back and out of reach of your reaping right leg. However, this means that his right leg will be forward which gives an opportunity for the minor outer reap.

With these two throws there is not a complete opposite of throwing directions. However, the change from an attack to the opponent's left back corner (o-uchi-gari) to his right back corner
(ko-soto-gari) is often successful.

When trying a throw first do it stationary and then on the move, bearing in mind that physiques vary considerably. As long as the direction of the throw is right and the man is picked up and actually thrown slight variations from my text do not make much difference.

If it is not possible to finish the throw standing up, be prepared to fall to the mat with the leg reaping strongly. This throw is very useful for a tall man with long legs.

Ko-soto-gari

(minor outer reap)

This throw is similar to the last except that one's leg reaps or hooks the opponent's leg from the outside. Once again it is essential that your partner has weight on the leg you are taking away. The opportunity for this throw is when one of your opponent's legs is forward. This can happen when he is moving forward or back.

It is even possible to do the throw against a rear leg. Stand with your left foot advanced and your partner with his right foot advanced. With a short step of the left foot followed up by the right, move in closer and to the opponents side extend the left leg and using the flat of your foot or the back of your heel on the back of partner's right heel. The direction of the throw is tothe opponent's right back corner and down.