The Foot Gets Hooked Just Before It Lands!
Kouchi Gari: Kodokan Origin, Heel Timing, Follow-ups and Takedown Rules

Your opponent's foot is just about to settle, you hook it from the inside, and they sit straight down. Try the same hook a beat later and it feels like kicking a post bolted to the mat. That is the whole story of Kouchi Gari (小內刈): it runs on timing, not strength, and the timing lives in the weight shift onto one heel. It is a foot technique from the second group of the Kodokan judo Gokyo, known in English as the small inner reap. This guide covers its classification and numbering, a step-by-step breakdown, entry timing, common mistakes, counters such as Kouchi Gaeshi, and IBJJF takedown scoring.

1. Origin and Story: Throw No. 2 of Kodokan Group Two

Like its sibling Ouchi Gari, Kouchi Gari has no verifiable single "inventing match" or signature figure, so this section only states classification facts that were cross-checked. The Wikipedia entry says it is one of the original 40 throws of the Kodokan as developed by Jigoro Kano, belongs to the second group (Dai Nikyo) of the Gokyo no Waza, and remains one of the 67 throws in current Kodokan judo. It is classed as a foot technique (ashi-waza), meaning the legs and feet do the reaping, sweeping or hooking.

The numbering can be matched across two sources. Wikipedia's Gokyo no waza entry lists Ko uchi gari as the 2nd of the 8 throws in the second group, in the order Ko soto gari, Ko uchi gari, Koshi guruma, Tsurikomi goshi, Okuri ashi barai, Tai otoshi, Harai goshi and Uchi mata. Judo Info labels Kouchi-gari as throw No. 10 of all 40 and explains that the syllabus originated at the Kodokan in Tokyo in 1895, and that from 1920 to 1982 it consisted of 40 throws in 5 groups. Eight throws in group one plus the 2nd throw of group two gives No. 10 overall, so the two sources agree.

Other group-two throws with their own guides in this series include Tai Otoshi, Harai Goshi and Uchi Mata. To compare the "major" and "small" inner reaps side by side, read it together with Ouchi Gari.

2. Mechanics: Wait for the Weight, Slide, Reap the Heel, Push

Wikipedia's Ko uchi gari entry is a stub with classification data and no mechanical detail, so the steps below come mainly from the BJJ instruction platform Digitsu, with timing notes from Shintaro Higashi, a judo coach at Kokushi Budo Institute in New York. Each step is marked with its source.

1. 1. GripsEstablish a collar tie, or collar-and-arm grips (Digitsu)
2. 2. Wait for the weightRead the moment the opponent's weight transfers onto the target foot; Higashi describes catching the foot as it comes down (Digitsu, Higashi)
3. 3. Slide along the matSlide your sole along the mat into their heel from the inside instead of kicking sideways into the ankle (Digitsu)
4. 4. Reap and pushReap the heel in the direction of their toes while your grips drive their posture back over the trapped foot (Digitsu)
5. 5. Control the landingFollow the fall with your grips and end chest-on ready to pass, or settled in side control (Digitsu)

Digitsu lists three common mistakes: reaping a foot that carries no weight; kicking sideways into the ankle instead of sliding the sole through the heel line; and sweeping without simultaneous backward hand pressure. The three are really one point: in Kouchi Gari the foot and the hands work together to pin the opponent in place and lay them down backward, and without either half it is only a light tap. In Digitsu's words, timing beats power.

3. Entry Timing and Setups

The entry points below are drawn from Digitsu and Shintaro Higashi. They are technical descriptions, not statistical conclusions:

First, as the opponent's weight is about to land on the target foot. Digitsu says the reap lands as their weight transfers onto the target foot; Higashi describes catching the foot as it comes down and taking the opponent down. He also warns that if the timing is late and the weight is already on that foot, you have to change your approach.

Second, paired with forward-pressure attacks. Digitsu notes that the throw works best alongside forward-pressure attacks, because opponents defending snap downs and Ouchi Gari tend to step into it. Conversely, the same platform's entry cited in our Ouchi Gari guide notes that opponents who stiff-arm while defending Ouchi Gari tend to drift into Kouchi Gari range.

Third, create the timing yourself. One variation Higashi teaches is forcing the leg to unweight: use a downward elbow pull on the grip together with a back step to unweight the target foot, then reap. When the timing is missed and the weight is already on the foot, his other option is to press your shin into the opponent's ankle and finish with an Ouchi Gari style throw.

For BJJ players, Higashi singles out Kouchi Gake (the hooking variation, rather than a reaping one) into a Rear Naked Choke, calling it "the jiu-jitsu guy's favorite." It turns the throw into a direct entry to the back take and the submission.

4. Strengths and Limitations

5. Common Counters

This section lists the counters the sources state explicitly and marks the parts that are inferences from them:

First, Kouchi Gaeshi (小內返). Wikipedia describes it as a counter that first dodges the opponent's Kouchi Gari, forcing them off balance, then throws them to either side by turning the hands; its English name is small inner reap reversal. Interestingly, it is classed as a hand technique (te-waza) rather than a foot technique, and it was added later to the Kodokan's Shinmeisho no waza list of newly accepted techniques. The entry gives no grip details, so learn it from a coach.

Second, do not give your weight to the reaped foot. Digitsu lists "reaping a foot that carries no weight" as an attacker's mistake. Conversely, if the defender's weight has not yet landed on that foot when the attacker reaps, the throw is hard to complete (our inference from the source).

Third, hop away. Digitsu mentions that defenders hop to escape the reap, but the hop itself feeds the attacker's next technique, so you need to re-establish your stance immediately after hopping (the second half is our inference from the source).

For a systematic look at landing and defense from the thrown side, see our BJJ takedown defense and ukemi guide.

6. Competition Frequency and Rule Legality

On the rules side, Exponential Jiu-Jitsu's summary of the IBJJF rulebook says that a takedown stabilized in top position for 3 seconds scores 2 points. Article 4.1.10 says the athlete who initiates a takedown before the opponent initiates a guard pull is awarded the 2 points; Article 4.1.11 says a takedown initiated after the opponent starts a guard-pull attempt is not awarded. The page was published in October 2024 and does not state the rulebook edition, and it also warns that slamming a guard player means immediate disqualification. Check the latest IBJJF rulebook before competing.

On frequency, IBJJF and ADCC publish only placings and brackets, not per-technique statistics, and we found no reliable third-party frequency figure for Kouchi Gari, so this is qualitative only: in BJJ instruction it is usually treated as a timing-based minor technique in stand-up exchanges, combined with Ouchi Gari, snap downs and the double leg, rather than a standalone mainstream weapon.

7. Safety: Judo Injury Sites and Landing

We found no injury study specific to Kouchi Gari, so only judo-wide data is cited. The systematic review by Pocecco et al. (2013) in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reports an average injury risk of about 11 to 12% in Olympic judo at the 2008 and 2012 Games; the most common injuries were sprains, strains and contusions, mostly at the knee, shoulder and fingers, and being thrown was the most common injury mechanism. Severe injuries were rare but mostly affected the brain and spine. These are judo-wide figures and should not be read as the risk of Kouchi Gari itself.

FAQ

References

1. Wikipedia contributors. Ko uchi gari. en.wikipedia.org/Ko_uchi_gari (accessed 2026/11; supports: one of the original 40 throws developed by Jigoro Kano, group two, among the current 67 throws, foot-technique class, the small inner reap translation, and Ko-uchi gaeshi as the counter)
2. Wikipedia contributors. Gokyo no waza. en.wikipedia.org/Gokyo_no_waza (accessed 2026/11; supports Ko uchi gari as the 2nd of 8 throws in group two and the order of the group)
3. Judo Info. The Gokyo of Kodokan. judoinfo.com/gokyo1 (accessed 2026/11; supports the 1895 origin of the Gokyo, the 40 throws in 5 groups from 1920 to 1982, and Kouchi-gari as throw No. 10 overall)
4. Wikipedia contributors. Kouchi gaeshi. en.wikipedia.org/Kouchi_gaeshi (accessed 2026/11; supports Kouchi Gaeshi as a hand technique, the small inner reap reversal name, dodging and then turning the hands to throw to either side, and its later inclusion in the Shinmeisho no waza list)
5. Digitsu. Kouchi Gari. digitsu.com/t/kouchi-gari (no publication date shown, accessed 2026/11; supports the grips, sliding the sole into the heel, reaping toward the toes with backward hand pressure, landing control, weight-transfer timing, pairing with forward-pressure attacks, follow-ups off the hop, and the three common mistakes)
6. Digitsu. Ouchi Gari. digitsu.com/t/ouchi-gari (no publication date shown, accessed 2026/11; supports Ouchi Gari hooking behind the opponent's knee with your own calf, and opponents who stiff-arm the Ouchi Gari drifting into Kouchi Gari range)
7. Shintaro Higashi. Kouchi Gari Deep Dive: Advanced Variations and Applications. shintarohigashi.com (page shows only July 5 with no year, accessed 2026/11; supports catching the foot as it comes down, the shin-pressure option when timing is late, pulling the elbow and stepping back to create timing, and Kouchi Gake into a Rear Naked Choke)
8. Exponential Jiu-Jitsu. IBJJF Rules, Takedowns. exponentialjiujitsu.com (published 2024/10, accessed 2026/11; supports 2 points for a takedown stabilized on top for 3 seconds, the guard-pull rules in Articles 4.1.10 and 4.1.11, and the slam disqualification warning)
9. Pocecco E et al. (2013). Injuries in judo: a systematic literature review including suggestions for prevention. Br J Sports Med;47(18):1139-43. PubMed PMID 24255909 (supports the 11 to 12% average injury risk in Olympic judo, sprains, strains and contusions at the knee, shoulder and fingers as the most common injuries, and being thrown as the most common mechanism)