This video lesson shows how to use balance points to make Osoto Geri, the major outer reap, much easier. It is a principle that needs to be understood, and it is very simple once you see what is happening.

It is for judoka, jujitsu students, karateka, and anyone who wants a self-defence takedown that does not rely on strength. It is also a great example of how one principle can make a technique you already know work far better.

What Osoto Geri Is

Osoto Geri is a classic takedown. You break the other person's balance backwards over one leg, then reap that leg away so they fall. Done well, it is powerful and simple. Done badly, it turns into a pushing and pulling contest, which the bigger person usually wins.

The usual reason it fails is that the balance is never truly broken. People try to reap a leg that still has the person's full weight and structure behind it.

Why Balance Points Change Everything

Every body has places where a small push, pull or strike takes the balance completely: the feet, knees, elbow, shoulders, hips and head. These are balance points. Use the right one, in the right direction, and the person's structure collapses with very little effort.

Balance comes first. An attacker who is off balance cannot hit you hard, cannot grab you properly, and cannot resist a takedown. Once the balance is gone, the reap simply finishes what you have already started.

How It Works in Practice

The principle is this: take the balance using the right point first, then do the technique. In the case of Osoto Geri, that means making sure the weight is moving onto the leg you are about to reap, in the direction it can least resist.

  • Break the balance before you reap, not at the same time
  • Use direction, not force
  • Keep your own balance and posture strong
  • Keep the movement close, so the person falls rather than stumbles away

How to Practise It

Work with a cooperative partner, slowly, on mats. First feel the difference between reaping with and without the balance taken. Then make the balance break smaller and smaller until it is almost invisible. Always control the fall and look after your partner, because takedowns onto hard ground can cause serious injury. In self-defence, any force used must be reasonable.

This is just one of many principles we teach to make self-defence and martial arts techniques work more efficiently.

Take It Further

Balance points are a core module of the Pressure Point Fighting Course. For the full picture, read Pressure Point Fighting: The Complete Guide.