Here is a bit of a thinker... At what point does O-soto-gari become harai goshi? I'm Reasonably competent at performing both techniques and teach both on regular occasions. I'd be interested to hear some views.
Thoughts from a non-Judoka... 1. When the opponent goes forwards and not backwards. 2. When you sweep the frot of his leg rather than the back 3. When the leg your are sweeping has less weight on it than his other. 4. Any combination of the above
Yoda: the advanced version of o-soto-gari takes the opponent in almost the same direction as harai goshi. The only real difference is that harai goshi uses the hips to lift the opponent as you sweep his leg, with a twisting action of the shoulders providing a lot of the momentum for the throw, while o-soto-gari is still a direct throw, in that the force you provide is in a staight line.
Hhmm... Thanks Aegis. To emphasise the point to Yoda i was refering to when you take Uki to the side. It then gets a little bit more complicated to distinguish between the two.
It takes more than that I think you have a point but once again it depends on the style of throw you are doing. It is possible to execute o-soto-gari whether they have weight on their leg or not. Does anyone else have an opinion?
O soto gari is a leg reap, harai goshi is a variation hip throw. One your facing the guy, the other your facing away. Col
From a Muay Thai perspective, a common Leg Reap Throw (Often from or in the Clinch) is very similar to O-Soto-Gari (Both the Judo and the Ju Jitsu version (s)) Although taking your adversary's balance is important (Certainly in the way I do the throw in Ju Jitsu), from a Muay Thai perspective you attack/ hack the leg, transfering your weight (Yr upper body going forward and your leg hacking back). Hack the Leg away, whether it has weight on it or not. Also, there is often more of a turning motion, as opposed to going straight back and over. Done with enough venom, your adversary falls over. Having them near-falling backwards is not As important in a Muay Thai sense, as it is in Ju Jitsu. Although it's preferable to have 'taken their balance', it is not absolutely imperative to have it totally, as the Reap is the attack against the Calf/ Achilles Heel, as opposed to the final portion of the movement. The Fundamental difference is in the usage of Your body weight a much as your adversary's.