01 / AT A GLANCE
Follow the feet as the supports come together
Okuri-ashi-harai is a following foot sweep in the ashi-waza group. The recognisable task is to gather the opponent’s feet through a coordinated sweeping action as their support changes. A lateral stepping drill makes that relationship easy to study, but the technique is not defined by performing a fixed number of sideways steps. The opportunity depends on the feet, torso and rhythm becoming connected at the right moment.
Convention: you are tori and your partner is uke. Start with your left hand on uke’s right sleeve and your right hand on uke’s left lapel. In this guide’s example, your left sole meets uke’s right foot and sends it toward uke’s left foot as their feet approach each other. Your right leg supplies your own support. Directions are described from each person’s perspective rather than assuming both face the same way.
Okuri ashi barai and okuri-ashi-barai are common alternate spellings. They belong on this same technique page. The English phrase “two-foot sweep” is helpful for understanding the objective, but seeing both feet leave the mat does not by itself prove the classification. Examine whether the action gathered the supports rather than sweeping a single advancing foot.
The first practice target is smooth coordination at a manageable pace, with a partner who can receive the fall. Do not ask uke to jump sideways to create the appearance of a successful sweep. A controlled incomplete action can still reveal good timing; a dramatic cooperative leap can conceal that the attacking movement never influenced support.
02 / WATCH THE TECHNIQUE
Watch the gap between the feet and the shoulder line
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
Open this video on YouTube if the player is unavailable.
The Kodokan video establishes the formal demonstration. Efficient Judo’s second video provides another demonstration reference under the spelling okuri-ashi-barai. It is not presented here as a spoken coaching lecture. Compare the moving relationship, especially how the torso and feet travel together, before focusing on the final airborne position.
During your first viewing, watch the space between uke’s feet. During the second, watch the shoulders and how the grips connect them to tori. During the third, look at tori’s supporting leg. These separate observations help you see whether the sweep is arriving as the feet close or after the partner has already established a wide, stable stance again.
In your own footage, include at least one full step before contact. A close shot of the sweeping ankle hides the rhythm that made it available. Ask whether tori moved with the partner or remained behind and reached sideways. Reaching can look like a weak leg action while actually being an earlier error in following the body.
Avoid copying the exact number of preparatory steps as though it guarantees timing. A fixed rhythm is a useful teaching constraint, not the whole skill. Once the shape is comfortable, the partner should sometimes pause or change the size of the step so you learn to recognise the relationship instead of attacking automatically on a count.
03 / WHEN TO USE IT
The useful window is a closing base
Lateral movement with matching rhythm
A small sideways movement lets you feel the feet approaching one another. Follow the torso while maintaining your own base. If the partner’s upper body escapes ahead of your grips, the ankle may be reachable but the sweep will struggle to gather the whole person. Begin at a pace that permits feedback rather than using speed to force synchronisation.
A circular exchange becoming sideways travel
A circling partner can briefly present the same closing-foot relationship. That does not mean every circular step is an okuri opportunity. Identify the direction of the feet and whether the shoulders remain connected. Work with a coach to choose a small arc in which the support change can be observed without the pair spinning out of control.
Recovery after a supporting-foot attack
A sasae-tsurikomi-ashi attempt may make uke step around and move laterally. If the feet then close, the following sweep becomes a candidate. If uke instead widens the stance or retreats straight away, the expected combination is absent. Your next action should respond to that difference.
When the feet stay separated
A broad, settled stance is a poor target for simply sweeping harder across both legs. Restore movement, change direction or choose another technique. Repeatedly colliding with the outside ankle will not create the missing closing step. In practice, allow the defender to show this unavailable position so the attacker learns to decline it deliberately.
04 / HOW IT WORKS
Gather the supports while controlling the torso
Travel with the partner
Use your steps and grips to stay aligned with uke’s lateral movement. Your supporting right foot must arrive where it can carry you while the left leg sweeps. If you leave your base behind, the attacking leg may reach across the gap and pull you off balance before the partner’s support has changed.
Connect the upper body to the movement
The hands help organise uke’s torso so the sweeping action influences more than the nearest ankle. Keep both sides involved rather than tugging one sleeve while the opposite shoulder turns freely away. The lift and lateral guidance should fit the partner’s movement; pulling down heavily can make the feet harder to gather at the moment you want them mobile.
Meet the following foot with the sole
The left sole contacts the right foot in the reference example and follows it toward the other foot. Use a smooth whole-leg action close to the mat, not an upward kick at the shin. Let a coach inspect the foot shape and precise contact. Comfortable placement matters because a partner avoiding painful contact will stop moving naturally.
Continue through the closing feet
The sweep should gather the changing supports rather than stop at the first touch. This does not mean forcing through a planted stance. If the feet have already separated again, the window has gone. Return your leg and regain balance. A continuous movement is useful only while the partner’s support relationship still permits it.
Guide the landing
Maintain sleeve control and organise your own base as uke falls. Do not lift the partner into an unnecessarily high flight or release them because the sweep felt clean. A lateral fall can develop suddenly. Agree the pace and landing beforehand, and keep enough space for both participants to finish without meeting another pair.
05 / KEY POINTS
Four checks for a sweep that follows rather than chases
Your base moves with the shoulders
Watch whether tori’s standing foot keeps up with uke’s torso. If the body is left behind, the sweeping leg often compensates with an overlong reach. In a non-throwing drill, move laterally together and stop at random moments. You should still be able to stand without hanging from the partner’s jacket.
The feet are closing at contact
Check the gap just before the sole arrives. A sweep into feet that are widening asks for a different task from a sweep into feet that are gathering. Do not label both failures as insufficient strength. Adjust when you begin the action, keeping the same gentle pace so the difference remains visible.
The hands do not pin the feet down
A downward pull can settle uke onto the very support you want to move. Ask the partner whether the upper-body action felt mobile or heavy. Compare a lighter coordinated guidance with the original pull. The goal is not loose grips; it is a connection that helps the torso travel while the feet are gathered.
The sweep returns under control
After a missed opportunity, can you put the left foot down and resume normal movement? If not, you may be committing beyond your support. Include missed or declined sweeps in practice. Recovery is part of the technique’s usefulness in randori, where the partner does not promise to keep the same rhythm.
06 / PROBLEMS & ADJUSTMENTS
Separate rhythm, distance and contact errors
You catch only the nearest foot
The second foot may still be too far away, the sweep may be early, or the upper body may not be travelling with the feet. Watch the gap before contact. Try delaying within the same small movement rather than making a bigger sweep. If a single advancing foot is the real opportunity, study de-ashi-harai instead of forcing the two-foot pattern.
Both feet feel glued to the mat
You may be late, pulling downward, or attacking after uke has deliberately widened the stance. Ask the partner which condition they felt. Repeat with light contact and a clearly closing step. If that moves comfortably, retain the timing and hand direction before adding a stronger finish or less predictable movement.
Your legs cross and you stumble
The supporting step may be too narrow or too far behind the lateral travel. Stop full throws and practise the footwork without sweeping. Then add a touch-and-return. Improvement means you can recover your own base regardless of whether uke continues moving. Do not accept stumbling as the unavoidable price of commitment.
Uke jumps to help the throw
A cooperative partner may be trying to protect your confidence or anticipate a painful collision. Ask them to step naturally and receive only the action that actually occurs. Reduce speed and force. A partial balance change with honest feedback is more useful than an impressive finish manufactured by the receiver.
The drill works only on the third step
You may have learned the count rather than the closing support. Let uke vary between two, three and four small steps, with occasional pauses. Tori should attack only when the feet and torso present the relationship. Keep this below full resistance until the decision becomes clear; randomness without control simply makes the exercise noisy.
07 / SETUPS & COMBINATIONS
Use lateral recovery as information
Sasae to okuri-ashi-harai
Start from a connected sasae threat. If uke steps around and continues sideways with the feet gathering, follow the torso and sweep the closing supports. If the partner stops wide, decline the sweep. Return your blocking foot to a useful base before starting the new action, rather than trying to keep one leg airborne through the entire sequence.
Okuri-ashi-harai to tai-otoshi
If uke avoids the sweep by taking a forward recovery step while the sleeve remains controlled, tai-otoshi may fit the new front corner. You must reorganise the turn and supporting feet. Do not stretch a blocking leg across the partner merely because the sweep missed. Reset if the distance or grip no longer supports the turning throw.
Okuri-ashi-harai to a shoulder entry
A partner who resists sideways movement may recover toward you. That response can make a seoi-nage entry possible after you recover stance. Check the sleeve and shoulder connection before turning. If the opponent remains square and distant, continue grip work instead of treating resistance itself as a guaranteed forward opening.
A second lateral sweep
Sometimes the first threat makes uke take another closing step in the opposite direction. Study the mirrored action only after both sides are comfortable separately. Identify which sole now meets which foot. The reset condition is a broken rhythm, uncomfortable contact or a wide planted base; a second sweep is not an obligation to keep kicking until something happens.
For combination practice, let uke occasionally give no expected continuation. The attacker should explain why the second technique was declined. That conversation checks whether the sequence is being selected from the support change rather than performed from memory.
08 / DEFENCES & COUNTERS
Change the closing rhythm without sacrificing posture
An early defensive adjustment can shorten a lateral step, change its rhythm or restore a useful stance before the feet gather under the sweep. Keep the shoulders organised as well. A wide stance that leaves the upper body freely controlled may prevent this sweep but invite another direction, so assess the whole exchange rather than celebrating one blocked technique.
Do not defend by jumping blindly or kicking back at the incoming foot. Those reactions can remove your own base and make practice unpredictable. Begin with a simple agreed pause or step change. Once the attacker recognises it, add controlled choice under the coach’s direction.
Tsubame-gaeshi is a separate recognised counter associated with foot sweeps. Learn its timing and returning action explicitly if it is part of your coach’s programme. A late collision between two swinging feet is not a reliable counter. The defender needs an organised avoidance and an available new opportunity.
When the sweep has already removed support, use controlled ukemi rather than posting behind you with a locked arm. The attacker should keep guiding the fall and return to a stable base. If the movement becomes tangled before projection, both partners stop and reset instead of forcing the legs through each other.
09 / GROUND TRANSITIONS
Follow the side landing with a positional decision
Uke lands close with the legs clear
Maintain useful upper-body contact and settle beside the torso. Yoko-shiho-gatame can be a suitable destination if the shoulders and hips are controlled. Do not assume a pin simply because both feet were swept. Uke may still have frames or a knee between the bodies.
Uke turns during the fall
The landing can leave a side-facing or prone partner. Follow the actual torso position and use a coached turnover if needed. Pulling on the sleeve alone may not prevent the hips from turning. Separate this ground arrival into its own practice task when the same escape happens repeatedly.
Your momentum carries you past the torso
Excessive lateral travel after the sweep may leave you walking away from the ground opportunity. Review whether the upper-body connection was released or whether your approach had become too fast to control. A slower sweep with a balanced finish can create a more useful transition than a dramatic throw followed by a large gap.
In throw-to-pin practice, specify whether tori stays standing after the projection or follows to the mat. Both can be useful learning constraints. What matters is that the chosen continuation is controlled and matches the actual landing rather than being imposed on every repetition.
10 / PRACTICE PROGRESSION
Replace a fixed count with recognition
Learn the shared stepping rhythm
Begin with small lateral steps and ordinary grips, without a throw. Keep the pair aligned and the bases organised. Occasionally stop together. Progress when neither partner crosses awkwardly or relies on the other to stay upright. This establishes the moving relationship before adding a leg action that can hide a footwork error.
Add comfortable gathering contact
Use light sole contact as the feet close, then return to stance. Uke does not jump. Ask whether the foot was met during movement or struck after settling. Progress when the same comfortable contact can be reproduced on several different step lengths chosen by the coach.
Add the controlled fall
Connect the upper-body guidance and the sweep while uke prepares for ukemi. Keep sets short enough to review the final step. A successful learning repetition includes an organised tori and a controlled receiver, not merely a partner touching the mat. Stop to repair any repeated impact against the ankle or shin.
Vary the number of steps
Uke chooses a short sequence with an occasional pause. Tori selects the closing-foot window rather than attacking on a count. Record correct sweeps, late contacts and correct declines. If timing deteriorates, reduce the variation before increasing speed. The difficulty should expose a decision you can understand, not overwhelm it.
Add one alternative attack
Allow the sweep when the feet gather and a coach-selected turning attack when a forward recovery creates its entry. Keep a reset available. This teaches that the same initial lateral movement can lead to different tasks. Finish with a short randori observation: identify where the feet closed, even if the grip prevented an attack.
11 / COMPETITION EXAMPLE
A specific IJF replay selection to study
The IJF okuri-ashi-harai collection for Odette Giuffrida lists her contest against Gili Cohen at the Tbilisi Grand Prix 2019. Select that named event and opponent in the official collection. This is a verified replay listing under the technique tag; the listing alone does not establish an exact score, timestamp or every detail of the grip.
Use the replay to investigate how the feet come together during an unscripted exchange. Note the direction of movement before contact and whether the shoulder line continues with the sweep. These are viewing tasks, not an invented frame-by-frame account. If playback requires access you do not have, retain the official demonstrations as your available technical references.
Compare the competition selection with your lateral drill. Does your drill allow the same kind of changing step, or does the partner always close on a fixed count? The useful training adjustment may be adding one pause rather than increasing throwing speed. Record only what you can actually observe in the available footage.
12 / VARIATIONS & COMPARISONS
Gathering feet differs from catching one step
De-ashi-harai targets a stepping foot during its transfer of support. Okuri-ashi-harai gathers the supports through a following sweep. Both can look light and sudden, and both depend on upper-body connection, but they should not be taught as identical actions with different names. Ask what the second foot was doing before the throw.
Sasae-tsurikomi-ashi supplies a low block while the torso is guided around it. That is different from sending the feet along the mat. A sasae response can create the lateral travel for okuri, but the transition needs a new timing decision and a recovered standing base.
Straight lateral drills and circular entries are practical variations in approach. Their usefulness depends on whether they create the closing support without losing the torso. Keep the official classification in the technique reference separate from informal descriptions of rhythm or grip. A different setup does not automatically create a new official throw.
13 / YOUR NEXT PRACTICE
Track the gap at the moment of contact
Ask one question: “Are uke’s feet still closing when my sweep arrives?” Use one partner and a small lateral movement. Record closing, already separated, planted and correctly declined opportunities. Ask a coach to check the supporting foot as well, because a late contact may begin with your own delayed step.
Illustrative note: “Twelve opportunities: five closing contacts, four late after separation, three correct pauses. My sweep was comfortable, but I waited for the feet to touch. Next block: begin during the closing movement and compare the same pace.” This example shows how to choose a test; it is not a required success ratio.
Save the observation with the practice record template or Judo AI. If earlier contact improves the action, test it against a partner who varies step length. If it merely produces more early misses, inspect the upper-body connection and your supporting step before changing timing again.
14 / SOURCES & REVIEW
Sources, authorship and review
Kodokan official technique names establish the name and category. The IJF Okuri-ashi-harai definition and video library and linked Kodokan demonstration are the primary technical references. The second video above is credited separately. The official replay collection linked in section 11 verifies the named event and opponents under the technique tag; it does not establish a score, timestamp or every coaching suggestion on this page.
By Judo AI · Editorial review: October 9, 2026. Definitions, source identity, article consistency and links have been checked. Practice tasks and diagnostic questions are editorial proposals to discuss with your coach, not a validated training protocol. Named technical-coach approval is still pending. Video identities were verified; complete playback and every contest detail have not been independently analysed.
Rules and scope: this is a supervised judo study guide, not a current refereeing manual. Historical scores describe the cited event. Ask your coach to check the applicable age group and event rules before using grip variations or submissions in shiai; this draft does not certify their legality. Stop a practice action when your partner taps, asks to stop or reports pain.