Osoto Gari With A Sambo Twist

By Corey Kuropas, January 26, 2017

As a Ukrainian-American, Sambo has always interested me. Even well into my training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Sambo seemed to be the “black sheep” of the grappling styles. BJJ, Judo, and Wrestling are all pretty prominent, but Sambo was a rarer find, so to say. The interesting mix of Wrestling styles, Judo and Jiu Jitsu always made for an exciting watch. The throw and leg lock heavy style showed some nice dynamic aspects that were not seen as much in BJJ or Judo. One of those aspects is the Georgian grip. The Georgian grip is a way of controlling your opponent with gaining sleeve control, and a same side over the shoulder belt grip. This grip leads to some excellent throws. Let’s see one how one of the most basic throws from Judo/Jiu Jitsu is given a Sambo twist from the Georgian grip.

Everyone that trains in gi knows of the osoto gari. It is a basic throw that every Jiu Jitsu student knows or at least, should know. But instead of hitting the throw from any standard sleeve/collar controls, you will execute it from the Georgian grip. First use your left hand to grab your opponent’s left sleeve up by the elbow. Then use your right arm to go over your opponent’s left shoulder and grab his belt. Clamp down your elbow, so he cannot move to your back. Once you have your proper Georgian grip, it is time to move into the osoto gari.

You will need to turn yourself sideways, with your right hip facing your opponent’s stomach. Then you can step with your left leg forward, and swing your right leg inside and behind your opponent’s left leg. Chop down on his leg and lift with your belt grip. The result is grand. Instead of your opponent being gently swept to the floor, he will get thrown with higher impact. It will most likely have a pretty damaging effect.

This grip is something I love to play around with in the gi. It leads to some really fun entries into Judo-style throws. This is a Judo throw, but done with a fusion from Sambo. Take your takedown game seriously. Even if you aren’t primarily a big takedown player, at least know them so you can prevent them from being done to you. Check out….

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