In this article, we will show you how to set up, finish, sweep, and defend the Caio Terra ankle lock from the De la Riva position. The move is unexpected and highly effective, legal at all levels, and offers a different way of finishing ankle locks compared to the standard Ashi Garami game. By the end of this article, you will be able to easily add this technique to your game and catch your opponents off guard.

Who Is Caio Terra?

Born in 1986 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Caio Terra started training BJJ in 2003 at his mother’s behest, as he was physically smaller than his peers and needed to learn self-defense. He fell in love with the sport after winning silver in his first-ever competition as a blue belt, representing Rodrigo Medeiros’ famous Fight Zone Academy in Copacabana (which he later substituted with the Strauch Academy).

Terra earned his black belt in 2006, flying through the colored belts in only three years of dedicated training, from coaches Reyson Gracie and Paulo Strauch. This was one of the quickest promotions to black belt ever recorded in BJJ history.

From there, he went on to become a record times world champion and one of the greatest of all time, especially in the lower-weight divisions, famous in the community for his passion and bravery.

Caio Terra is known for his maxim “Technique Conquers All”, which he has proven by winning numerous titles in different weight divisions and even in the open weight division. He won the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship ten times (the only grappler to do so) and also has two IBJJF World Championship titles with the Gi. In addition to his main achievements, he has also won several IBJJF Pan American championship, European and American National championships titles.

Cesar Gracie gave Terra the chance to start teaching in the US, which Caio grabbed, eventually building a BJJ empire of his own.

Professor Caio Terra now teaches at his own Caio Terra academy, which is the headquarters for a worldwide network of Jiu-Jitsu schools associated with the program, his one team philosophy and BJJ curriculum through his Caio Terra Association (CTA).

Caio Terra developed his signature ankle lock from the De la Riva guard, which he used to surprise and submit many opponents in high-level competitions. He also created several transitions and variations from this position, making it a versatile and effective weapon in his arsenal.

Setting up the Caio Terra Ankle Lock

The first step to master the Caio Terra ankle lock is to develop a solid De la Riva guard. Then, you can focus on learning how to enter the position from the guard.

The De la Riva guard is a common open guard in BJJ, where you wrap one of your legs around your opponent’s leg and hook your foot behind their knee. You also control their near ankle with your hand and place your other foot on their far hip. The guard is one of the fundamentals in terms of outside guards (since none of your legs end up in between the opponent’s legs) which is usually not associated with leg-locking success.

However, Terra’s ankle lock proves that the inside position does not always matter in the pursuit of ankle locks. To set up the Caio Terra ankle lock from here, you should follow these steps:

1. Turn to face your opponent directly. This may seem counterintuitive, as you usually want to be at an angle when playing De la Riva guard. However, this is necessary to get closer to their ankle and create the right leverage for the submission.
2. Scoot closer to their ankle with your hips. You want to be as close as possible to your foot with your butt, so you can reach it with your arm without extending too much.
3. Get a standard ankle lock grip with your arm. This means wrapping your arm around their foot, with your wrist bone on their Achilles tendon. You also want to grab your own forearm with your other hand and keep your elbow tight to your body.
4. Switch your De la Riva hook (outside leg) to their far leg. Instead of hooking behind their knee with your leg, you want to hook behind their ankle or calf. This will help you control their leg and prevent them from stepping out of your guard.
5. Bring your other leg over their knee. You want to place your shin across their thigh, just above their knee. This will create a wedge that will stop them from moving forward or backward.

Finishing the Caio Terra ankle lock

Once you have entered the position correctly, you are ready to finish the Caio Terra ankle lock at will. To do so, you need to apply pressure to the ankle joint by extending your hips, arching your back and curling your wrist.

Let’s break it down in steps :

1. Extend your hips forward. You want to drive your hips towards their foot, creating a strong base and leverage for the submission.
2. Arch your back slightly. You want to lift your chest up a bit, creating more space for your arm and wrist to move.
3. Curl your wrist down. You want to twist your wrist towards their toes, creating more pressure on their Achilles tendon.
4. Squeeze everything together. You want to keep everything tight and compact, squeezing your knees together, tucking your chin down and pulling their foot towards you.

And here is a video that demonstrates how to finish the Caio Terra ankle lock from the De la Riva guard:

Sweeping from the Caio Terra Ankle Lock Position

Sometimes, your opponent may defend or resist the Caio Terra ankle lock by trying to stand up or balance themselves on their free leg. In this case, you can progress toward using the position as a sweep instead of a submission, since getting the right angle for a leg lock can be very difficult.

There are two ways you can sweep them from here:

• Use your De la Riva hook to elevate their leg and roll them over. You can use your hook behind their far ankle or calf to lift their leg up in the air, making them lose their balance. Then you can roll them over towards their lifted leg side, landing on top of them in side control or mount.
• Switch to a single leg X or X guard position and sweep them to the mat from there. You can also use your hook behind their far ankle or calf to pull their leg towards you, making them step forward with their free leg. Then you can switch your grip from their foot to their knee or thigh, and bring both of your legs inside theirs. From there, you can enter a single leg X or X guard position, where you have many options to sweep them.

Both methods work perfectly and they also connect with each other, offering a closed system revolving around the original ankle locks attack.

Defending the Caio Terra Ankle Lock

Of course, if you want to master the Caio Terra ankle lock, you also need to know how to defend it just in case someone tries it on you, or more importantly to prevent people from escaping and cancel their defensive efforts.

Here are some of the common ways that your opponent can try to escape or counter the position, and how you can prevent or counter them:

• Stuffing your leg: Your opponent may try to push down on your leg that is over their knee, trying to free their leg from your wedge. To prevent this, you need to keep your shin tight against their thigh, using your foot as a hook behind their hip or butt.
• Peeling your grip: Your opponent may try to peel off your grip on their foot by grabbing your fingers or wrist with their hands. To prevent this, you need to keep your elbow close to your body and tuck your chin down over your hands.
• Spinning out: Your opponent may try to spin out of your guard by turning away from you and rolling over their shoulder. To prevent this, you need to keep control of their far leg with your de la riva hook or switch it back behind their knee if they manage to free it.
• Attacking your legs: Your opponent may try to attack one of your legs with a heel hook or toe hold by grabbing it with their free hand or using their free leg as a lever. To prevent this, you need to keep both of your feet active and mobile, using them as hooks or frames against their body.

Conclusion

The Caio Terra ankle lock is a powerful and unexpected submission from the de la riva guard that can surprise and submit many opponents in high-level competitions. It was developed by Caio Terra, one of the most accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors and world champions in history.

The goal to day was to provide instruction on how to set up, finish, sweep and defend the Caio Terra ankle lock from the De la Riva position.

If you want to train the Caio Terra ankle lock in the gym during class, make sure you practice it with a partner/student who knows how to tap and give them time to do so, as the submission comes on quickly without a warning sign since the setup is very unexpected.

We hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new from it. If you want to learn more from Caio Terra, you can check out his online academy or watch some of his matches and isntructinals on YouTube, where he showcases his amazing skills and techniques.

Lachlan Giles Demonstrates the Effectiveness of Musumeci’s Modified Straight Foot Lock

Mikey Musumeci BJJ DVD: Foundations Of Guard Attacks REVIEW

Dean Lister’s Most Lethal Legal Straight Ankle Lock Explained

https://bjj-world.com/achilles-hold-straight-ankle-lock-counters/

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Overview

Despite what the headline might suggest, this instructional has little to do with wrestling as it is commonly perceived by people. Wrestling for BJJ extends far past just takedowns and this Nicky Ryan DVD is the perfect example. The subject matter in this instructional is how to sweep people from seated and supine guard positions. As expected, Nicky has a different approach to sweeps to the pone commonly used in BJJ. Just like everything else the now-defunct DDS guys do.

Nicky Ryan uses a lot of wrestling in his grappling game, mostly in the form of headlocks, arm drags, crescent steps, etc. Now, he demonstrates how to mix it all up with the task of wrestling up from bottom positions in BJJ. It is a really smooth combo of wrestling with BJJ that offers all of the benefits with none of the drawbacks.

Instructor Background

Nicky Ryan is a name that is pretty well known in grappling circles. OF course, he is mostly known as Gordon Ryan’s younger brother and one of the youngest members of the Danaher Death Squad. Nicky is now one of the founders of the B-team along with fellow BJJ celebrity Craig Jones. GOes without saying that Nicky Ryan is a John Danaher black belt.

Nicky started training along with his older brother Gordon when he was 8. they both state in with Tom DeBlass’ academy. He used to train on and off, not really taking things seriously until he saw his brother build a successful grappling career. His training included Danaher methodology from the get-go, and he was beating adults at the age of 13 with ease. Nicky got so much into Jiu-Jitsu that he left school, ending up being homeschooled by John Danaher.

Nicky is also the youngest ADCC competitor, getting invited to participate in the Olympics of grappling at the age of 16. In terms of major titles, he won the ADCC West Coast trials in 2019 and was crowned Polaris champion in 2018 and 2019. He has notable victories over seasoned grapplers like PJ Barch, Dante Leon, Jamil Hill-Taylor, and JZ Calvacante to name a few.

Subject

“Nicky Ryan’s Wrestle Up Series” is a DVD instructional about sweeping by using wrestling moves, in combination with BJJ moves, or on their own. This is the very first Nicky Ryan DVD ever, and a perfect glimpse into the way he approaches BJJ, and his teaching methods.

As the smallest member of the DDS, and facing adult opponents in tournaments since his early teens, Ryan has a very distinct guard style, that he presents in this DVD. His take on sweeping is to use established moves and methods from wrestling, like arm drags, ko uchi gari, ankle picks, collar ties, body locks, etc. Instead of only relying on BJJ sweeps technique, this DVD will teach you how to blend wrestling moves that work from guard positions, and from your knees.

Complexity

While the subject is complex, given the “marriage” of wrestling and BJJ moves, Nicky’s teaching methodology makes it easy to understand. As such it is applicable to everyone, from white to black belt. Nicky does a great job of putting things into perspective so that everyone can find things to learn.

Technical Details

“Nicky Ryan’s Wrestle Up Series” instructional is a three-part BJJ DVD, produced by BJJ Fanatics. It is a No-Gi instructional, and each of the three volumes lasts around 60 minutes. With Nicky being a native English speaker, and the sound quality of the highest level, there’s absolutely no difficulty understanding everything that he is saying.

In terms of the contents, Nicky does show a lot of things but goes over everything in as much detail as possible while staying on the subject. In other words, grapplers of all levels will benefit from this instructional. As usual, those with prior knowledge of stuff like single-leg takedowns and ankle picks (for example) will learn more than complete beginners.

Detailed Analysis

DVD #1

Nicky Ryan starts his very first DVD instructional addressing leg orientation which is a great concept. He demonstrates how to act when in guard depending on how the opponent is placing and/or moving their legs. This is a fundamental concept that the entire “Wrestle Up Series” DVD is based upon.

There’s also a bit on pushing and pulling, a concept I think everyone from the DDS has explained in their instructionals. Seated guards are first up as a launching position of all attacks Nicky shows. It all starts with options when an opponent is standing, which revolve around a double Kouchi Gari, and a bunch of possible follow-ups if it fails. Those options include arm drags, low doubles, and single-leg takedowns, as ways to sweep a standing opponent and get on top.

There rea some back mount entries from Seated Guard as well. The volume ends with a few chapters on the crescent and high steps.

DVD #2

Part two once again starts with seated guards, this time against a kneeling opponent. From this height, Nicky Ryan teaches how to get the neck in order to use the front headlock position for sweeping or back takes.

Some of the things in this volume are snap downs, ankle picks, and a bunch of follow-up Bodylock, double and single leg finishes. I essence, Nicky does a great job connecting the attacks from the previous volume with this one. Whenever an opponent stands up to avoid his kneeling attacks, Nicky immediately switches gear and keeps going. That, I guess is the most important lesson in this instructional – not stopping when you’re looking to wrestle up from guard.

The final portions of the instructional address the overhook position, which seems to be making a comeback into Jiu-Jitsu these past couple of years. Nicky’s attacks of choice from there are Sumi Gaeshi-based overhead sweeps.

DVD #3

The final portion of this Nicky Ryan DVD addresses lying positions, or “supine guards” as he calls them. After resolving some common misconceptions about attacking off your back, Nicky goes into his wrestling moves to sweep people, starting with GSP’s famous double leg setup.

The De la Riva quickly becomes that position of choice in this volume. Ryan shows how to use it to get to the double leg using 2 on 1, knee sweeps, front pommels, and a bunch of other interesting setups. The Reverse de la Riva os of course, not far, opening up a whole new series of attacks, once again centered around the single and double leg takedown. To be honest, most of the takedown finishes are done from what wrestlers call “the low” position, which is how Nicky connected them to BJJ guards and made them work sweeps.

Nicky even covers a few ways to deal with the Knee On Belly position as he wraps up his “Wrestle Up Series” DVD instructional.

How We Grade “Nicky Ryan’s Wrestle Up Series” DVD by Nicky Ryan

Considering this Nicky Ryan DVD’s technical aspects and quality of content, we come to an overall score for this instructional that I’ll deliberate in short below.

Technical Quality: 10/10

Needless to mention that this DVD is yet another pristine BJJ fanatics product. The sound and video quality are at high quality, as is the camera work. Absolutely no complaints in this department.

Quality of Content: 10/10 

COntent-wise, Nicky Ryan delivers a lot on a subject that most grapplers are oblivious about. Wrestlers do not use guards, and BJJ athletes rarely connect takedowns and sweeps. Paradoxical, I know, but true nonetheless. The subject is spot on and will change many people’s approach to attacking with sweeps from guards.

As previously mentioned, everyone can learn from this DVD, as Nicky is truly a great teacher. In fact, I’d go as far as saying he explains and connects things a lot better than Gordon. A small remark in regard to the content would be that there are only three volumes of this DVD. That, however, is I think purely because we’re so used to the 4-volume BJJ DVD format in the last five years.

Another thing which is purely a personal view on things is that I, myself, prefer to sweep a bit more lazily from guards. Nicky’s “Wrestle Up” series will teach you how to sweep even wrestlers and Judokas, but it will mean you need to work for those sweeps. I guess Jiu-Jitsu as we know it is making us lazy, that’s why the ex-DDS guys and everyone with a high work rate easily dominates.

Overall: 10/10

A great resource to open up plenty of opportunities on how to seep people from the guard. As this is a No-Gi DVD, it will work perfectly well in a Gi setting as well, making it truly universal. Oh, and every move shown in this Nicky Ryan DVD is 100% legal for everyone from white to black belt level.

Wrap Up

“Nicky Ryan’s Wrestle Up Series” is the perfect way for you to start the new year. Be unorthodox, start exploring different grappling ways in which your BJJ guard can become dangerous, rather than just trying to wrap people up in their own Gi jackets.

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In the video below Gezary Matuda shows the balloon sweep that follows after she pulls guard. What’s even more important is that she makes it look so easy, and it probably is once you involve hours and hours of drilling it.

Finding the right angle and the right moment can make your balloon sweep really shine because Balloon Sweep is an open guard sweep which means that you can pull it from almost any open guard.

The post Guard Pull to Balloon Sweep with 5x BJJ world champion Gezary Matuda appeared first on BJJ World.

The Kimura is one of the most versatile moves in Jiu-Jitsu. It offers plenty of options that range a lot further than just a shoulder lock. It does take time for people to start seeing things clearly, though, and understanding the full extent of Kimura possibilities takes time. In fact, even though most people show the Kimura sweep (AKA sit-up sweep) among the very first things, which I strongly disagree with, people do not realize the sweeping power a Kimura actually provides.

The Double Trouble Concept Regarding Sweeps

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. After years of teaching people stuff like scissor sweeps and pendulum sweeps from the closed guard during their first weeks of training, and them failing miserably at comprehending how it all worked, I started wondering if we were insane to do so. After all, that is the way we were taught – this is a fundamental technique, you “learn” it now and make it work. Horrible, if I am being honest.

Things like sweeps are quite complicated when it comes to pulling them off in BJJ. Even if you are trying to sweep a stationary body it would be difficult without understanding mechanics, let alone trying to execute a sweep on an opponent that is fighting back. So, I decided to try a different approach.

The basic goal of a sweep is to get from a bottom position to a top one. The method is not set in stone, only the end result is very specifically defined. That simply means you can pretty much do anything that makes sense, as long as you end up on top. So, why open a closed guard up and go for complicated sequences that won’t work if an opponent does not make several errors in a series? Instead, it is much easier to use the threat of something else to get people to topple over. Submissions are that threat.

The Kimura sweep is the perfect example of how threatening with a sweep while holding on to submission will get you either a sweep, a submission, or very often, both. That is the double trouble principle of sweeping that you should always strive for from guard.

Kimura Sweep Mechanics

Let’s talk a bit more about the Kimura sweep. Whenever this sweep is mentioned, people usually think of the sit-up sweep for the closed guard, given that a Kimura-like motion initiates it. The “old-school” version of the sweep has you getting up from closed guard, looking to throw an arm over the shoulder of an opponent as you are looking for a Kimura. The threat of the Kimura leaves them exposed to a sweep. Well, at least at a beginner level.

A more effective and practical way of attacking the Kimura sweep from the closed guard would be to actually break the posture and get a proper Kimura grip first. Basically, look to get the submission before even thinking about sweeping. With the posture broken and the grip set tightly, you can choose which direction to sweep towards. As long as their head is on the ground, you can initiate a sweep with a simple bridge (hip bump), go for a butterfly hook or simply kick one leg out from underneath them.

Something most people do not often consider si doing a Kimura sweep from the half guard. It can work in many different ways, but rollovers are usually the best option. Similar to the closed guard, really do try and get the submission from the bottom. This has people scrambling to defend which gives you the option to roll them over, whether with a barrel roll or by simply following them as they try to posture out of the submission. It is really that easy.

Just to tease you a bit more, you might also want to explore “sweeping” from bottom side control. While this won’t get you to sweep points it will get you out of a tight spot with an option to tap the top person out. The Squirrel lock is the Kimura sweep I’d go for from there.

Why The Kimura Sweep Beats All Other Sweeps

The mechanics of the Kimura submission is what makes the sweep such a dominant option. The principle of double trouble sweeping works well with guillotines and triangle choke as well, just to name a few. However, the Kimura beats every one of them as the best possible way to sweep a result of the mechanical advantages it provides.

When in a Kimura grip, you have extreme levels of control over the elbow of an opponent, but controlling the forearm with a figure four configuration that involves both your hands. Moreover, they’re combined in a wedge system which makes it really hard for the other person to get out of. The real control, though, comes from the placement of your armpit over their shoulder when the top arm goes for the setup.

This means that you not only control their shoulder, you also control their posture. As long as you close your elbows to your torso after getting a Kimura from the bottom, you will be impossible to shake off. This means that you have control over the entire torso in a diagonal fashion, which immediately provides you with a direction to work on off-balancing. Additionally, you can easily control the neck and head causing even more balance issues for your opponent.

In Conclusion

The Kimura sweep, old school or new school from closed guard or from half guard, will work like a charm. You just have to be brave enough to think about the Kimura more like a position for attacking different things, including a shoulder lock, than simply as submission of its own. Time to start experimenting!

Learn 4 Kimura Submission Defenses And Escapes

The post Why The Kimura Sweep Is The Best BJJ Sweep? appeared first on BJJ World.

Trying to figure outstanding opponents from the guard can be a very tricky business in Jiu-Jitsu. If you’d like to be on your back, you actually have a myriad of guards you can use. However, if you like to be a bit more offensive and look for attacks instead of retention, you’ll need posture. In other words, you’ll need a seated guard variation. The shin-on-shin guard can be an ultra-effective one for you and a highly annoying position for your opponents. You need to figure out three things, though, before you can take it for a test drive – how to hold it, how to attack, and how to get in and out of it. Preferably, in that particular order.

Holding the Shin On Shin Guard

The shin-on-shin guard looks like a koala bear hanging on a eucalyptus tree. Let me reiterate the point that this guard will be effective if the opponent stands up. Otherwise, there’s no point in attempting to go shin-on-shin. That’s why we have the butterfly guard. That said, the shin-on-shin should b your first reaction when you see a straight leg in front of you.

The guard position itself is not complicated. You are seated on the ground, with the shin of your leg on the shin of your opponent’s same side leg. Your arm on that side goes around the knee, hugging the leg, while you have the other arm free to post and move around. Easy right?

Hold your horses. If you set up in that position, you might just be able to hold that new girl/guy that has been training for a few months. Everyone else will literally smash you to the ground, face first. Holding the shin-on-shin guard works only if you set every little thing to perfection.

First of all, the shin. The area of the shin right above your ankle. is the only thing that should be in contact with the opponent’s shin. That allows your foot to act like a butterfly hook, meaning your fingers need to be pointing up. Next up, knee. The closer your knee is to the ground, the worse your guard shall be. The knee should actually be pointing up and slightly to the side.

Finally, the arms. The arm you have around the opponent’s leg should be positioned elbow deep, right behind the knee. This brings us to the crucial part that makes or breaks the shin-on-shin guard. Your elbow should be propped up against the inside of your knee, forming a tight and stable frame. This along with positioning your head to the inside of the thigh will make the guard solid all over. Moreover, the often-used defense of pushing your head to the ground does not work here. This brings us to attacks.

A Few Sneaky Attacks

As usual, sweeps and submission are the way to go from the shin-in-shin guard. To begin with, the easiest sweep you can do is actually a butterfly-like one. It works when an opponent goes down with one knee, which is a reaction you’ll get very often. The solution is, grabbing their free arm with your free arm. From there, put your elbow on the ground and think about extending your leg as much as possible. The combination of the shin-on-shin guard structure and the grip on the arm will completely take everyone out of balance for the easiest sweep you’ll get in BJJ.

Conversely, when they decide to stay up, you can opt for yet another sweeping attack. This time though, you’ll be using a lapel to make things even tighter. In essence, you’ll be doing the same sweep, just holding on to a lapel with the arm that’s around the leg. Or, even better, holding on to the far side arm with that same arm of yours, after you pass it off. This ends up being a skull crusher-type of sweep with the opponent having nothing to post with.

Finally, we can’t talk about the shin-on-shin guard without mentioning leg locks. The shin to shin actually opens up every possible Ashi Garami variation. You can go for a straight Ashi or outside Ashi on the leg you’re controlling, or hunt an Inside sankaku on the far leg. Whatever you do look for the Ashi Garami first rather than a lock straight away. The Shin-on-Shin guard lets you place the opponent’s weight on one leg or the other, meaning you always have a leg to hunt for.

Getting In And Out Of The Shin-On-Shin Guard

There’s another aspect to the shin-on-shin guard that makes it so attractive to people. That’s transitioning to other guards. You see, with most guards that you play with your back to the ground, you have limited transitioning options. The shin-on-sin, on the other hand, allows you to go where ever you want. You can go to other seated guards to choose a supine guard or even go for takedowns.

Any X-guard variation is readily available from the shin-on-shin guard. In fact, going to X-guard is the most common destination. Single leg X is the closes, but the full X and reverse X are not far away either. Whatever the case, there’s another caveat here – you can go to the X guards or come out of them back into the shin-on-shin. A magic circle of no escape for your opponent.

Whenever there’s a level change you can also opt for other options, like going for a de La Riva, or transitioning into deep half guard. Conversely, going to the closed guard or half guard are also options. Going back from them might be trickier though, so I’d stick with open guard variations that allow you to use the shin-on-shin as a checkpoint between bottom attacks the best part of it is that if you figure out how to hold it, you won’t need to work on retention or recovery at all.

Wrap Up

The Shin-on-shin guard is an awesome one to use. It allows you to just sit there and wait until an opponent tries to do something. Or, you could go about attacking them in various ways, with and without the Gi. The guard is extremely easy to figure out, and if you learn how to hold it first, you’ll have crazy amounts of success with it.

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BJJ half guard sweeps are interesting and fun, but they do tend to overwhelm. How wouldn’t they, when there are so many half guard variations, and different sweeps from all of them? still, if you’re ever stuck with what to do in BJJ remember that simple is best, and the more fundamental you go, the better. So, using Occam’s razor principle, if the simplest solution is usually the best, a sweep from half guard that’s so dumb it will make people embarrassed should be your number one option.

You Only Need A Couple Of BJJ Half Guard Sweeps

If you try to learn all the BJJ half guard sweeps in existence, you’ll have to spend a lifetime chasing a moving target. Instead, you only need a couple of sweeps that will help you get on top of anyone. There are only two things to consider here.

First, you need to pick the half guard that you’ll play. Is it going to be the underhook, half guard, butterfly half guard, lockdown, Knee shield half guard, etc? the reason you need to figure out a half guard you’re going to play is just so you know how to best position your grips for BJJ half guard sweeps.

That brings me to the second thing you need to consider: Some half guard sweeps work from every half guard. Those are exactly the sweeps you want in your arsenal. As long as you know how to set up the grips that will open up the sweeps, the half guard variation you’re playing makes no difference.

Finally, there’s a bonus moment to consider – when you attack with a sweep. Simply put, you could be proactive and try and force the opponent into a sweep, or reactive, and use their passing attempt to set up a sweep trap.

Easy And Embarrassing

Let’s look at one sweep that is utterly embarrassing for whoever is caught with it. From a basic knee shield half guard (aka Z guard), you want to follow some general half guard guidelines – be on your side, frame against the far side arm, and have your knees close to your chest.

The sweep works like a trap, meaning you’ll bait your opponent in thinking they’re passing your guard.  The bait is you trying to push his arm toward his legs, which is something that will almost always get a reaction out of the top person. That reaction often comes in the form of them trying to stop over your arm to break the grip. That, however, gives you exactly what you want.

The moment an opponent steps forward, they have all their weight on that leg, but at the same time, you still have their arm. that means they have no base, and all it takes is to push with the knee shield knee to get the easiest of all imaginable BJJ half guard sweeps. The sweep is based on deception and timing, but it does work like a charm. The best part about this sweep si that here’s no stopping it, and the grip you and on the arm gets you in a really good top position as well.

BJJ Half Guard Sweeps And Jedi Mind Tricks

The reason why the simple BJJ half guard sweeps work better than their complicated counterparts is that nobody is expecting them. Doing something so utterly simply as toppling them over because you took away their base without notice seems like the ultimate Jedi mind trick to pull off on someone.

In the case of the embarrassing Z-guard sweep, there’s further fun to have at the expense of your opponents. Holding that far arm at wrist level actually opens up lots of opportunities for you,. If you can’t bait your opponent into breaking your grip, they’ll most likely attempt to posture up in order to change how they pass the guard. Then, you simply followed them up and pass the arm behind their back so that you now grip it with your other arm. Needles to say, the easiest al butterfly-based BJJ half guard sweeps is right here for the taking, with no way of defining it.

But here’s the ultimate kicker – if people manage to present one of these two seeps from taking place, you can always switch to the other one. Moreover, you could et up the same form butterfly half guard, Z-guard, the lockdown, and just about any other half guard you can think of. As is said, a couple of sweeps and a Jedi mind tricks all you need to sweep anyone from the half guard.

Wrap Up

BJJ half guard sweeps are a great way of dealing with more experienced or bigger opponents. or both. They will manage to provide you with a top position, but only if you don’t overcomplicate things. leave the Tornado guard sweeps and crazy overhead stuff aside for while. Simply toppling someone over or sweeping them with their hand tied behind their back might not look as cool, but that’s the more reason people will be embarrassed by them. The best part is, there’s literally nothing they can do about it!

Best BJJ Half Guard Instructionals – The Complete Guide

The Only BJJ Half Guard Sweep You’ll Ever Need!

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The butterfly guard is one of the most utilized guards today, and that makes it really hard to use. People know what’s coming – a sweep or a leg lock. For those that like to keep things more versatile, there are also back attacks and front headlocks available from the position. In terms of sweeps, though, we’re seeing people fly around less and less form this powerful guard. Some of that is due to the fact people have studied the guard and understand how to block. Most of the cases, though, involve people being reluctant to engage in the butterfly guard, to begin with. This is exactly where the Bulldozer butterfly guard sweep enters the frame.

The Paradox Of The Butterfly Guard

The butterfly guard is a very powerful position but has become somewhat less useful when it comes to sweeps lately. This is the big paradox of the butterfly guard, which is something it shares with all other famous BJJ guards. The better they become at getting you to the top or providing submissions, the less they will work. This is down to the fact that once something goes viral in the BJJ world, people start to try and figure out how to shut it all down. It will take time for that to happen, but eventually, options will emerge at shutting things down. The same thing is happening to the butterfly guard.

To be fair to the butterfly guard it is in its second coming at the moment. Initially, Marcelo Garcia made it explode, sending people flying left and right. After a while though, most people figured out how to prevent it to an extent, especially with the Gi. Then, along came Danaher and his leg locking system that not just provided new submission options, but also brought back the threat of sweeps, in the form of dilemma attacks.

At the moment we’re seeing people come up with ways to try and counter this new threat from the butterfly guard. It is not really working too well, but eventually, someone will find a solution. Up until such time though, people do have a somewhat boring but still effective option – go to their knees and dig in. This can be extremely annoying for a butterfly guard player. Unless they know how to perform the Bulldozer butterfly guard sweep.

The Bulldozer Butterfly Guard Sweep

What is the Bulldozer butterfly guard sweep? It is a double leg takedown. Wait, what? Yup, theta’s right – you’ll use a takedown to get a sweep. Takedown work from the top because both people are standing. However, even if you’re on your knees, you can go for a takedown. Furthermore, even if you’re in guard and your partner is on their knees, you can set up to shoot for a takedown. It will just count as a sweep, given that no one is actually standing.

The Bulldozer butterfly guard sweep is the perfect weapon to use when opponents dig in or shift their posture backward too much. All you need to do is switch your legs to one side, allowing you to go to your knees and get some drive out of the toes. From here on it is all about shooting into, head to the outside, and grabbing behind the butt to get a double leg. The sweep works like a charm, mostly because nobody is expecting it.

The important thing is that you need to keep one knee on the ground (the leg in between the opponent’s legs while the other is propped with the foot to the ground. Just like for a regular double leg. The sweep itself isn’t backward but to the side. This also has similarities to a double leg. The goal is to push back your opponent just far enough so they lose balance, and then you can take them to the side, finishing a butterfly guard sweep and ending up in a great position.

Jedi Mind Tricks

The secret behind the Bulldozer butterfly guard sweep is in Jedi mind tricks. The person on top usually expects you to sweep in three main directions, particularly form the butterfly guard. They either expect you to take them forward, to the sides or any combination of the above. They do not, however, foresee you taking them backward. That’s precisely why the sweep works so well against people that are dug-in.

Another reason is the positioning of the opponent’s hips and knees. When trying to dug-in against the butterfly guard, most people assume a position like that of the top person in a closed guard. That means their knees are a part, and their butt is sitting on their heels. The fact that their butt is not in line with their hips means you can sweep them in the direction of the butt with ease. In this case, that is behind them, which is exactly where you’re heading with the Bulldozer butterfly guard sweep.

There’s also the element of surprise. Not many people expect you to go for a takedown, let alone a double leg when you’re’ playing butterfly guard. This, along with the change in direction and the position the opponent is in creates the perfect opportunity to Bulldoze through them, forcing them to the ground.

Conclusion

The Bulldozer butterfly guard sweep is something I have been using for years now. Even if an opponent tries to defend it, they’ll have to switch their weight, opening up some of the other butterfly guard sweeps. Alternatively, failing at this sweep (which is very rare) opens up the front headlock for you, which is more than enough to deal with anyone.

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The Scientist sweep is not something that’s unseen in Jiu-Jitsu. It is just a combination of things we know, done from the half guard, in a manner that’s not usual. As such, it is very effective, easy t comprehend and not hard to master, once you get enough reps in. Paul Schreiner is certainly an aficionado of the half guard, and when he delivers on something form the position, you can bet it will work against all kinds of opposition. This half guard sweep is just one example of how you can think outside the box to achieve a goal in BJJ.

Anatomy Of The Half Guard

The half guard is the favorite position of many people around the world. It certainly captivates blue an brown belts a lot (more on that on a different occasion). However, there are also black belts that are extremely proficient at it. There’s a good reason why people turn to the half guard: it is easy to get to, retain, recover, and attack from. The perfect combination. Plus, there are plenty of half guard variations out there to fit everyone’s goals.

The one thing with the half guard is that it is a guard. As such, it is somewhat limited by the confines of all guards. What I mean by that is that the only things you can do from the half guard offensively is sweep and submit. Both are great attacking tools, but the catch is that your opponents know what’s coming. What can help you achieve your goal, despite it being somewhat obvious, is figuring out different and innovative ways of executing the techniques. And the half guard is the perfect position to achieve just that.

Unlike the closed gourd, the half guard offers much more mobility. The fact that you only have your legs closed around one leg gives you mobility, while still providing you with a great amount of control fever the opponent’s hips. Unlike open guards, having closed circuit control really helps limit the opponent’s movement options. In other words, the half guard has the best of both worlds. That is why just about any half guard sweep is hard to resist, and the guard itself is not easy to pass. However, there are solutions to how you set up half guard sweeps, which is where top players excel. The scientist half guard sweep will take that ability away.

“The Scientist” Half Guard Sweep

First up, this half guard sweep, like many others, stars with an underhook. However, instead of going for the traditional underhook across the back, which often opens up Whizzers and D’arces, Paul likes to use a lower underhook. In fact, I usually call it an “underbutt” myself, for a lack of a better term. This provides great control over the trapped leg. It also opens up lots of space to shoot your other arm underneath the far side leg, in a similar “underbutt” position. Or a scoop-grip, if you will.

The next step is to get the weight of your opponent forward so that you get control of their center of balance. Lying back and pulling with both underhooks, plus extending your legs is going to get it done. However, this is a very precarious position to be in, so you’ll need to gain some control immediately. The way to do that is by extending your inside leg, so that the knee of the trapped leg twists, and you can switch hooks, trapping your opponent in a “coil”.

Before finishing this half guard sweep, Paul addresses something really important – leg lock counters. Oftentimes, when you try and sweep from the half guard, opponents use it to get to the 4/11 position and hunt for heel hooks. The way to prevent it is to use the leg controlling their trapped leg to hook from the outside, while you switch your grip to their hips. No spinning leg lock setups now!

Which brings us to actually sweeping. Instead of looking for the usual inertia based sweep, this half guard sweep is much more methodical. Al you want to do is move your upper body from underneath the opponent, ending up in a lying leg drag type of position. Paul shows a neat little trick to solidify the position here – grab the hip with your free arm by going in a half Granby. Now that you have full control, you can stand up directly in a leg drag position which opens up plenty of attacking opportunities.

The Value Of Trying Different Things In BJJ

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is all about experimenting. Certainly, most experiments fail miserably. But that’s expected. it is the same in science – people get things wrong over and over again until either they figure out how to get them right, or something else emerges completely by accident. There’s no point in dwelling in stuff that worked 20 years ago when the grappling game has changed so much in the meantime.

The half guard is a position that allows for lots of experimentation. It is a safe spot to launch sweep and submission attacks from, which means you can be as creative as you want, as long as you’re not doing dumb things that provide your opponent with effortless passes. The Scientist half guard sweep works like a charm, but it must’ve taken quite the while for Paul to iron out all the wrinkles.

The lesson here is simple – try new things, challenge existing dogmas and absolutes, but be prepared to pay the price. That price is losing. And no, I don’t believe in the old “you either win or you learn”, nor in “there’s no losing in training”. Losing is absolutely crucial to learning, evolving, and understanding BJJ. So, the next time you’re in half guard, play around with the Scientist half guard sweep. From there on, try and figure out your own way of setting it up, or try and explore other sweeps that might use the same principles. It’ll do you and your Jiu-Jitsu a world of good.

Wrapping Up 

The Scientist half guard sweep is powerful beyond measure. It keeps you safe throughout (no D’arce or leg lock counters), it is not hard to learn and it does open up a whole new direction of sweeping from the half guard. Paul has certainly done all us half guard players a big favor in opening this door, but now we have to keep exploring what’s beyond it. Happy hunting!

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Open guard sweeps come in as many different variations as there are guards. That doesn’t really help the case for figuring out how to sweep everyone you roll or fight with. Sweeps do have common underlying principles that make them work, but that is a subject for another day. In terms of practicality, you need to focus on sweeping people that are constantly changing levels. It is easy to sweep someone who is not defending the sweep, but it is highly unlikely to expect such a scenario every time you try a sweep.

Why Do We Sweep?

The main question here is why do we need to sweep in the first place? In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the guard is a signature position that everyone falls in love with at a certain point in time. However, there are only two things, offensively speaking, that you can do from the guard. You can submit an opponent, which would be the most desirable outcome. It also happens to be the headrest thing to accomplish in Jiu-Jitsu. Apart from submitting someone, all that you’re left with is sweeping. But what does a sweep get you, exactly?

If you take a look at BJJ scoring or any grappling or MMA scoring systems for that matter, all positions that score you points are from the top. There’s absolutely no guard that scores you points. The reason for this is that despite BJJ offering so many different guards, it all boils down to the fact that you have to be on top to win a fight. This is just as true in MMA or a street fight as it is in a Jiu-Jitsu match or a roll. Given that in BJJ one person is on the bottom at all times, the goal of any exchange is all about getting top position. The top person wants to keep it and use it to submit, while the bottom person would prefer to come on top.

Open guard sweeps help you achieve this very thing – earn top position. Let’s face it; you won’t do much if you’re stuck on the bottom. Even in terms of submissions, finishing form top positions is far more high percentage than doing so from the guard. To that extent, as a general rule of thumb, you want to finish submissions from the top, even when you set them up from guards.

So, in short, sweeping allows you to actually be able to score, control, submit or strike by getting you the one thing we’re all after in grappling – top position.

Open Guard Sweeps

There are plenty of ways to try and categorize open guard sweeps. You could do so by type of guard, type of sweep, via general principles that certain sweeps share or any way you see fit. However, my proffered method is to organize them according to what the opponent does. In fact, it is not so much what they do, as where they are.

When you’re in guard, the top person has to pass the legs to do anything meaningful. To achieve that, they’ll have to fend off all your sweep and submission attacks. One of the most fundamental ways of trying to confuse a guard player, and force them to change their game is by changing levels.  What that means is that a top person can stand with both feet on the ground, half-kneel with one knee and one foot on the ground, or keep both knees on the ground. The thing with these levels is that no one sweep works against all there levels. So, organizing your open guard sweeps according to the level which the opponent is at is the best way to make sure you react on time, and with the appropriate move.

Level 1: Standing

First off, let’s see what happens when an opponent is standing. To be fair, in the modern BJJ game, people like to stand when they face a guard most of the time. This does provide them with a lot of different passing options, but it also has weaknesses that you can exploit when looking for open guard sweeps.

There are two rules of thumb to sweep a standing opponent: break their posture and try to get underneath their center of gravity. The X-gaud is the most obvious culprit here, and it does work perfectly into our system. Starting off in the spider guard, you’ll easily achieve a broken posture. Moreover, you’ll be able to lead the opponent forward, forcing them into the X-guard. The X-guard itself places you right underneath the opponent’s center of gravity, thus fulfilling the second requirement. From there on, it is all about taking away their balance.

Grips are crucial in helping you keep the posture broken. The posture is key to the opponent’s balance, so make sure you use both hands to grip the Gi sleeves or the wrists in order to keep the posture broken. This will allow you to do a simple trip with your legs, whether it is backward or to the sides. More importantly, the grips you have will allow you to pull yourself up after the trip, thus completing the sweep and gaining top position.

Level 2: Half-Kneeling

Sweeping against a half-kneeling opponent is usually the hardest level to sweep from. The reason for this is the base of the opponent is very wide and low, and they have the option to switch back to either of the two other levels immediately.

The single leg-X guard is a very common BJJ guard, and going into half kneeling is an even more common way to try and block it. Going into this level protects opponents from both sweeps and leg locks. The rule of thumb for this level is to try and isolate the leg that has the foot on the ground, as that one is easier to manipulate. Once again, going underneath is the preferred option, but far from the only one when it comes to open guard sweeps against a half-kneeling opponent.

Just as an example, we’ll go over the stand-up sweep from there. As long as you can get the leg that has the foot on the ground on your shoulder, all you really need to do is a technical stand up. The principle here is that you’re forcing them to balance only on the leg that has the knee down. Even if you’re not going for this sweep, or aren’t even in the Single leg-X, the same principle applies – lift the leg that you can manipulate, and force them to balance on their knee.

Level 3: Kneeling

Finally, let’s talk about open guard sweeps versus the best base a top person can have – kneeling with both knees on the ground. This really does take away many of their passing options, but it also severely limits your open guard sweeps. That, though, does not mean you don’t have high-percentage options to send them flying across the mats.

The example is going to be a butterfly guard sweep (obviously). The goal is simple – try to shift the opponent’s weight wither forward or back, as far as possible. The way to achieve this is by using one of their arms as a lever – with an arm drag, overhook, underhook or a 2-on-1 grip. As long as you get the opponent’s center of gravity away from their knee line, you can easily transition to top position using any butterfly sweep you want.

Wrap Up

The above three sweeps are just an example of what you can do when an opponent is at a different level of the top position. The key thing to remember is that seasoned opponents will change between level. When you’re thinking about perfecting your open guard sweeps look to use weeps that easily tie into each other, depending on what level the opponent is at. The fewer adjustments it takes when an opponent changes levels, the easier it will be to gain that much-coveted top position.

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Sweeping people can be fun when you get the hang of it. However, sending them flying is way better, even if you have no idea what you were doing. Those times when you sweep someone by lifting them up and throwing them crashing to the ground always tend to cause smiles, and shouts of “niceeee” and “osss” from the sides, and even the recipient of the sweep. I guess it is that hidden WWE fan we all have inside that comes to the surface when something like that happens or when we see Dragon Sleeper Hold Submission in BJJ. Jokes aside, overhead Jiu-Jitsu sweeps area powerful weapon to have. In fact, they might just be the most powerful sweeps in the entire grappling game.

The Best Way To Send People Flying

The best way to send people flying is to make them feel light as a feather. And that, right there, is the secret of overhead Jiu-Jitsu sweeps. Make people feel light, and you’ll be able to maneuver them. However, this part of the puzzle (making people feel light as a feather) is actually the hardest one. Or so it seems.

All it takes to be able to throw someone around in the air like pizza dough is a little understanding of physics. First of all, you have to know where most folk’s center of gravity is. The answer is about an inch or two below their navel.  So, what do you do with this information? Throw in one more physics principle, one that we all know and love in BJJ – the lever and fulcrum. You need to insert a fulcrum in the opponent’s center of gravity. You then use the lever principle to lift them off. That’s it.

Well, that’s it, in theory. When it comes to executing it, you’ll be hard-pressed to lift someone off the ground with your arms, turn them around in the air (again, like pizza dough) and send them flying. Unless you’re really, really strong. What this means is that we need to consider the strength of the fulcrum as well. In our case, it would mean using the strongest possible body part that we have – the legs.

Now you have the winning formula for overhead Jiu-Jitsu sweeps. Place your legs under the opponent’s navel (approximately at belt level) and you have the perfectly placed fulcrum to lift people up and start sending them flying in every direction you desire.

The Power Of Overhead Jiu-Jitsu Sweeps

One reason why overhead Jiu-Jitsu sweeps are so powerful is then an opponent can’t really stop them. They might grip your legs, or your lapel, look to counter or move, but that can only take effect once they hit the ground. While they’re projected in the air, if you’ve done everything right, they’ll be helpless. Moreover, there’s the element of surprise. Some of the overhead sweeps allow you to hold an opponent in the air for some time, meaning they won’t know when you’ll send them crashing down. Others happen so fast that they have no time to react anyway. So, the power of these Jiu-Jitsu sweeps is in the combination of the element of surprise and the feeling of helplessness that always comes with being lifted off the ground.

Technical examples of overhead Jiu-Jitsu sweeps are numerous. Below, we’ll take a look at several of them that work with a high percentage of success. As you’ll notice, the principle is the same with all of them, it is just the finer aspects of setting them up that make them different.

Roleta Sweep

Probably the original overhead sweep in BJJ, although that might not be the case. The name of the sweep is from a standout competitor form the early 90s, Roberto “Roleta” Magalhães, who literally dismantled every opponent he met with this sweep. The sweep works when an opponent decides to stand up while in your closed guard.

All you need for this sweep is holding on to both sleeves or wrists. The moment an opponent stands, simply open the guard, placing your knees in the hips of the opponent. As per our breakdown of overhead Jiu-Jitsu sweeps from before, this is the fulcrum point. The sleeve grips ensure their posture is broken, plus takes away their ability to post. They also serve another key purpose – acceleration. The motion is to first take your arms (and your partner’s as well) over your head and bring them in a circular motion towards their knees. This will pull the opponent forward and into the “weightless” position, which allows you to send them flying over. You end up in mount, of course, with 6 points to your name.

The Mergali Sweep

In a very sneaky manner, Nicholas Meragali likes to set up an overhead sweep from the leg lasso. However, in an even sneakier turn of events, he doesn’t use the guard at all until he sets the sweep up. His starting point is with two sleeve grips, or a sleeve and collar grip. Whether an opponent stands in his closed guard, or he transitions form an open guard does not matter.

One leg goes on the hip, creating that all-important fulcrum point. The other is loose, waiting for the right time to go over the arm (lasso guard) and in between the legs, like a butterfly hook. This leg has the role of pulling an opponent forward so that the other leg can lift without the need for strength. Moreover, the lasso configuration traps the arm so there’s no way of basing for the person that goes flying.

Tomoe Nage

The Tomoe Nage is a key throw in Judo but also happens to be perfect for BJJ as well. While many think of it as a throw, it does fall under the jiu-jitsu sweeps category in certain situations. A great example is the guard pull. If you pull guard and go straight to a Tomoe Nage, it’ll be considered a throw. However, if you manage to stay in guard a few seconds, and then pull it off it will be considered a sweep. This is for information purposes only, as both a throw and a sweep land you 2 points, and will give you top position, most likely mount.

For the guard pull, you need to place one leg in the hip of an opponent, usually by holding on to a collar and sleeve grip. The leg goes on the hip that’s on the side where you have sleeve/arm control. With this sweep, it is all about breaking posture. If you manage to break the posture while pulling, you’ll be able to lift an opponent up off of the same move. If not, simply stay in the position, re-adjust a bit and introduce your other leg to the hip, instead f going to closed guard.

X Guard

The X guard is actually a position that has you halfway through an overhead Jiu-Jitsu sweep anyway. The thing is, most people like to do technical stand-ups or transition into leg locks from there and forget about this option.

Since you’re already under an opponent’s center of gravity you don’t need to adjust a lot. All you need to think about is taking away their post, which is one arm. Any grip will do, as long as you control the same side arm.  For the sweep just place the opponent’s arm in between their legs, get your knees to your chest and extend your legs upwards. The X guard has you in a fulcrum position and the extension will give you the lift. It is smooth sailing from there on into one of the best Jiu-Jitsu sweeps ever.

Helicopter Half Guard Sweep

This sweep works a bit differently than the others but uses the same principles of fulcrum and leverage. The difference is in that you set your opponent’s body to run across (normal) to yours, rather than being parallel, like in the cases of other guards. In other words, you want your opponent stretched out across your hips, like a log.

All you need to get this from your favorite half guard variation is to have a cross grip and pull the arm of the opponent all the way to the other side of your body. It is similar to the X guard, with the exception of taking the arm as far away as possible to the other side, rather than between the opponent’s legs. The fulcrum is the leg that is inside the half guard. Lifting the knees to your chest will give you all the leverage you need to take even much heavier opponents over your head with ease.

In Conclusion

Being on top in BJJ is always more beneficial than being on you back. If you come to think about it, you can only get points for coming to the top (sweep) or for top positions. That means you need to be able to sweep anyone from anywhere if you want to come to a dominant position. Overhead Jiu-Jitsu sweeps are not just a high percentage way of achieving that but also look very cool while you’re doing it.

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