27/07/2015 - Teaching | Open Guard | Unstoppable Sweep

Teaching #362
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 27/07/2015

Tonight I covered a technique I've been working on for a while, called the 'unstoppable sweep'. I first heard about it over on Seymour's blog, where he described his visit to a Mike Fowler seminar (the guy known for this technique). Get on your side in open guard, bringing your lower leg in front of the bottom of their shin. Your other leg goes slightly above their knee, when you also lock your feet together. Grab their same side sleeve with your lower arm and their same side collar with your upper arm.

You can then tweak their leg outwards by pulling with your lower leg on their shin, pushing with your other leg behind their knee. Maintain your grips and knee position, as this should hopefully put you directly into a knee cut with a deep collar grip, meaning you could also switch right into a choke. Make sure you pull them forwards onto you, as if their weight is based back, it will be tough to land the technique. I've found this sweep works particularly well if you're in sitting guard and your opponent steps in really close to try and pass. From there, it isn't too much of an adjustment to move into a sort of reverse de la Riva, then hit the sweep: you already have the collar grip, so you just need to secure the same side sleeve. That collar grip also gives you another point of control where you can push, combined with your legs.
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Teaching Notes: I think most people got this ok. Main things to emphasise are getting on your side, pulling them into you and making sure one leg is low on the shin, the other just above their knee. While in my experience it works a bit better if you lock your feet, that's not essential. A number of people were also attempting to jump straight into side control rather than knee cutting first. I guess that depends how comfortable you are with the knee cut. I find this sweep means you can pivot around your knee, with a firm control throughout. If people find it easier to go straight to side control, that's cool, but I suspect with resistance, they are liable to get stuck in their partner's guard. But I could be wrong: it will be interested to see how that technique fits into sparring for them. :)