Four essential sweeps for closed guard

Over the years, these four sweeps have served me well.

And each of them give you attack options in slightly different situations.

Case in point:

  • The pendulum sweep works like a charm when you get the initial setup for the armbar (the elbow crosses the center line) but can’t quite escape your hips all the way for the ideal finish angle.
  • The hip bump sweep excels when you break posture and your opponent pulls away from you. Their momentum can helps you. It’s a glorious thing.
  • The scissor sweep can be added to any attack sequence that has a cross collar grip. And lately, I’ve been even playing with setups that are initiated from half guard.
  • The xande sweep is great when you can’t break grip or want to force some action. I especially like it as a counter to belt or pants grips in the closed guard. It can sneak right up on people.

So if you’re just starting out and you’re wondering where you should focus your attention, these four sweeps are a great place to start.

And for more closed guard goodness, check out the deathlock course:

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