Old School Sweep
Sweep · Half Guard
Half guard bottom to top for when you have won the underhook and the opponent posts a hand far out for balance. With the underhook on the side of the trapped leg, palm high on his back, turn onto your side, head tight to his chest so he cannot crossface you flat. Keep your legs locked on the trapped leg, reach down with your free hand and take the foot of his trapped leg close to the toes, not at the ankle, where he kicks it free. Come up to your knees curling your head toward his far knee, pull the foot so it cannot step out and drive forward with head and shoulder: with no leg to post on, he falls to that side. Flat on your back or without the underhook it never starts. If he stops it with a whizzer, switch to the Plan B sweep.
How to do it
- Get the underhook on the side of the trapped leg: your arm goes under their armpit, palm high on their back, elbow tight. Turn onto your side facing them with your head close to their chest, so they cannot crossface you flat.
- Keep your legs locked on the trapped leg and reach down with your free hand to the foot of that trapped leg behind your legs. Grab it close to the toes, not at the ankle, then switch your legs so the foot stays held.
- Drive your head into their side and come up onto your knees, curling your head toward their far knee. The underhook keeps their chest turned away so they cannot drop their weight back on you.
- Pull the foot toward you so it cannot step out, and drive forward into them with your head and shoulder. With that foot held they have nothing to post on and fall to that side; keep the foot until they are on their back, then come up on top.
Key details
- No underhook, no sweep: the underhook keeps you on your side and their chest off you. Without it they crossface you flat before your hand ever reaches the foot.
- Grab the toes rather than the ankle: held at the ankle, they kick the foot free, and a held foot is a leg they cannot post on. The foot grip removes the post; your forward drive does the rest.
- Curl your head toward their far knee as you come up. It keeps your head inside and your weight moving forward into them instead of away.
- Be on your side, never flat on your back: flat, your hand cannot reach under them and your hips cannot come up to your knees.
- If they stop the sweep with a whizzer on your underhook arm, do not fight it: the Plan B sweep is the next move.
- Expect a good opponent to post the free arm out to stop the sweep. As the arm posts, switch your hand from cupping his knee to pushing it from the inside and take him over the other way, away from the post.
Common mistakes
- Lying flat on the back while trying the sweep. — Flat on your back they crossface you and flatten the half guard, and you cannot come to your knees. — Turn to your side with the underhook and your head on their chest before anything else.
- Letting the foot or ankle go as you drive. — The freed foot steps out wide and they post on it, so your drive just pushes them back to their base. — Hold the foot pulled to you until they are on their back.
- Reaching for the foot before the underhook. — Reaching down without the underhook leaves your head and shoulder open, and they crossface you flat. — Underhook first, come to your side, then reach for the foot.
If they defend
- They whizzer your underhook. → Go deeper into deep half or switch to the dogfight position.
- They step the leg back. → Come up on a single leg.
How to drill it
Underhook fight from half guard: 1 minute rounds, the one who gets the underhook sweeps.
What comes next
Where it comes from