Sickle Sweep
Sweep · Open Guard
An open guard sweep from seated guard against a standing opponent who steps back; he falls backward and you stand up into the pass. Sit at an angle, one side toward him and a hand posted behind you, grip his lead ankle or pant cuff with your hand so it cannot step back, and put your top foot on his hip on the same side, leg bent. Push the hip back and at the same moment chop your bottom leg in an arc behind the ankle of his other, free leg: the upper body goes back, the foot goes forward, and he falls like closing scissors. Push the hip, never into the knee joint, and stay angled, since square you cannot swing the leg. Technical stand-up while he is falling. If he steps the leg back, switch to the tripod; if he leans over you, sumi gaeshi.
How to do it
- Sit up in front of the standing opponent, one hand on the mat behind you, at an angle with one side of your body toward them.
- Grip their lead ankle or pant cuff with your hand, cupping the heel so the foot cannot step back.
- Put your top foot on their hip on the same side as the held ankle and bend that leg, ready to press: the push goes on the hip, never into the knee joint.
- Push the hip and at the same moment sickle your bottom leg behind the ankle of their other, free leg in a chopping arc: the top half goes back, the foot goes forward, and they fall backward like scissors closing.
- Come up with a technical stand-up while they are still falling: post the hand behind you, swing the leg back under you and step forward into the pass.
Key details
- Push and pull at once, like scissors: the hip goes back while the ankle is cut forward, so they cannot rebalance on either point.
- Sit at an angle, one side toward them, never square: the angle frees the bottom leg to swing behind the ankle and keeps your legs hard to push aside.
- Come up fast: the sweep scores only when you are on top, and the moment of their fall is the only time standing up is free.
- Never push on the knee joint: the push goes on the hip, which moves their whole body back and does not hurt their knee.
- It pairs with the tripod: when they step back from one, hit the other, because the same grips sweep in two directions.
- Turn the pushing foot in across his belt line, toes in and heel out: it pushes his hips straight back and is hard to knock off.
- If he knocks your foot off his hip during the tripod, put the other foot on the hip at once and drop the freed leg behind his free leg: the tripod becomes a sickle, and his hip is never left uncovered.
Common mistakes
- Pushing the hip without the ankle hook. — Without the ankle hook the foot is free, so they step back and stay standing. — Hook the ankle first, cupping the heel, so the foot cannot move, then push.
- Staying down after they fall. — They sit up while you lie there, and you are back in guard with no points. — Stand up with a technical stand-up on the fall and pass straight away.
- Sitting square in front of them. — Square in front of them your legs are easy to push aside and pass, and the bottom leg has no room to swing. — Keep an angle with one side of your body toward them, posted on the hand behind you.
How to drill it
Sickle and tripod sweeps in a chain, 10 reps with a standing partner; then the partner chooses which leg to step.
What comes next
Where it comes from