Sumi Gaeshi Sweep
Sweep · Open Guard
A sacrifice sweep from seated open guard for when the opponent drives his weight into you; you roll back and finish on top. Grip the collar and the sleeve or belt and put one instep on the inside of his thigh as a hook, not a push. Pull him forward and down with both grips until his chest is over yours, then roll back over your shoulder, not your neck, lifting with the hooked leg while the foot on the floor pushes off for power. His forward pressure is the fuel: the hook sets the direction and his weight carries him over your shoulder. Keep the hook sticky and the grips tight and follow him over to land on top, not beside him. Falling flat on your back stops the roll. If he sits back, go to the single leg from butterfly; if he widens his legs, the X-guard sweep.
How to do it
- Grip the collar and the sleeve or belt, and put one foot on the inside of their thigh, the instep hooking it like a hook rather than pushing.
- Pull them forward and down onto you with both grips, so their chest comes over yours and their weight is above you.
- Roll back over your shoulder, not your neck, lifting with the leg on their thigh: the hook leg sets the direction, the foot on the floor pushes off and gives the power.
- Keep the hook sticky on the inside of the thigh and the grips tight as they go over your shoulder, using their own forward pressure as the fuel.
- Follow them over with the grips and land on top, not beside them.
Key details
- Their forward pressure is the fuel: the more they drive into you, the less you have to lift.
- Roll over your shoulder, not your neck, and fall onto a shoulder rather than flat on your back: flat, the roll stops and their weight lands on you.
- The foot on the inner thigh lifts like a hook; the hook leg picks the direction, the leg on the floor gives the power.
- Keep the hook sticky on the inside of the thigh as they go over: if it slips, their legs come down and they post beside you.
- Take away his hand post on the side you throw him: get your hand inside his wrist and cup the back of his elbow, so when he reaches for the mat to stop the sweep, the arm cannot get there.
Common mistakes
- Rolling without pulling them onto you. — Their weight is still over their own feet, so they stay standing while you roll away. — Pull down first so their weight is over you, then roll.
- Letting go of the grips during the roll. — Nothing ties you to them, so they land beside you instead of under you. — Keep the grips all the way over so you follow them into the top position.
- The foot on their belly. — A foot on the belly pushes them away horizontally instead of lifting their hips over you. — Place the foot on the inner thigh as a hook.
- Letting him keep a hand free to post. — With outside wrist position he just puts the hand on the mat on the side of the roll and stays on his knees. — If he keeps his elbows tight, push his upper body until his hand touches the mat, and as he comes back up, slide your hand inside to the elbow, then throw.
How to drill it
Sumi gaeshi on a cooperative partner, 8 each side slowly; then the partner leans at random.
Safety
Roll over the shoulder and keep the partner’s head clear of the mat.
What comes next
Where it comes from