Tripod Sweep
Sweep · Open Guard
An open guard sweep from seated guard against a standing opponent whose weight is back; he falls on his back and you come up on top. Cup the heel of one ankle and clamp it tight to your hip so that foot cannot step away; put your foot on his hip on the same side, knee bent, and hook your other foot behind his other knee or ankle. Then push the hip with a full extension of the leg, pull the held ankle up off the mat toward your hip and pull the hook toward you, all at the same moment: with every direction of step taken, he falls straight back. Technical stand-up while he is still falling, so it scores. A bent pushing leg, or a push and pull done one after another, gets absorbed by his base. If he leans forward instead, switch to the sickle sweep.
How to do it
- Grip an ankle of the standing opponent, cupping the heel, and pull it tight onto your hip so the foot cannot step away.
- Put one foot on their hip on the same side, knee bent and ready to extend.
- Hook the other foot behind their other knee (or lower, behind the ankle) and keep that hook tense so they cannot step around it.
- Push the hip by extending the leg fully, pull the held ankle up off the mat toward you and pull the hook toward you, all at the same moment: with every point of their base taken, they fall back.
- Come up on top right away with a technical stand-up while they are still falling.
Key details
- Three points: the ankle, the hip and the back of the other leg; each one takes away a direction they could step to recover.
- Extend the pushing leg fully: a bent leg pushes softly and their base absorbs it.
- Ankle pull, hip push and knee hook go at the same moment; one after another they just adjust.
- Pull the cupped ankle onto your hip and clamp it there: a foot glued to you cannot step back to catch the fall.
- Come up right after they fall: the sweep counts only when you are on top.
- The hook can go anywhere from behind the knee down to the ankle: low at the ankle gives more leverage but he steps out more easily; high behind the knee holds better but pushes with less leverage.
Common mistakes
- Pushing with a bent leg. — A bent leg pushes softly and their base absorbs it. — Extend the pushing leg fully so the push goes through their hip.
- A loose ankle grip. — A loose grip lets them step the foot away and re-balance. — Hold the ankle tight to your body so the foot cannot move.
- Staying down after the sweep. — A sweep scores only when you come up; lying there, they recover guard. — Come up immediately with a technical stand-up while they are still falling.
- Leaving the held foot on the mat. — With two feet down he hops back, keeps his base on that leg and steps the other leg out of the hook. — As you push, pull the held foot up toward your hip so he balances on one leg only.
If they defend
- They lift the hooked leg. → Standing on one leg: push the hip and they fall.
How to drill it
Tripod and sickle sweeps back to back, 10 reps; then the partner reacts at random.
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