
BJJ Fundamentals
Lesson 13 – X Guard Sweeps
Warm Up (3min)
- Line Drills
Lesson (25min)
Scoop Sweep – Thigh Push
- Start in X-guard bottom
- Extend your legs to off-balance uke, forcing them to put their hands onto the mat
- Perform this motion powerfully and decisively; uke should completely lose their balance as you lift their hip and leg off the mat
- Come up to an elbow and use your front foot to push on uke’s thigh; use the force of the push to come up to your hand
- Ensure you build height; keep your posture upright and your head high
- Use a technical standup to come up to your feet, keeping uke’s leg trapped with your scoop grip
- Walk behind uke and pick up their ankle to put them on the ground and complete the sweep
Scoop Sweep – Ankle Lift
- Continue from x-guard off-balance
- Uke pushes into you
- Use your top hook to hook uke’s far side ankle, lifting it off the mat
- Note that uke cannot push into you if their foot is no longer on the mat
- Come up to your elbow as before, then put uke’s knee on the ground and step on their ankle to keep them down
- Come up to your knees and knock uke down to their hip, completing the sweep
Scoop Sweep – Ankle Pick
- Continue from x-guard off-balance
- Uke pulls away from you
- Pull your knees in so that uke’s far side leg is forced towards your hip
- Catch uke’s ankle and sit up, knocking them down to a hip
- Step on the inside of uke’s knee to make it hard for them to recover
- Come up to your feet and pick up their ankle to complete the sweep
Tomoe-Nage
- Continue from x-guard off-balance
- Uke pushes into you
- Grip uke’s near side sleeve and pass it to your scoop grip hand, then take a cross-collar grip on the same side
- Move your top hook so that your shoelaces touch uke’s near side hip
- Use your legs to move uke over your head, rolling back over your shoulder to sweep them
- Once the roll is complete, stabilise your position on top by pinning uke’s legs and maintaining your scoop grip (such that you can go straight into guard passing)