We are back from the holidays and back at training. This week was all about the closed guard. One of the things I noticed in the last rotation of training was a tendency of some of our people to really shy away from working guard or use it very statically. So, we kick of the new year with some really aggressive work from the bottom.

Here, we talk about some of the concepts we drilled all week in various manners and move into the tactics of the hip bump sweep. One of THE sweeps you must understand in BJJ. Even if you never use it, the technical skill set it develops is the foundation for many more advanced sweeping maneuvers.

The details are important, this is a sweep I see botched a lot. And I've been guilty of it myself. We also talk about using fundamental movements to begin to set up more advanced attacks from here.

So:

As always, discussion welcome and encouraged.

Hey, finally something I recognize!

We do a flow drill where we try to set a Kimura from the guard, and the other blocks the Kimura by sticking their hand to their thigh. From there, we posture up and do this hip bump sweep. But what you show here shows me where I can clean some stuff up.

I like how you describe the position as not static, and I think that's a problem I've had in the past with it. I can't find anything to do from it, but just hold it. Now, I know I should start trying to move around a bit in it.

Thanks, Alex!

Great tutorial, as always, Alex!! Thank you for sharing!!

I believe all of us who've been on the grappling mats have struggled one way or another with being static; it's the unknown familiarity of it all! Took me some time because I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

You continue to amaze me with you videos, another great one.

I like that you address two key things that a lot of people forget. I see a lot of people trying to make this sweep work from their elbow and not getting to their hand. This can be done but you have to have a size and strength advantage on your partner. And not looking over their shoulder, that just makes the body mechanics work so much easier.

You continue to amaze me with you videos, another great one.

I like that you address two key things that a lot of people forget. I see a lot of people trying to make this sweep work from their elbow and not getting to their hand. This can be done but you have to have a size and strength advantage on your partner. And not looking over their shoulder, that just makes the body mechanics work so much easier.

I agree. I find getting up to the hand to be the hard part. I think I just need to make sure to take things slow and smooth when I transition, and not worry about having to get there right away.

Brian you're exactly right on with that statement. Slow it down and make sure you're getting up in that hand when drilling it, it makes a world of difference on how well the move works.

We were working this the other day, and a guy I was working with kept getting his feet wrapped up underneath me when he would reverse, like he was still in a guard or something. I wasn't sure what he was doing wrong. Any thoughts on that? I didn't seem to be having that problem.

Sounds like he's not unlocking his guard to push off with his feet, it's the only thing I can come up with. If so he's muscling through the sweep won't be as smooth if it were done using all proper steps.

Sounds like he's not unlocking his guard to push off with his feet, it's the only thing I can come up with. If so he's muscling through the sweep won't be as smooth if it were done using all proper steps.

Now, that's a great point!!

I would guess that's accurate. If he's getting the sweep even after failing to properly position the hips he is certainly throwing it with muscle. I'm betting that's the most accurate diagnosis.