Adults: Elevator Sweep to X-Guard to Waiter Sweep
Warm-up
Hands to Mat
Player A
Player B
Win Condition(s)
Hand fighting, working to get a hand or hands to the mat.
Butterfly Off-Balance
Player A
The top player is on their knees, in butterfly guard. They are attempting to pass from this position.
Player B
Bottom player is in butterfly guard. Attempting to retain guard, and all you have to do is off-balance the top player and make them place one or both hands on the mat.
Win Condition(s)
If the top player passes, switch top and bottom.
Butterfly Off-Balance
Player A
The top player is on their knees, in butterfly guard. They have butterfly hooks pinned and are pinning the hips in with the elbows and the head close. From here, they’re trying to pass.
Player B
Bottom player is in butterfly guard, pinned down. Attempting to retain guard and sweep.
Win Condition(s)
If the top player passes or bottom player sweeps, switch top and bottom.
Main Class
The Sweep to X-Guard
We’re going to be going for the elevator sweep from butterfly guard. For this sweep, you only need a few things.
- To be on one hip with a hook under their knee or as close to their knee as possible.
- Your shoulder connects to their shoulder, typically using an underhook to maintain the connection.
- Control of their arm, so they cannot post. How you grab/trap it is up to you.
- Center foot posting on the mat to create a strong frame from your toes, through your hips, into your leg that is elevating.
Now, I am one to say you should be stubborn with this sweep, because people generally try it once and then that’s it, they give up. You should be more stubborn with it and continue to hip underneath to get the sweep.
However, this is a point where we need to recognize that we aren’t getting the sweep and, therefore, we need to move on to something else. Because of our feet, being where they are, a great thing to transition to is X-Guard, especially since the number one way this is stuffed is if people have fast hips and base out with their leg.
Our elevating hook is going to stay connected, behind the knee. Our hand trapping their hand is going to abandon their hand and become a hook on their posting leg.
From here, we’re going to come underneath them. Our hooking arm is going to shoot up, like you saw someone score a field goal.
Finally, we’re bringing our leg that was posted, under and into their close hip.
So, our objectives for this position are the hook behind the knee, which allows us to pull/push. Our hook into the hip, which allows us to pull/push. And our field goal arm snaking around the leg to grab the knee.
Waiter Sweep
From the X-guard position, we’re going to use our leg behind their knee to bring their ankle closer, so we can grab it.
Once we have it, we aren’t letting go. Instead, we’re going to start rotating, because at the moment, we’re perpendicular, and we actually want to be somewhat parallel. We’re going to use our leg on the hip to lift, just slightly, so we can remove our hook from behind the knee and shoot it straight over the thigh.
From here, our back foot is going to come out. We’re looking to get a 90-degree angle with their ankle, knee, and hip. Our backside foot swings through, and our top leg, over their thigh, kicks down.
To finish, our backside leg kicks back, underneath their leg, as our top knee comes to the mat, and our head goes to their hip.