Tripod Sweep

What it is

The tripod sweep is an open-guard sweep that sits a standing opponent down by pushing their far hip while you hold and hook their lead leg. Think of them as a tripod: take away one leg and they fall. It is the first thing to reach for when they stand up and try to pass from distance.

When to use it

• They stand in your open guard and keep their hips just out of reach.
• They step one foot forward to start a pass, so the ankle is there to grab.
• They have opened your closed guard and stood up, before they clear your legs.

How to do it

1. Grip their lead ankle with the hand on that side (your left hand on their right ankle), cupping the heel. Keep a sleeve or wrist grip with the other hand so they cannot post.
2. Put your other foot on their far hip (your right foot on their left hip).
3. Hook the foot on the ankle side behind that same ankle (your left foot behind their right heel), so the lead leg is held top and bottom.
4. Push the far hip and pull the ankle at the same time. The lead leg has nowhere to go and they sit down behind themselves.
5. They sit down. Keep the ankle and the sleeve grip, swing your hips under you and come up with a technical stand-up.
6. Drive forward over their legs into combat base or straight into a pass.

Key details

• Push, pull and hold happen together. One at a time and they simply step out.
• The hook behind the ankle pulls toward you, it does not lift.
• Keep the ankle grip after they fall so they cannot stand straight back up.
• Use the fall to come up. If you wait, they recover their base and you are back where you started.
• Keep the sleeve or wrist grip through the sweep. Without it they post the hand and sit straight back up.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: pushing the hip without controlling the ankle, so they just step back out of range.
• Mistake: letting go of everything when they land, so they stand up and you have given away your guard.
• Mistake: staying flat on your back after the sweep, so you have swept them and gained nothing.

What they will try

• They kick the held leg free or sprawl their hips back before the hook sets.
• They base on a hand and stand up as you try to come up, turning it into a scramble.

Gi and no-gi

Without a trouser cuff you grip the heel itself, cupping it so the foot cannot slip out.