One of the best hook sweep tutorials I have seen. He does it quite differently from Marcelo (whose hook sweep is more explosive, almost like a throw), but I love how structurally sound and controlled this style of hook sweep is. Very similar to how his old master, Terere, does it:
Galv
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Drew Foster
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People are gonna sleep on this post right chea
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Fantastic vid, that is basically perfect modern hook sweep from start to finish. Exactly the approach I use.
The details that make it modern (a lot of this comes from Terere)
Jamming that wrist under the guy, rather than clasping the elbow to you.
Free foot under the butt and driving on the floor with toes down, rather than both feet jammed in a "diamond" between the opponent's knees (a terrible flaw that destroys many an aspiring butterfly player).
Head jammed tight to your opponent's chest.
Elbow inside the knee
Above all, hook NEVER extends.
The sweep barely resembles the classic hook sweep, but I swear there is some irresistable impulse for BJJers to grab the elbow, try to pull their opponent directly on top of them, and then try to kick them over by extending the leg. It gives me sympathy for my judo teacher, because I can see how we are all trying to do the same thing with so many judo throws.
One last point, notice how the hook sweep position is virtually identical to the modern half guard position, where the knee is very high, blocking the shoulder, supported by the elbow inside, and the head is deep inside. In fact the body position is almost identical for both, and it is very easy to switch between modern half guard and modern hook sweep, which I do all the time. They are fundamentally very similar positions that have almost merged in the ATOS style game. The guy above asks for entries ... one easy entry is from modern half guard, you simply hook the "shield" leg into the thigh, bring your half guard foot out and to the floor, and then sweep.
The details that make it modern (a lot of this comes from Terere)
Jamming that wrist under the guy, rather than clasping the elbow to you.
Free foot under the butt and driving on the floor with toes down, rather than both feet jammed in a "diamond" between the opponent's knees (a terrible flaw that destroys many an aspiring butterfly player).
Head jammed tight to your opponent's chest.
Elbow inside the knee
Above all, hook NEVER extends.
The sweep barely resembles the classic hook sweep, but I swear there is some irresistable impulse for BJJers to grab the elbow, try to pull their opponent directly on top of them, and then try to kick them over by extending the leg. It gives me sympathy for my judo teacher, because I can see how we are all trying to do the same thing with so many judo throws.
One last point, notice how the hook sweep position is virtually identical to the modern half guard position, where the knee is very high, blocking the shoulder, supported by the elbow inside, and the head is deep inside. In fact the body position is almost identical for both, and it is very easy to switch between modern half guard and modern hook sweep, which I do all the time. They are fundamentally very similar positions that have almost merged in the ATOS style game. The guy above asks for entries ... one easy entry is from modern half guard, you simply hook the "shield" leg into the thigh, bring your half guard foot out and to the floor, and then sweep.
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Nice post Zank. Very helpful.
Great details by Galvao. I like how he is going for a grip on the wrist rather than the elbow, which is where I normally grab. Most often, I hit this sweep while shrimping back in as my opponent is attempting to pass around my guard.
Interesting that Galvao likes to settle in half guard after coming on top. I find a lot of success with turning the knee (of the hook leg) back inside and finishing the knee slice. You already have a deep underhook, head in the ideal position and grip on the near arm, whether it be the wrist or elbow. Often, I'll release the grip on the arm and switch to an active post for more stability.
Interesting that Galvao likes to settle in half guard after coming on top. I find a lot of success with turning the knee (of the hook leg) back inside and finishing the knee slice. You already have a deep underhook, head in the ideal position and grip on the near arm, whether it be the wrist or elbow. Often, I'll release the grip on the arm and switch to an active post for more stability.
He's not very adamant about it, but I think his reasoning is that if you land in half guard with the underhook, you're going to pass afterwards anyway, so it's better to use the stability of half guard top to finalize the sweep.
He also sweeps with the overhook a lot, in which case he tends to go to mount or 3/4 mount. Or a rolling front headlock
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did he really need 10 minutes to explain that?
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I can't think of ANYONE else who has been able to use Marcelo's version with much success. That approach requires phenomenal speed, perfect timing, and true commitment.
Fuck that. Plenty of competitors have used the Terere approach with great success (as shown by Galvao), and I think it's the better approach by far for most people.
Fuck that. Plenty of competitors have used the Terere approach with great success (as shown by Galvao), and I think it's the better approach by far for most people.
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Yeah, I would say most of Marcelo's game is centered upon leverage and efficiency...except his butterfly sweep. It just seems like he uses his oak tree legs to kick fuckers over into the next room. This is something I am unable to do with my chicken legs.
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I think you can take things from both approaches. For example one thing I took from Marcelo is that you can basically do the sweep with any grips: underhook, overhook, collar tie, two on one, arm drag, sometimes even just posting on their elbows if they're doing the "t-rex" position and keeping their arms in tight. And that's only the no-gi grips.
Personally, with the gi I get this sweep most with a sleeve and collar grip. Makes it less likely to get flattened out if you fail, compared to getting the underhook.
I use Marcellos style, and this is one of my go to sweeps sweeps from my open guard.
Most results in posting and a failed attempt, but that failed attempt usually leads to an easy single leg X Guard. ( should also lead to me attacking the arm they post with but straight arm bars are just not in my bag of tools yet)
But this stops working against guys about 20lbs heavier than me and the black belts are more likely to just let themselves be swept and actually throw themselves away from my sweep and then just scramble up faster than me.
I like that this version maintains distance better and I'll have to try the final variation (against the sprawl) against some of the bigger guys and wrestlers to determine if that will really work for me.
Most results in posting and a failed attempt, but that failed attempt usually leads to an easy single leg X Guard. ( should also lead to me attacking the arm they post with but straight arm bars are just not in my bag of tools yet)
But this stops working against guys about 20lbs heavier than me and the black belts are more likely to just let themselves be swept and actually throw themselves away from my sweep and then just scramble up faster than me.
I like that this version maintains distance better and I'll have to try the final variation (against the sprawl) against some of the bigger guys and wrestlers to determine if that will really work for me.
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The same is equally true of this ATOS style sweep. You can hit it from essentially any grip with your "power" side ..... overhook, underhook, collar grip, it's all good. Terere usually used an over the back grip. Although I personally do not love using the lapel (too much distance for my taste), I prefer to grab the back of the head like Marcelo does nogi, a collar tie.
The main difference between the approaches is that Marcelo plays the sweep flatter, pulling his opponent up on top of him, sweeping with more momentum, and he tends to block the elbow, rather than drive the wrist under. He doesn't emphasize getting an angle nearly so much, or driving off your feet. He also doesn't get as tight on his opponent. Overall, he tends to hit the sweep more aggressively from a bigger distance with tighter timing and more physical momentum, while the ATOS approach is more conservative, defensive, and positional. Interestingly neither of them extends the leg much if at all ... I continue to think that extending the leg is borderline useless and usually harms the sweep. Here's Marcelo:
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Very nice video from Andre!
I've found my students (newer schools- only white and blues) have had really good success with Marcelo's style as well- against each other, as well as in local comps and with visitors.
While Marcelo may not address certain details in just 1 butterfly guard video, he teaches the move many times, and he does emphasize the importance of falling to your side (not back) and pushing off your toes.
His angle is definitely not as pronounced as typical butterfly guards, but he also talks about this- saying you have to scoop underneath your opponent before you fall to the side. If anything, I think this is the most difficult concept to show for his sweep, but once you start practicing it more, it comes pretty naturally.
I've found my students (newer schools- only white and blues) have had really good success with Marcelo's style as well- against each other, as well as in local comps and with visitors.
While Marcelo may not address certain details in just 1 butterfly guard video, he teaches the move many times, and he does emphasize the importance of falling to your side (not back) and pushing off your toes.
His angle is definitely not as pronounced as typical butterfly guards, but he also talks about this- saying you have to scoop underneath your opponent before you fall to the side. If anything, I think this is the most difficult concept to show for his sweep, but once you start practicing it more, it comes pretty naturally.
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Marcelo swept Askren easily with his version. Galvao couldn't even budge Weidman with his. Not saying one is better than the other, but it's interesting data.
Edit:
Rewatched Galvao-Weidman.
Galvao did "budge" Weidman, but barely. More importantly, he was trying the sweep with an overhook instead of an underhook.
Edit:
Rewatched Galvao-Weidman.
Galvao did "budge" Weidman, but barely. More importantly, he was trying the sweep with an overhook instead of an underhook.
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I agree.
Despite the popular perception that Marcelo has a "simple" game, the truth is that his seated guard style really has a steep learning curve. People should understand when they see him execute that it is the product of a huge investment. It involves timing, instincts and sensitivities that take years to hone.
His super sharp grip fighting alone (which he relies heavily on and i have yet to see him do a really in-depth instructional on) is something you could work on for months and still feel only incremental improvement in execution.
i've seen a lot of white & blue belts get excited about Marcelo's butterfly game, work on it diligently for a year, and then give up in frustration because they are still getting passed relatively easily by people with less investment.
they didn't realize the acuity needed to make the style work. it is not an "everyman" game, and it is not one where you can afford to relax. every mistake is very costly
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Digressing a bit here, but i sometimes wonder about the cult of Marcelo. Don't get me wrong, i'm a huge Marcelo fanboy, but i'm not so blinded that i can't see certain realities.
for example, a lot of guys disdain Eddie Bravo's rubber guard game as being overly reliant on attributes, specifically flexibility. but no one seems to complain about the explosiveness and athleticism involved in Marcelo's game. People talk about good jiu jitsu being applicable by anyone. the 50 year old guy at my gym is going to have a hard time emulating Marcelo's wrestling-while-sitting energy
another example: this misconception that Marcelo is a small man. He's really not. he's competed at worlds at 180. that's not huge, sure, but it's a far cry from roosterweights like Bruno Malfacine or Felipe Costa, who are truly small men.
the truth is that Marcelo is a short, stocky middleweight with powerful legs and athletic gifts who has developed a highly individualized game. He had beautiful performances against bigger guys at absolute. But how he became the exemplar of small man BJJ, i don't really know. guys like Galvao and Monson are short for their weight categories, nobody brings them up in the small man BJJ conversation.
to say again, i admire Marcelo a ton, not just for his jiu jitsu either. There just seem to be prevalent misconceptions about his game.
for example, a lot of guys disdain Eddie Bravo's rubber guard game as being overly reliant on attributes, specifically flexibility. but no one seems to complain about the explosiveness and athleticism involved in Marcelo's game. People talk about good jiu jitsu being applicable by anyone. the 50 year old guy at my gym is going to have a hard time emulating Marcelo's wrestling-while-sitting energy
another example: this misconception that Marcelo is a small man. He's really not. he's competed at worlds at 180. that's not huge, sure, but it's a far cry from roosterweights like Bruno Malfacine or Felipe Costa, who are truly small men.
the truth is that Marcelo is a short, stocky middleweight with powerful legs and athletic gifts who has developed a highly individualized game. He had beautiful performances against bigger guys at absolute. But how he became the exemplar of small man BJJ, i don't really know. guys like Galvao and Monson are short for their weight categories, nobody brings them up in the small man BJJ conversation.
to say again, i admire Marcelo a ton, not just for his jiu jitsu either. There just seem to be prevalent misconceptions about his game.
