Now Playing: Leandro Lo's Spider de la Riva X Guard

With apologies to Michael Ondaatje, here's the latest "trick with a knife I'm learning to do" for 2023.

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Bruno Malfacine Sweep

Coach Ze showed me this sweep Friday after training. He made the great point that as good as Bruno Malfacine is, Bruno is often overlooked in terms of champions whose style is emulated by others. Here is a nice simple sweep, especially tailored to those of us closer to Bruno's size than Bernardo's!

Homework: Bottom to Top

Half-Guard Reverse: Carreillo Sweep / London Sweep

The next time I'm in London (February 2015), I'm going to see if I can steal away and spend some time training with these guys!

The Most Difficult Move in Mixed Martial Arts

according to these guys is a simple 2-point jiu-jitsu reverse. 

How Effective are BJJ Sweeps in MMA?

This month MMA Fight DB delves into the murky world of BJJ sweeps. Despite the long history of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in mixed martial arts, sweeps (as defined in BJJ) are rarely seen in MMA fights. This low rate contrasts to the comparatively high rate of other grappling techniques such as; takedowns and submissions, within mixed martial art competitions.

The statistics suggest that the efficiency of sweeps fairs poorly when compared to other techniques, and that alternatives to sweeps such as standing up should be more of a focus for many grappling practitioners.

And some conversation on the topic from the good folks over at Bloody Elbow:

Bloody Elbow Open Mat: Where are all the Sweeps?

T.P. Grant: I think Ben and Ian have really hit on the cause of it, and to me the root of this lays in both ground striking and MMA judging. Top position provides serious advantages in MMA, both allowing a fighter to strike with the aide of gravity, but also in that the judges will award them the round based purely on position 90% of the time. So, fighters who are on top seek to preserve their position by hunkering down in guard, or if they do try to advance as far as the half guard, and use the position to simply keep fighters down and avoid sweeps, rather that generate their own offense or seriously advance position.

Short version: if you want to sweep your opponent in mixed martial arts, focus on half-guard and butterfly guard. But given the rule set, you're probably better off just getting to your feet.

That said, great stuff all around. Data ... it's got groove, it's got meaning.

The Sitting Up Guard: A BJJ Scout Analysis of Rodolfo, Cobrinha, and Otavio

There have been a few "eureka" moments for me when it comes to the sitting guard. One was while watching an instructional DVD from Stephan Kesting. Another one came while watching a recent competition between Cobrinha and Rafa. But the one that is still fresh happened during the seminar by Prof Otavio Sousa just a few weeks ago here at Gracie Barra Seattle.

BJJ Scout explains why my "eurkea" reaction may be fairly common in another great analysis of a great jiu-jitsu technique.

WITStolo: Reverse Collar Drag

First time sparring in weeks. I hadn't necessarily planned on it. But tonight's black belt class was an hour of specific training - probably my favorite kind of training. So I rolled with it for as long as I could.

Tonight's WITStolo is definitely the collar drag reversal from the closed guard. I think a basic cross collar choke will be enough to properly set it up. Scissorhands was the weakest of my closed guard set-ups, but that collar drag reversal would fit in nicely among that set.

My body is still waking back up to the matwork. I felt a few tinges in my intercostals and my leg cramped up midway through the third quarter, so to speak, and didn't let up until near the end of the fourth. It's a reminder that I'm going to have to take it easy on the way back in.

Galvao Half Guard Sweep

Rocambole Sweep