Two phase sweeps/reversals from open guard: When we begin the study of Jiu jitsu we are taught a classical paradigm of guard sweeps that utilizes the great power of gi grips along with a curriculum of traditional sweeps that take us directly from bottom to top position. In competitive no gi matches however, we often have to make use of a messy, scrappy paradigm of guard sweeps that has two distinct phases in the transition from top to bottom. The first is a classic Jiu jitsu sweep that knocks an opponent down to his hands and/or hip. The inherently weaker grips of no gi grappling however, make it very difficult to control a strongly resisting opponent during and after his fall. As the opponent tries to recover from the off balancing, we go into phase two – we tackle the opponent around the legs/hips/waist to secure a much more robust no gi grip and scrimmage up into a takedown reversal. While it is not pretty to look at, this two phase approach is very realistic and effective in competitive situations where your classic sweeps just aren't getting you the scores you need. Next time you're sweeping without the gi – don't complacently relax as the opponent falls – be ready to scrimmage up from bottom and finish what you started!!
