The Lockdown Sweeps represent a systematic approach to attacking from the lockdown position, a cornerstone of Eddie Bravo’s 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu system. By controlling the opponent’s leg with a figure-four lock using your legs, you create a powerful mechanical advantage that limits their mobility while generating multiple sweep opportunities. The lockdown position transforms the traditional half guard bottom into an offensive platform where the bottom player dictates the pace and direction of the match.
These sweeps exploit the fundamental biomechanical principle that an opponent with one leg trapped cannot effectively base or post to defend against directional changes. The primary sweeps from lockdown include the Electric Chair (lifting sweep to back exposure), Old School (backwards rolling sweep), Whipover (forward momentum sweep), and various transitions to deep half guard or dogfight positions. Each sweep creates distinct finishing opportunities and can be chained together based on opponent reactions.
The lockdown system excels in no-gi competition and MMA applications where traditional gi-based controls are unavailable. By removing the opponent’s ability to pass while simultaneously creating offensive opportunities, the lockdown represents a paradigm shift from defensive half guard retention to aggressive attacking sequences. Understanding when to tighten the lockdown for sweeps versus when to release for transitions is critical to maximizing the effectiveness of this system.
Starting Position: Lockdown Ending Position: Side Control Success Rates: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 65%
Key Principles
- Lock the opponent’s leg with a tight figure-four grip using your legs before attempting any sweep
- Use underhook control and head position to prevent opponent from flattening you or taking your back
- Create extension in opponent’s trapped leg by pushing your knees away while pulling with your feet
- Time sweeps with opponent’s weight shifts and posting attempts to maximize leverage advantage
- Chain multiple sweep attempts together as opponent defends, flowing between Electric Chair, Old School, and Whipover
- Maintain constant tension on the lockdown throughout the sweep to prevent opponent from extracting their leg
- Use your free hand to control opponent’s far arm or head to prevent defensive posting
Prerequisites
- Half guard bottom position established with one of opponent’s legs between your legs
- Figure-four lockdown secured with your bottom leg threading under opponent’s ankle and top leg crossing over their thigh
- Underhook established on the trapped leg side to prevent opponent from taking your back
- Hip position maintained perpendicular or angled away from opponent, not flat on back
- Opponent’s weight distributed forward or centered, not successfully driving into chest pressure
- Head position controlled to side or under opponent’s chin, preventing crossface control
Execution Steps
- Secure lockdown position: From half guard bottom, thread your bottom leg (the leg on the inside) under the opponent’s ankle and bring your top leg over their thigh. Lock your ankles together creating a figure-four configuration. Your bottom foot should hook behind their Achilles while your top shin applies pressure across their thigh. Squeeze your knees together to create immediate tension on their trapped leg. (Timing: Establish before opponent can consolidate passing pressure)
- Establish underhook and prevent flattening: Secure a deep underhook on the same side as your lockdown with your arm reaching around opponent’s back and gripping their far lat or shoulder. Use this underhook to pull yourself onto your side and prevent being flattened to your back. Your free hand should frame against their neck or shoulder to maintain space and angle. Position your head under their chin or to the side of their head, never allowing them to achieve head control. (Timing: Maintain throughout the sweep sequence)
- Extend opponent’s trapped leg: To create the mechanical disadvantage necessary for sweeps, extend the opponent’s trapped leg by pushing your knees away from your body while simultaneously pulling with your locked feet. This stretches their leg straight and prevents them from maintaining a strong base. The extension should be progressive - start with moderate tension and increase as you feel their balance compromised. This extension is critical for all lockdown sweeps as it removes their primary posting base. (Timing: Gradually increase extension before initiating sweep direction)
- Choose sweep direction based on opponent reaction: Assess opponent’s weight distribution and defensive posture to select optimal sweep. If they post their free leg back and drive their weight forward, execute Electric Chair by lifting their trapped leg up and back. If they maintain low posture with weight centered, execute Old School by rolling backward over your shoulder. If they bring their weight too far forward or stand, execute Whipover by pulling them forward and over. Each direction exploits a specific defensive vulnerability. (Timing: Decision point occurs within 2-3 seconds of lockdown extension)
- Execute chosen sweep with full commitment: For Electric Chair: Bridge your hips up, extend your lockdown maximally, and roll opponent backwards over their trapped leg while maintaining underhook control. For Old School: Roll backwards over your underhook-side shoulder, using lockdown tension to pull opponent over you while posting your free hand. For Whipover: Drive opponent forward by extending your legs while pulling with underhook, sweeping them over your head to the mat. Maintain lockdown tension throughout the entire sweeping motion - releasing early results in failed sweep attempts. (Timing: Complete sweep motion in one explosive movement (1-2 seconds))
- Transition to dominant position: As the sweep completes, release the lockdown only when you have achieved top position or back control. For Electric Chair finish, maintain leg control and transition to truck position or take the back. For Old School completion, come up to knee mount or side control. For Whipover finish, follow opponent’s momentum to mount or north-south position. Keep your underhook active throughout the transition to prevent opponent from re-guarding or scrambling back to their feet. (Timing: Release lockdown at apex of sweep, typically 2-3 seconds after initiation)
- Establish control in new position: Immediately consolidate your top position by establishing proper weight distribution and control grips. From Electric Chair, look for truck position or back control with harness grips. From Old School, secure side control with crossface and underhook. From Whipover, establish mount with grapevine control or transition to submission attacks. Do not allow opponent recovery time - maintain constant pressure and advance your position systematically toward submission opportunities. (Timing: Secure within 3-5 seconds of completing sweep)
Opponent Counters
- Opponent drives forward with heavy chest pressure and establishes crossface control (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Prevent by maintaining strong underhook and head position; if caught, release lockdown temporarily, shrimp to create angle, and re-establish lockdown with better positioning. Transition to deep half guard if pressure is overwhelming.
- Opponent steps free leg far back and sprawls weight onto hips to prevent extension (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Switch to Whipover sweep by pulling opponent forward over your head, or transition to Old School by accepting the backward direction. Use opponent’s backward pressure against them by rolling through.
- Opponent extracts trapped leg by forcing knee through your lockdown (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Prevent by immediately tightening lockdown at first sign of extraction attempt. If leg begins to escape, transition to butterfly hooks, X-guard, or deep half guard before position is fully lost. Never fight a losing lockdown battle.
- Opponent controls your free leg and starts to pass around lockdown (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Use free leg as shield to frame and maintain distance. If opponent begins to clear free leg, transition to dogfight position or release lockdown to re-guard. Maintaining bad lockdown position leads to back exposure.
- Opponent grabs your pants or controls your hips to prevent sweeping motion (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Response: Use hip mobility to break grips and create angles. Switch between different sweep directions to prevent opponent from establishing static control. Chain multiple sweep attempts to keep opponent reactive rather than controlling.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: Why is extending the opponent’s trapped leg critical before attempting lockdown sweeps? A: Extending the opponent’s trapped leg by pushing your knees away while pulling with your feet creates a fundamental mechanical disadvantage that removes their primary base and posting ability. A bent leg allows them to maintain strong base and effectively resist sweeping motions. The extension straightens their leg, preventing them from generating power or adjusting their base to counter your sweep attempts. Without proper extension, lockdown sweeps become strength-based battles rather than leverage-based techniques, significantly reducing success rates across all skill levels.
Q2: What are the three primary lockdown sweeps and when should each be used based on opponent’s positioning? A: The three primary lockdown sweeps are Electric Chair (used when opponent posts their free leg back and drives weight forward - creates back exposure), Old School (used when opponent maintains centered weight with low posture - finishes in side control), and Whipover (used when opponent brings weight too far forward or attempts to stand - finishes in mount). The selection depends on reading opponent’s weight distribution and base positioning. Advanced practitioners chain these sweeps together, using the opponent’s defense to one sweep as the setup for another, creating a continuous sweeping system rather than isolated techniques.
Q3: How should you maintain your body position while in lockdown to maximize sweeping effectiveness and prevent opponent from passing or taking your back? A: You must maintain your body on your side (perpendicular to opponent) rather than flat on your back, using a deep underhook on the lockdown side to prevent flattening. Your head should be positioned under opponent’s chin or to the side, never allowing them crossface control. Your free hand frames against their neck or shoulder to maintain angle and space. Being flat on your back eliminates most sweeping leverage and creates back exposure vulnerability. The combination of side positioning, underhook control, and proper head placement creates the structural foundation necessary for successful lockdown sweeps.
Q4: What is the most common mistake when transitioning from completed lockdown sweep to dominant position, and how should it be corrected? A: The most common mistake is releasing the lockdown too early before the sweep is fully completed and dominant position is secured. This allows the opponent to extract their trapped leg, recover their base, and often counter-pass or scramble back to their feet. The correction is to maintain lockdown tension until you have clearly achieved top position (side control, mount, or back control) and begun establishing your control grips. Only release the lockdown when the opponent is fully swept and you are transitioning to secure position - typically 2-3 seconds after sweep initiation at the apex of the sweeping motion. Patience in maintaining lockdown through the entire sweep sequence dramatically improves success rates.
Q5: How does the lockdown position fundamentally change the nature of half guard from a traditional perspective? A: Traditional half guard is often viewed as a defensive or transitional position where the bottom player focuses primarily on retention and preventing the pass. The lockdown transforms half guard into an offensive attacking platform by removing the opponent’s mobility and base through the leg trap, allowing the bottom player to dictate pace and direction. This represents a philosophical shift where the person on bottom controls the engagement rather than the top player. By trapping one leg, the lockdown eliminates the opponent’s primary passing tools while simultaneously creating multiple sweep and back-take opportunities. This inversion of traditional positional hierarchy is core to Eddie Bravo’s 10th Planet system and represents a paradigm shift in modern half guard theory.
Safety Considerations
Lockdown sweeps are generally safe techniques with low injury risk when practiced properly. The primary safety concern is knee stress on the opponent’s trapped leg - when securing the lockdown figure-four, avoid cranking or twisting motions that could damage the knee joint. Apply lockdown pressure progressively rather than explosively, especially with new training partners unfamiliar with the position. When executing Electric Chair sweeps, control the rolling motion to prevent partner from landing awkwardly on their neck or head. During Old School sweeps, ensure adequate mat space behind you before rolling backward to avoid collisions with walls or other practitioners. For the practitioner in lockdown bottom, protect your own neck during sweeps by keeping chin tucked and avoiding hyperextension. If training partner is significantly larger or stronger, use technique and timing rather than forcing sweeps through strength, as this can lead to muscle strains in the hips and lower back. Both partners should communicate about lockdown tightness - tapping is appropriate if knee pressure becomes uncomfortable. When drilling at high intensity, alternate between working sweeps and playing top position to prevent overuse injuries from repetitive motions. Overall, lockdown sweeps are suitable for practitioners of all levels when proper progression and partner awareness are maintained.
Position Integration
Lockdown Sweeps are fundamental components of the half guard bottom attacking system, particularly within the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu framework developed by Eddie Bravo. The lockdown position serves as a central hub from which multiple offensive sequences emerge, including not only sweeps but also transitions to deep half guard, dogfight position, electric chair submissions, and various back-take opportunities. Within the broader positional hierarchy, lockdown represents a specialized half guard variation that prioritizes leg control and sweeping mechanics over traditional underhook battles and guard retention frames. The position integrates seamlessly with other modern half guard systems - practitioners often flow between lockdown, deep half, and butterfly half guard based on opponent reactions and defensive strategies. From a competition strategy perspective, lockdown sweeps are particularly effective in no-gi formats where traditional gi grips are unavailable, providing reliable sweeping options that work well in IBJJF, ADCC, and submission-only rule sets. The system also translates effectively to MMA applications where controlling opponent’s base while maintaining offensive threats is critical. Understanding lockdown as part of the complete guard system rather than an isolated position allows practitioners to use it as one tool among many, knowing when to enter lockdown, when to maintain it for sweeps, and when to transition to alternative positions. This integration with the broader half guard game creates a well-rounded bottom player capable of attacking from multiple configurations based on opponent’s defensive strategies and positional responses.
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The lockdown position represents a fascinating study in biomechanical leverage where we create a direct mechanical advantage by removing one of the opponent’s primary bases while maintaining our own mobility. The figure-four leg configuration generates tension vectors that work in opposite directions - your bottom leg pulls their ankle toward you while your top leg pushes their thigh away, creating extension in their trapped leg that fundamentally compromises their ability to generate power or maintain base. What makes lockdown sweeps particularly effective from a systematic perspective is that they exploit the universal principle that a person cannot effectively defend against directional changes when one of their legs is fully extended and controlled. The key technical insight is that the lockdown itself doesn’t sweep the opponent - rather, it creates the positional prerequisite that makes sweeping possible. The actual sweeping motion then becomes a matter of reading weight distribution and applying force in the direction where the opponent has the least structural support. This is why we see multiple sweep variations from the same lockdown position - each exploits a different defensive posture. The highest-percentage approach is to chain these sweeps together rather than committing to a single direction, using the opponent’s defensive reaction to one sweep as the setup for the next. This creates what I term a ‘sweeping dilemma’ where every defensive choice opens a different offensive pathway, forcing the top player into increasingly compromised positions until the sweep becomes inevitable.
- Gordon Ryan: In competition, lockdown sweeps are absolutely money, especially at the higher levels where people know how to defend traditional half guard passes. I’ve used lockdown extensively in both gi and no-gi competition because it gives me offensive opportunities even when I’m on bottom, which is critical for scoring and controlling the pace of the match. The biggest advantage is that once you lock it up, the top guy is basically stuck - he can’t effectively pass and he’s constantly defending sweeps, which means I’m controlling the action even from bottom position. Against high-level opponents who pressure pass really well, the lockdown neutralizes their passing pressure and forces them to fight on your terms. My go-to sequence is to threaten Electric Chair first because everyone knows it’s coming, and when they defend by posting their leg back, I immediately switch to Old School or transition to deep half. The key to making lockdown work at the highest level is never getting stuck in one position - you have to constantly threaten, constantly move, constantly make them defend. If you just hold lockdown without attacking, even white belts will eventually figure out how to extract their leg. But if you’re chaining Electric Chair to Old School to Whipover to deep half transitions, you’re creating so many problems that eventually something hits. The other huge benefit is that lockdown works incredibly well in long matches - it’s not particularly exhausting to maintain and it drains the top guy’s gas tank way faster than it drains yours, which becomes a huge advantage in later rounds of tournaments.
- Eddie Bravo: The lockdown is the cornerstone of the entire 10th Planet system because it completely flips the script on traditional jiu-jitsu hierarchy - suddenly the guy on bottom is the one attacking and the guy on top is defending, which is exactly the opposite of what they expect. When I developed the lockdown system in the late 90s and early 2000s, everyone said half guard was a defensive position, a place you get stuck when your guard gets passed. But I saw it differently - if you trap their leg with the lockdown, you take away their base and mobility, which means you control them even though you’re on bottom. The genius of the lockdown sweeps is that they work together as a system, not as individual moves. You’re not trying to hit one specific sweep - you’re creating a game where every direction they try to defend opens up a different sweep. They stop the Electric Chair? Great, now they’re perfectly set up for Old School. They stop Old School? Perfect, now Whipover is wide open. It’s like a chess game where every move they make gives you new attacking opportunities. What people don’t realize until they really study the system is that lockdown isn’t just about sweeps - it’s a gateway to the entire truck position game, to twister submissions, to banana splits, to deep half guard. The lockdown is the hub and all these other positions are spokes on the wheel. You can spend years just mastering all the options from lockdown and you’d have a complete competition game. The other beautiful thing is it works for everybody - big guys, small guys, gi, no-gi, MMA - because you’re using leverage and mechanics, not strength or grips that depend on the gi. This is why you see lockdown at the highest levels of competition now, even in ADCC where it was considered too unorthodox twenty years ago.