The Old School Sweep is a fundamental half guard technique popularized by Eddie Bravo and the 10th Planet system. This sweep capitalizes on the opponent’s forward pressure by using an underhook and strategic footwork to off-balance and sweep them. The technique is particularly effective when the opponent is driving forward in an attempt to pass your half guard. By establishing a deep underhook and creating an angle with your body, you can use your opponent’s momentum against them. The Old School Sweep is valued for its reliability and mechanical simplicity - it doesn’t require exceptional flexibility or athleticism, making it accessible to practitioners of all body types. The sweep flows naturally into dominant top positions and integrates seamlessly with other half guard attacks, creating a threatening offensive system from bottom position.
Starting Position: Half Guard Ending Position: Side Control Success Rates: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 55%, Advanced 70%
Key Principles
- Establish deep underhook on the far side before initiating sweep mechanics
- Create angle with body position to generate leverage advantage
- Use opponent’s forward pressure as the primary sweeping force
- Control opponent’s near leg to prevent base recovery
- Maintain tight connection throughout the sweeping motion
- Drive weight through opponent’s base while lifting with underhook
- Follow opponent’s movement to secure top position
Prerequisites
- Half guard position established with one leg trapped between yours
- Deep underhook secured on opponent’s far side
- Opponent driving forward pressure into your guard
- Head positioned on the underhook side (not the overhook side)
- Inside leg (lockdown side) controlling opponent’s trapped leg
- Outside leg free to establish posting position
Execution Steps
- Secure deep underhook: From half guard bottom, thread your inside arm deep underneath opponent’s far armpit, securing a strong underhook grip. Your hand should reach their far shoulder blade or lat muscle. Pull this underhook tight to your body, eliminating space between you and your opponent. (Timing: Initial setup - before opponent establishes heavy crossface pressure)
- Post outside leg: Extend your outside leg (the leg not trapping opponent’s leg) and plant your foot flat on the mat behind you. Position this foot approximately 12-18 inches from your hips, creating a stable posting base. Your knee should point toward the ceiling, ready to drive. (Timing: Immediately after securing underhook)
- Create angle and lift hips: Bridge up onto your posted foot and shoulder, creating a 45-degree angle with your body relative to your opponent. As you lift your hips off the mat, simultaneously pull with your underhook to break opponent’s base forward. Your head should drive into opponent’s chest on the underhook side. (Timing: As opponent drives forward pressure)
- Tripod and elevate: Form a tripod position with your posted foot, your shoulder, and your head all on the mat supporting your weight. From this elevated position, extend your posted leg forcefully, driving your weight into opponent’s far hip while maintaining the tight underhook. This creates maximum elevation and off-balancing force. (Timing: Continuous motion from hip lift)
- Control near leg: As opponent begins to tip, use your inside leg (the lockdown leg) to control their trapped leg, preventing them from posting it out for base. You can hook their ankle or simply use your legs to keep their leg trapped and immobilized between your thighs. (Timing: As opponent starts to fall backward)
- Drive to top position: Continue driving with your posted leg while maintaining the underhook. As opponent falls to their back, follow them over, using the momentum to land in side control, knee on belly, or mount depending on their reaction. Keep your head tight to their body throughout the transition to prevent escape. (Timing: Immediate follow-through as opponent falls)
- Establish top control: Secure dominant top position by transitioning your underhook to crossface or far side control. Establish your base with knees wide, hips low, and chest pressure driving into opponent. Advance position immediately if opponent is disoriented from the sweep. (Timing: Completion phase - within 1-2 seconds of landing on top)
Opponent Counters
- Opponent sprawls hips back and away (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Maintain underhook and transition to deep half guard or electric chair position, using their backward movement to enter these positions
- Opponent posts far hand to prevent being swept (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Switch to attacking the posted arm with kimura grip or transition to back take as they expose their back defending the sweep
- Opponent applies heavy crossface pressure (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Use lockdown to prevent forward progress, then work to remove crossface by framing and creating space before reattempting sweep
- Opponent frees trapped leg during sweep attempt (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Immediately transition to butterfly guard or deep half guard, maintaining offensive pressure despite losing half guard position
- Opponent drives knee through to kill angle (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Accept the knee slide but maintain underhook, transition to deep half or work immediate guard recovery using underhook as primary control
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the primary mechanical principle that makes the old school sweep effective? A: The old school sweep leverages the opponent’s forward pressure against them by creating a fulcrum point with your posted leg and shoulder, using the underhook to control their upper body while driving them backward over their base. The technique converts their attacking energy into sweeping momentum.
Q2: Why must the underhook be established on the far side rather than using an overhook? A: A far side underhook provides superior leverage for the sweep by allowing you to lift and control opponent’s entire upper body from underneath. An underhook also prevents them from posting their far arm effectively, while keeping your head safe from crossface pressure on the underhook side.
Q3: How should you respond if your opponent sprawls their hips backward when you attempt the old school sweep? A: If opponent sprawls back, maintain your underhook and use their backward momentum to transition into deep half guard or electric chair position. Their defensive movement actually helps you access these positions, so you should flow with their energy rather than fighting against it.
Q4: What is the purpose of creating a 45-degree angle with your body during the sweep execution? A: The 45-degree angle creates optimal leverage for the sweep by positioning your force vector to drive opponent backward over their base rather than just lifting them upward. This angle also protects you from crossface pressure and makes it difficult for opponent to counter by driving into you.
Q5: Why is it important to control opponent’s trapped leg throughout the sweeping motion? A: Controlling the trapped leg prevents opponent from posting it out for base, which is one of their primary defensive options. Without the ability to post their trapped leg, they lose a critical base point and become much easier to sweep. The lockdown or leg entanglement ensures they cannot use this leg defensively.
Q6: How does the old school sweep integrate with the electric chair submission in the 10th Planet system? A: The old school sweep and electric chair share the same fundamental position (lockdown half guard with underhook). When opponent defends the electric chair by freeing their leg, you already have the underhook and angle needed for old school sweep. This creates a powerful dilemma where defending one attack sets up the other.
Q7: What should you do immediately after successfully completing the old school sweep? A: Immediately establish dominant top position by transitioning your underhook to crossface or far side control, establishing base with wide knees and low hips, and applying chest pressure. You should advance position quickly if opponent is disoriented, potentially moving to mount or knee on belly within 1-2 seconds.
Safety Considerations
The old school sweep is generally a safe technique with minimal injury risk when practiced correctly. The primary safety concern is avoiding explosive execution against unprepared training partners, particularly beginners who may not know how to fall safely from the sweep. Always communicate with training partners when drilling and allow them to fall in a controlled manner initially. When posting your outside leg, ensure you don’t hyperextend your knee by keeping slight bend in the joint. Avoid cranking the underhook aggressively as this can strain shoulder joints. For the person being swept, practice proper breakfall technique and avoid posting arms rigidly to prevent wrist or shoulder injuries. The lockdown component can place stress on opponent’s knee if applied too aggressively, so build pressure gradually and release immediately if partner taps. As with all techniques, proper warm-up and progressive resistance training prevents injury while developing proficiency.
Position Integration
The old school sweep is a cornerstone technique within the half guard bottom system, particularly the 10th Planet methodology. It integrates seamlessly with the lockdown position, creating offensive opportunities from what many consider a defensive position. The sweep connects directly to the electric chair submission system - when opponents defend the electric chair by pulling their leg free, you maintain your underhook and angle to immediately threaten the old school sweep. This creates a true dilemma where defending one attack opens the other. The technique also chains effectively with deep half guard entries, as the underhook and posting mechanics transition smoothly between positions. When opponents counter the old school by posting their far arm, you can attack with kimura locks or transition to back takes, further expanding your offensive system. The old school sweep teaches fundamental principles applicable throughout BJJ: using opponent’s pressure against them, creating leverage with proper angles, and maintaining connection throughout transitions. These principles transfer to numerous other positions and techniques, making the old school sweep valuable beyond its immediate tactical application.
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The old school sweep represents a perfect example of mechanical efficiency in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. What makes this technique particularly elegant from a biomechanical perspective is how it creates a three-point fulcrum system that multiplies your sweeping force. Your posted foot, your shoulder, and your head form a stable triangular base from which you can generate tremendous leverage. The deep underhook serves dual purposes: it controls opponent’s upper body posture while simultaneously creating the lifting force necessary to elevate their hips off the mat. The critical element most practitioners miss is the importance of the 45-degree angle - this isn’t arbitrary positioning but rather the optimal force vector for converting upward lifting into backward sweeping momentum. When executed with proper angle and connection, a smaller practitioner can sweep a significantly larger opponent because you’re using their own forward pressure as the primary sweeping force. The technique also demonstrates the principle of position before submission - by establishing dominant underhook control first, you create a platform from which multiple attacks become available, not just the sweep itself.
- Gordon Ryan: In competition, the old school sweep is one of my highest percentage techniques from half guard because it exploits the exact pressure that most skilled passers use against you. When someone is really trying to pass your half guard aggressively, they’re driving forward with significant force - that’s exactly when this sweep becomes nearly unstoppable. The key is recognizing the moment of commitment when they’re pressuring into you but before they’ve established the crossface. I personally favor combining this with the lockdown because it prevents them from that last-second leg post that can kill the sweep. What separates this technique in high-level competition is the ability to chain it with other attacks - if they defend by posting the far arm, I’m immediately attacking that arm with a kimura or transitioning to the back. The old school teaches you to be comfortable fighting from half guard bottom, which is crucial because against elite opponents, you will end up there. Rather than just defending and trying to recover full guard, you’re actively hunting for sweeps and submissions. My success rate with this technique improved dramatically when I focused on the follow-through - too many competitors complete the sweep but then lose the position. You need to be on top of them instantly, establishing control before they can recover.
- Eddie Bravo: The old school sweep is absolutely fundamental to the entire 10th Planet half guard system and it’s the perfect technique to demonstrate why the lockdown is so powerful. When you have someone in your lockdown and you’ve got that deep underhook, you’re creating a position where they have to deal with multiple threats simultaneously - that’s the essence of creating dilemmas. They know the electric chair is there, they’re worried about you taking the back, and then boom - you hit them with the old school and they’re on their back. What makes this sweep so beautiful is that it’s almost counter-intuitive; most people think half guard is a defensive position where you’re just trying to survive, but with the old school, you’re actually hunting to sweep or submit from what they think is their dominant position. The innovation we brought to this technique was integrating it so tightly with the electric chair - when they defend one, they automatically give you the other. The lockdown also solves the biggest problem with the old school, which is them posting that trapped leg. With a tight lockdown, that leg isn’t going anywhere, so their defensive options become way more limited. I tell my students that if you can master the old school sweep and the electric chair from lockdown half guard, you’ve got a legitimate guard game that works at the highest levels, no gi or gi. The whole philosophy is about being offensive from positions others view as defensive.