Become Fighter
The scissor sweep: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guide
Turning guard into a top position by tipping your opponent sideways.
The scissor sweep is the first sweep most people learn. From closed guard, you open your legs and cut them like scissors. One shin goes across the chest, the other leg goes behind the knee, and you tip your opponent sideways while you come up on top.
It needs a partner, and a mat. Go slowly. The person being swept should relax and fall gently, using a breakfall if they need one. Tap or say "stop" the moment anything hurts.
Key points
- Break their posture, then shift your hips to an angle.
- Open your guard. Your top shin slides across the chest. Your bottom leg stays low, behind the knee.
- Control the sleeve and the collar with your hands.
- Squeeze your legs together, like scissors, and pull their weight towards the shin.
- Come up onto your knees, on top, as they land. Control, do not fall on them.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Staying flat. Turn onto your hip before you cut. The angle does most of the work.
- Letting go of the sleeve. Keep the sleeve and collar grips until your partner has landed.
- Dropping weight on your partner. Come up beside them with control. Slow, light landings.
- Doing it at full speed. Go at half speed until both of you know where everything goes. Swap roles each round.
The rest is in the app
The step-by-step breakdown, the timed drill with the coach calling the shots and the quiz are part of Become Fighter Pro, where this lesson sits in the Closed guard basics module of Jiu-jitsu foundations.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play.
More from Closed guard basics
- Closed guard and posture: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guide
- The armbar from guard: safe entries: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guide
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Combat sports training is hard on the body. Warm up, stay within your limits and check with a doctor first if you have a health condition. Practise in a clear space and stop if you feel pain or dizziness. Learn partner work only under a qualified coach.