Many experienced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) practitioners believe the flower sweep (also known as the pendulum sweem) is the first sweep someone should learn. That’s because it’s a high percentage, technically sound, and safe sweep for beginners. Flower sweep is relatively simple to learn, cab be used in either gi or no-gi situations, and you can do it from a bunch of different positions.
How to execute a flower sweep
A successfull flower sweep requires generating enough power for a heavy hip rotation to transfer an opponent from top position to bottom position so you can trap your opponent’s arm and prevent them from posting on the mat.
Start in closed guard with your legs wrapped around your opponent’s waist. Secure a same-side grip on your opponent’s sleeve with one hand to help control their arm and prevent them from posting out. Open your guard and place one of your feet on the ground near your opponent’s hip so you have a pivot point. Swing your other leg in a wide arc (like a pendulum) to generate momentum, and as you swing your leg, your hips should follow the motion, creating a sweeping force.
Use the momentum generated by your swinging leg to lift your opponent’s body while simultaneously pulling their arm across their body. This action off-balances your opponent and helps to topple them over. Finish the sweep while your opponent starts to fall by following through with the motion and rolling them over, coming on top into a dominant position, such as the mount or side control.
Key Uses of the Flower Sweep
Most fighters add the flower sweep to their bag of tricks for a few reasons. Because it begins by breaking your opponent’s posture, it immediately limits their ability to defend against both sweeps and submissions.
- Transferring to dominant position
To get into a dominant position, you need to breaking your opponent’s posture by destabilizing them. Once you execute the sweep and begin rolling them over, follow the movement by sliding your body over theirs. elease your grips and use your hands to stabilize yourself as you transition to mount. Your knees should come down on either side of your opponent’s torso.
Once in the mount, establish control by securing a solid base, spreading your knees, and maintaining a low center of gravity to prevent your opponent from escaping. Once you’re in dominant position like mount, continue your offensive attacks with submissions.
- Counter to Standing Guard Pass
Should your opponent attempt to stand while you have them in closed guard, you can try to break their posture by pulling down on their sleeve or collar. Doing this may drop them back down to their knees where you can hit them with the flower sweep.
- Setting Up Submissions
The mechanics of the flower sweep allow for fluid transitions into submissions. For example, as you perform the sweep, if your opponent tries to base out with their arm, you can immediately switch to an armbar. Similarly, if they leave their neck exposed, you can transition into a triangle choke.
Completing the Sweep with a Finishing Attack
Armbar
As you complete the flower sweep, your opponent’s arm is often isolated due to the sleeve grip and their inability to post during the sweep. This makes it easy to transition into an armbar. From mount, just slide your leg over their head and secure their arm, then lean back to apply the armbar.
Collar Choke/Cross Choke
Once in mount, if you have control of your opponent’s collar, feed one hand deep into the collar, and with the other hand, cross under your first arm and grab the opposite collar. Apply pressure by pulling your arms across and pressing down with your body weight.
Americana
Similar to the Kimura, the Americana is available if your opponent’s arm is exposed and they are lying flat on their back. Again from mount (or side control), isolate their arm, secure the figure-four grip, and apply pressure by lifting their elbow while pushing their wrist towards the mat.
Omoplata
Instead of following through with the flower sweep, use the momentum and positioning to bring your leg (the one that was swinging for the sweep) over your opponent’s shoulder. Bring your leg across their back, trapping their arm between your leg and their torso and release your grip on their pant leg so you can focus on controlling their arm.
Swing your body out to the side, perpendicular to your opponent, so that you are facing the same direction as they are. Bring your other leg over to secure the position by crossing your legs, locking their arm in place against your hip. Sit up and move your hips away from your opponent’s body to apply pressure on their shoulder. Push their body down to the mat with your legs and hips while pulling their arm forward, causing the shoulder lock.
Triangle Choke
Another options to move into a finisher is if your opponent tries to defend the sweep by keeping their arm tight or tucking it in. You can then transition to a triangle choke by moving into a dominant position and trapping their arm and head between your legs, locking in the triangle and squeezing to finish the choke.
No-Gi vs No Gi
Although it’s generally recommended to learn it in the former first. Practicing this move in gi will help you learn the proper technique before advancing to the more difficult no-gi fighting.
Flower Sweep in Gi
The use of the gi provides stronger and more precise grips, allowing for better control over your opponent’s posture and making it easier to generate leverage. Start by grabbing your opponent’s sleeve on one side to prevents your opponent from posting their hand to stop the sweep. With your other hand, grab your opponent’s pants near their knee on the opposite side so you can manipulate their base and generate the necessary leverage for the sweep.
From there, you can open your guard. On the same side as your sleeve grip, place your foot on your opponent’s hip. This foot acts as a pivot, helping you control their posture and create the angle needed for the sweep.Perform a shrimping motion, sliding your hips out to the side. This movement allows you to bring your other leg up into your opponent’s armpit, similar to the position for an armbar.
To finish the sweep, simultaneously pull your opponent’s sleeve toward you while lifting their pant leg with your other hand. This combined motion disrupts their balance and topples them over.
Flower Sweep in No-Gi
The flower sweep can be adapted for no-gi situations, though it requires a slightly different approach due to the lack of gi grips. In no-gi, controlling your opponent’s posture is more challenging, and the sweep relies heavily on precise body positioning and explosive movement.
Without the gi, you won’t have the luxury of strong fabric grips, so you start by securing wrist control on your opponent’s arm to limit their ability to base out or defend. Try using an arm drag to break their posture and brings them off balance and then use your free hand to grab behind their far armpit or underhook their arm.
On the same side as the arm drag, place your foot on your opponent’s hip and shift your hips out to the side (similar to shrimping) to create a better angle for the sweep. With your other hand, grip behind your opponent’s knee or ankle to replace the pant grip you’d use in gi. It is essential that you controll their leg and prevent them from basing out.
With your foot on their hip and your grip on their leg, swing your free leg in the pendulum-like motion as you lift their leg with your grip and pull on their wrist to sweep them over. This motion should allow you to roll them onto their back while you come up on top in mount or side control.
Defending against the flower sweep
Considering how effective this move is, you should expect most adversaries and sparring partners to know how to do it. As such, you need to know how to defend yourself should they try and use it against you. A few things to keep in mind:
- Maintain strong posture and base by keeping your back straight and head up. Don’t lean too far forward. Break your opponent’s grips by stripping the sleeve or wrist control.
- Control the opponent’s hips and legs to prevent them from generating the necessary momentum to complete the sweep. If they try to generate momentum with their swinging leg, see if you can trap it between your legs or pin it to the mat.
- Control their wrists using a two-on-one grip to neutralize their ability to grab your sleeve. You can also pin their hand to the mat or your body if they attempt to grab your sleeve.
- Keep your weight centered and low so you can remain balanced and make it harder for your opponent to lift or tip you over.
- Counter with a guard pass if your opponent is off-balance after a failed sweep attempt. Move immediately into a knee-cut pass or another passing technique.
Conclusion
The flower sweep offers both beginners and advanced BJJ fighters a reliable tool for transitioning from a defensive to an offensive position. Its versatility, whether in gi or no-gi, and its ability to seamlessly set up submissions make it an essential sweep to master. At the same time, you have to be prepared to defend against this popular technique, as many experienced grapplers will have it in their arsenal.
