The sickle sweep is an open-guard standing sweep in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It aims to disrupt your opponent’s balance by targeting their foot. Learning when and how to do this is critical to adding a new layer of control and flow to your skillset.
By grasping the finer points of the sickle sweep, you will develop the insight to spot the ideal moments for this sweep. In this article, learn when and how best to use the sickle sweep BJJ technique and dive into the goals, strategy, and tips on timing it perfectly to elevate your BJJ skills.
What is the Goal of the Sickle Sweep
To succeed with a sickle sweep, the goal is to wait for an opportune moment to off-balance your opponent. Timing is critical; executing it too obviously can allow your opponent to adjust and regain their balance, rendering the sweep ineffective. Observing the right conditions before attempting the sickle sweep will ensure smoother execution. This move highlights a key technique of using an opponent’s position to dictate your next step.
When to Use the Sickle Sweep
The ideal situations where to do a sickle sweep are:
- When the opponent is standing on your guard: When an opponent attempts to stand to pass your guard, whether by stepping forward or directly engaging, timing their movement as they shift their weight is the ideal moment for catching them off-balance
- When attempting to transition to a top position: it’s easy to get stuck if you rely too heavily on your advantage. Creating effective maneuvers to maintain control can be challenging, and a single wrong move may shift the momentum. To keep your lead, try transitioning to a top position, especially when working from the ground or escaping holds. Successfully executing a sweep often leads to a smooth transition into a dominant top position.
- You have strong grip control: Gripping the opponent’s collar or sleeve and their ankle gives you the stability needed to initiate the sweep with controlled force. This grip helps anchor your position and allows you to disrupt their stance and execute the sweep with precision.
When Not to Use the Sickle Sweep
On the other hand, you may avoid using the sickle sweep in the following cases:
- You are in a close-quarter guard situation: The sickle sweep may not work with close-range grappling. Your opponent can easily reach and tangle their foot with your legs and use it as leverage. With their weight distributed between you at this distance, they may quickly regain their footing, making it hard to off-balance them.
- Your opponent has a strong base: It can be tricky to identify if your opponent has a strong base, but as soon as you see this, you can decide not to counter with a sickle sweep. If your opponent is firmly grounded, they have high resistance to sweeps.
- Your position of grips is weak: Your attempt to sweep can backfire if you do it with an unsteady grip and poor leg position.
How to Do the Sickle Sweep: BJJ Technique from Open Guard
The sickle sweep is an intermediate sweep best performed with an open guard. This technique allows the competitor on the mat to reverse positions. Shifting to a standing position from the ground reduces the opponent’s chance to gain control while you stand up from the mat.
Basic Mechanics from the Sickle Sweep
Follow these steps to fine-tune your sweep technique. Focus on maintaining strong grips and correctly positioning your hooks against your opponent.
- Set up & Hook
The key to this sweep is the hook. Start by using your “attack leg” to create a hook—this is critical for setting up the sweep. Maintain this hook throughout the movement. The name “sickle” comes from the hook motion, as you’re essentially hooking the opponent’s leg or foot like a sickle.
- Control & Grip
Maintain the hooking motion to secure control from your open guard. Shift to your side and press your control leg against your opponent’s hip, keeping the right distance and angle. Next, hook your opponent’s ankle with your own—this ankle-to-ankle grip is for effective control.
To initiate the sweep, keep the hook engaged and establish your grips. For Gi, reach for the opponent’s nearest sleeve and grab the hem of their pants. In No-Gi, you can instead grip the ankle where your hook is set.
- The Sweeping Motion
This is the moment to execute the sweep. From a side-control-like position, bend your top leg to press against your opponent’s hip while hooking your bottom leg around their ankle like a sickle to take the leg out. With control over both their ankle and hip, push firmly to complete the sweep.
- Maintaining Contact and Control
The movement of the sweep and the transition to standing rely on swift momentum. The key detail is that your grips provide leverage to shift your weight upward while capitalizing on your opponent’s motion to secure the sweep. This distracts and off-balances your opponent, leaving them no time to react.
- Executing with Tripod Sweep
The sickle sweep becomes more powerful when paired with the tripod sweep. This combination works well when your opponent anticipates the sweep and steps back, freeing themselves from your attack leg or hook. You can ensure the sweep’s success by following up the sickle sweep with a tripod sweep from an open guard base.
The combination of Tripod and Sickle Sweep
This combination emphasizes the roles of the control and attacking legs, focusing on how they shift roles as you transition from the sickle sweep to the tripod sweep. Here’s the sequence, moving from the sickle sweep to the tripod sweep and highlighting each leg’s function in control and attack::
- Set Up in Guard with Sickle Sweep Position
Position control leg behind opponent’s leg with a solid hook, and place attack leg on opponent’s hip, with toes pointed out, ready to push.
- Attempt the Sickle Sweep
Use your control leg to pull on your opponent’s leg while pushing with your attack leg while maintaining a firm grip on their heel.
- Adjust if the Opponent Counters
Adjust foot positioning and prepare for a different angle of attack if your opponent manages to defend against the sickle sweep. Move your control leg from behind their leg to position on their hip.
- Switch to Tripod Sweep Position
Reposition your attack leg behind your opponent’s knee for a stable hook, focusing on the main pushing force in the tripod sweep setup, with the control leg providing leverage.
- Execute the Tripod Sweep
Execute the Tripod Sweep by simultaneously pushing and pulling with the opponent’s heel, aiming to off-balance their movement and cause them to fall backward.
Conclusion
The sickle sweep is important in BJJ because it provides a direct path to a dominant position and builds control over your opponent’s lower body, limiting their movement. Practicing this sweep helps develop timing, coordination, and a keen sense of weight distribution—critical skills for advancing open guard techniques.
