The BJJ scissor sweep is one of the primary sweeps in Brazilian jiu-jitsu that practitioners should know from their early days on the mats. It’s an incredible sweep that could be performed from the closed guard.
That’s awesome! So, what are the scissor sweep basic principles? A successful BJJ scissor sweep demands you properly manage your opponent’s posture and weight.
This post will look at the BJJ scissor sweep technique, its variations, and how to execute it.
How to Do A Scissor Sweep?
Follow these awesome steps to take a successful scissor sweep in BJJ.
- Reach the closed guard position; if you’re already there, you must maintain it.
- Choose the desired opponent’s side to attack that you think will have no chance to escape. Then, control the opponent’s sleeve and collar without allowing your opponent to predict your next moves.
- Open your guard and move a little to your side, where you create the necessary space to perform the sweep properly. Then, slide your shin diagonally on your opponent’s body so that your foot hooks the hip, your knee presses his chest, and the other leg blocks the opponent’s side.
- Use the sleeve and collar grips you have created to pull the opponent forward by engaging your shoulders, hands, and legs. This is necessary to break the posture and destroy the opponent’s weight balance.
- Finish the jiu-jitsu scissor sweep by turning your hips together with your legs once the opponent’s weight isn’t on his heels.
Scissor Sweep Details
The scissor sweep is one of the easiest jiu-jitsu sweeps every practitioner enjoys learning. But a lot of them find trouble in the scissor sweep setups.
So, What are the BJJ scissor sweep details that you need to handle to execute this sweep properly?
A good jiu-jitsu scissor sweep demands you consider several parameters while playing it.
You should install solid grips within your opponent and use your legs correctly. Also, you need to deal effectively with your opponent’s weight.
Scissor Sweep Grips
Here is a good BJJ video tutorial about how to set up grips while performing the scissor sweep by John Danaher.
Scissor Sweep Setup With Complete Details
Scissor Sweep Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi
Find in the next jiu-jitsu tutorial video four ways to set up correctly the grappling scissor sweep in no-gi mode.
Scissor Sweep MMA
The scissor sweep is a great move that you can do in MMA. So, here is how to perform the MMA scissor sweep without getting hurt.
BJJ Scissor Sweep Variations
There are many scissor sweep variations that you can use to develop your BJJ game so far. Let’s learn more about these jiu-jitsu variations.
Scissor Sweep Overhook
Scissor Sweep Closed Guard
Half Guard Scissor Sweeps
Source: Alberto Serrano BJJ
Scissor Sweep Jiu Jitsu Transitions
Scissor sweep techniques have many Brazilian jiu-jitsu transitions. You can transit to the mount position at the scissor sweep position.
Also, you can get sweet submissions such as the armbar, triangle choke, cross choke, omoplata, kimura, and more.
Some video tutorials will teach you how to perform effective jiu-jitsu scissor sweep transitions.
Closed Guard Scissor Sweep to Armbar, Omoplata …
Scissor Sweep to Cross Choke
NoGi Scissor Sweep to Kimura
Scissor Sweep to Triangle Choke
Scissor Sweep to Loop Choke
Scissor Sweep to Heel Hook
The scissor sweep could be done effectively from the standing position with an easy transition to the heel hook submission.
In the ADCC 2019, Garry Tonon got the fastest submission in an ADCC match using the Scissor Sweep Inverted Heel Hook combo.
Discover how to do the scissor sweep-to-heel hook combo by Garry Tonon.
How to Defend Scissor Sweep?
Counting the scissor sweep demands that you maintain the correct posture and weight distribution (this applies to all Brazilian jiu-jitsu sweeps). If you lack balance or lousy posture, you cannot defend the scissor sweep, so fix these facts first.
Moreover, to counter the scissor sweep, you have to reduce the opponent’s leg power, giving him the needed rotation. And to do so, you can switch to the opposite direction of the sweep if you’re fast enough, or you can use your head to block the sweep.
In the following video, you will learn two methods to counter the scissor sweep.
Conclusion
The scissor sweep is one of the most basic sweeps in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It’s often the first or second sweep that you’ll learn when starting the BJJ grappling.
Otherwise, It’s an excellent BJJ move with several variations and transitions, including many submissions such as the triangle choke, kimura, and chokes.
Related: Building a brutal Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game requires knowledge of several Submission techniques. So I’ve written a lengthy article on the most effective BJJ submissions you must know, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced practitioner. Click here to learn more!
