Octopus Guard Sweep

Sweep

The Octopus Guard Sweep is executed from the octopus guard (a half guard variant where you underhook deeply and wrap around the opponent's far side, clinging like an octopus). It exploits your deep underhook and body attachment to off-balance the top player laterally, sweeping them over your body to land in half guard top or side control.

Quick Reference

Key principles

  • · The deep underhook reaching past the far armpit is the foundation—without it, you lack the steering control to redirect their weight.
  • · Keeping your chest glued to their torso eliminates space and prevents them from re-establishing frames or posture.
  • · Timing the sweep when they drive forward or post high converts their own momentum into the reversal.
  • · If they base wide to resist, switch to back-take entries or ankle pick variations to chain attacks.
  • · Hip movement underneath their center of gravity is essential to create the lifting angle for the sweep.

Execution

  1. 1 From half guard bottom, secure a deep underhook on the near side and thread it past their far armpit, gripping their lat or belt while clamping your body tightly to theirs.
  2. 2 Swing your outside leg over their back or hook their far hip, locking yourself onto them like an octopus to maximize control and remove space.
  3. 3 Hip-escape slightly underneath them to lower your center of gravity below theirs, loading their weight onto your frame.
  4. 4 Drive forward and laterally using your underhook grip and leg hooks to tip them over your body, following through to land in half guard top or clearing to side control.
  5. 5 Immediately establish crossface or underhook pressure on top to secure the dominant position before they recover guard.

Common mistakes

  • × Shallow underhook that only reaches the near shoulder—this gives the opponent room to whizzer and flatten you back down, killing the sweep.
  • × Leaving space between your chest and their torso, allowing them to insert frames, recover posture, and neutralize your attachment.
  • × Attempting the sweep without first hip-escaping underneath, resulting in trying to muscle them over from a flat position with no mechanical advantage.

Do it from

Positions and situations where the Octopus Guard Sweep shows up.

Octopus Guard Bottom

Where it lands

The position you end up in.

Half Guard Top Side Control Top