Tripod Sweep

Sweep
Also known as:
Tripod

The tripod sweep is an open guard sweep where the practitioner uses one foot on the opponent's hip and hooks the far leg while pulling the near leg to topple them backward. It is highly effective when the opponent is standing over you in your seated or shin-to-shin guard, exploiting their upright posture and two-point base.

Quick Reference

Key principles

  • · The sweep works by removing both of the opponent's legs from under them while driving their hips backward with your foot.
  • · Timing is best when the opponent's weight is high and their posture is upright, not when they are crouched low.
  • · Your foot on the hip acts as the fulcrum while your hooking leg and grip on the ankle create a lever system that collapses their base.
  • · If the opponent steps back to resist, transition to a single-leg or technical standup, as their retreat opens space for you to come up.
  • · Angle your body slightly off-center rather than staying square to generate more sweeping power.

Execution

  1. 1 From seated or shin-to-shin guard, place one foot firmly on the opponent's same-side hip with your knee slightly bent.
  2. 2 Hook behind their far ankle or calf with your other foot while gripping their near ankle or pants with your hand on that side.
  3. 3 Simultaneously extend the hip foot to push their hips away, sweep the far leg forward with your hook, and pull the near ankle toward you.
  4. 4 As the opponent falls backward, remove your feet, come up immediately to a standing position or advance into top position.
  5. 5 If they base with a hand behind them, maintain your grips and re-engage by adjusting your hip push angle or chaining to a sickle sweep.

Common mistakes

  • × Pushing the hip straight up instead of away at an angle, which allows the opponent to simply step over your foot and maintain balance.
  • × Neglecting to pull the near ankle aggressively, resulting in the opponent hopping back to recover their base instead of falling.
  • × Failing to come up immediately after the sweep, giving the opponent time to recover or re-engage from the ground.

Do it from

Positions and situations where the Tripod Sweep shows up.

Seated Guard
1 less common
Shin-to-shin Guard Bottom

Where it lands

The position you end up in.

Standing Position