Sweep · Half guard · Advanced

Tornado sweep

A sweep (half guard) you hit from Half guard, Knee shield / Z-guard and Inverted guard, landing you in Side control (Yoko Shiho Gatame). Advanced level.

Tornado sweep · 1 of 4

How to do a Tornado Sweep

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How to do it

  1. From a shallow half guard or knee shield, keep your knee light so your hips can move
  2. Bring your arm in front of their near leg and turn upside down underneath them, toward that leg
  3. Hook their leg with yours and keep turning through, so your rotation pulls their base out from under them
  4. Come out on top as they roll and settle in side control, or attack a kimura if they post an arm

How it connects

Starts from
Half guardKnee shield / Z-guardInverted guard
Similar sweeps
Old school sweepKnee shield sweepElectric chair sweepJohn Wayne sweep (knee lever)Dogfight sweep
Also from Half guard
Choi bar
In courses
Foundations III: Half guardOpen guard setHalf guard set

Get it right

Key details
  • Turn underneath and close to them: if you invert far away they just step back
  • Inverting needs a supple neck and shoulders; drill it slowly first
Common mistake

Rolling over your neck instead of your shoulder.

If they defend it

They sprawl back and flatten you: come back to half guard or the knee shield.

Safety and research

Read about itGrapplearts articlesBJJ Heroes

Practice

Quick checkTornado sweep quick check4 questions
My notes

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More from these positionsOther techniques that start where this one does
Old school sweepSweep → Half guard (top)Knee shield sweepSweep → Half guard (top)BerimboloSweep → Back controlElectric chair sweepSweep → Half guard (top)Triangle (Sankaku Jime)Submission · ChokeGuillotineSubmission · ChokeKimura (Gyaku Ude Garami)Submission · Shoulder lockKimura trap back takePass or back take → Back control
← Lumberjack sweep25 of 28 sweepsDogfight sweep →