Hip Bump Sweep Combinations With Adam Wardzinski

By Fanatics Authors, May 21, 2021

One of the greatest assets you can have in Jiu Jitsu is the ability to quickly transition from a failed attack to another option. Having been there before from many reps in training and having a sound understanding of the position you are working with is key for smooth transitions.

As you start training for a longer period of time and start competing against people with more experience, this skill will be especially useful. People learn how to read submissions just before they come and are prepared to defend them. A lot of times your opponent is going to try to quickly counter, so having an immediate backup plan that you can implement right away definitely puts you ahead of the game.

It is also important to get creative with these transitions. Most people know the versatility of the triangle, arm bar, and omoplata transitions. For example, if your opponent is starting to posture out of a triangle choke it is likely he is going to expect you to transition to an arm bar so he may already be defending against it. With good enough technique you can definitely still pull it off, but wouldn’t it be easier to transition to something your opponent won’t see coming?

In this video, Adam Wardzinski shows a clever transition from a failed hip bump sweep to an omoplata, check it out below!

The Technique

The hip bump sweep is a great option for so many different reasons. First, it is simply just a great sweep. If you can be cognisant of taking care of the arm your opponent is going to attempt to base with, you’ll get the sweep and land right in mount. It also sets up so many great attacks such as a kimura or a triangle choke.

It is a natural reaction no matter the level of the practitioner to base with their arms to prevent being swept. In many different sweeps, part of the technique includes eliminating your opponent's base to successfully finish the sweep. However, as most practitioners know this is not always possible.

In the variation shown in this video, Adam gives a great transition for when you hip bump your opponent and you are unable to get rid of their base. Instead of giving up and getting back to your guard to try something else, you can surprise your opponent with a creative transition that they won’t see coming.

Want more Wardzinski approved tactics and techniques? Click Learn More!

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Adam states that when he has his opponent in the closed guard and they posture up, he likes to use the hip bump motion to open up the situation for himself. He shares that it can be difficult for him to remove his partner’s arm which is based to complete the sweep, so he had to think of another option from this position.

When going for the hip bump sweep, you first need to open your guard and start building yourself up to your elbow. Once you are on your elbow, you climb up to get on your palm and shoot your hips into your opponent while grabbing the tricep of the arm they are attempting to base with. As your partner bases out with his arm, it creates a ton of space that you can begin to work with.

Let's say you get to this point and you are having trouble dealing with your partner’s base, now that you have created space between his arm and his body there is a great opportunity to transition to an omoplata. The movements of this technique are not necessarily difficult to do, but are a bit challenging to describe in words.

If you hip bump your partner to your right side, they are going to base with their left hand. Now your body's momentum is moving toward you right, and there is a big gap of open space between your partner's arm and his body. As you do these next movements slowly at first they may feel a bit strange, but it flows very nicely when you get the hang of it and pick up the speed.

The first thing to do from here is to get rid of your arm that is holding you up and drop down to your side. Next, begin to crunch your body so your head starts to move towards the legs of your opponent. As you do this, make a pendulum movement with your legs and swing yourself around so that your body is parallel with your partner’s body, but your head is now down by his feet.

As you do this, your right leg is going to occupy the space you have created between your partner’s arm and his body, swinging over your partner’s shoulder so you land in the omoplata position. As you swing your leg over your partner's shoulder, you should be pushing his tricep with your leg to gain the momentum to sit up and land with your legs in front of you.

As you land in this position, you should use one of your arms to secure your partner’s elbow against your stomach area, and your other arm should be hugging your partner’s hips to prevent him from rolling out of the submission. When you get to this spot, normal finishing mechanics apply; so begin hipping away from your partner to break his posture and then lift your hips off the ground to complete the shoulder lock.

About Adam Wardzinski

Adam Wardzinski is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Alan “Finfou” do Nascimento, and is one of the first big name grapplers to emerge from Poland. He is widely regarded as one of the top heavyweight contenders of his generation, and has quickly risen up in the ranks since he began training at 18 years old.

Adam has a long list of major accomplishments, just as first place titles in AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro, IBJJF São Paulo Open, and others at black belt, as well as first place at IBJJF European Open and IBJJF London Open at brown belt. Adam has already coined 2 major titles in 2021, and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

About Adam's Instructional

Adam has devoted the entirety of this instructional to rediscovering the omoplata. Including your will find techniques such as spinning omoplata from lasso guard, lazy butterfly guard omoplata entry, triangle and arm lock options from the omoplata, and so much more.As one of the top grapplers from his country and frankly in the world, Adam has continuously shown his success on the world stage. To master every aspect of the omoplata and to start seeing it from everywhere, don’t hesitate and check out his high level instructional here!