Scissor Sweep Armbar
Posted by Ismail Safi on
Many people consider the closed guard to be a limited position, especially when they begin to move up the ranks in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and I get why. You learn the majority of the techniques from closed guard as a white belt, but once you become a blue or purple belt, you’ll notice how difficult it can be to hit a lot of those same moves.
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The problem is not actually an inherent issue with closed guard, but our perspective of closed guard and the techniques utilized in it. We forget about how important it is to develop systems, which is extremely important if you want to be a good closed guard practitioner. The closed guard is still invaluable in Jiu Jitsu, MMA, and self-defense and should be practiced and advanced as much as any other.
One of the earliest sweeps you learn from closed guard is the scissor sweep, and although you may destroy white belts with it, it’s actually a tough move to do against skilled opponents. Because of this, we need to reconsider how we look at this sweep. If you begin to look at the scissor sweep position as a position, you’ll learn that there is a lot of different things you can do, most it based off what your opponent does.
From the scissor sweep, there are a few submissions you can attack. The first one you probably have learned, or should, is the triangle, which is relatively easy attack. The other submission is a simple armbar. In the following video, Rodrigo Artilheiro goes over how to hit the scissor sweep armbar with great detail.
This is a great submission to transition to from the scissor sweep especially when the top player tries to pin your legs down to pass. It is important to realize, though, that this transition needs to be done quickly. If the top player even has the slightest idea you are trying this move, they will pull their arm and sit back. So, when trying this technique, you need to be explosive.
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