The Scissor Sweep
The scissor sweep is the first sweep almost everyone learns from the closed guard — and a perfect lesson in how leverage, not muscle, puts you on top. Break your opponent down, load them up, and scissor your legs to tip them over into the mount. Here is how.
Why sweeps matter: Sweeps turn the bottom into the top — and the top positions are where the sport's most common finishes come from. A good sweep is the start of a submission.
What is the scissor sweep?
From a guard where you have an angle, you grip the collar and sleeve, place one shin across your opponent's belly and the other foot on the mat, break their posture, and “scissor” your legs — the top leg chops down while the bottom leg sweeps up — to roll them over and come up in the mount.
See it on The BJJ Project
Our primary video source is The BJJ Project — the channel of Rickson-lineage black belt Chris “Bones” Burns. Here is his three-step scissor sweep:
▶ “3 Step Scissor Sweep” — Chris “Bones” Burns · The BJJ Project.
The details that make it work
- Break the posture first. A posturing opponent cannot be swept — pull them onto you with the collar grip.
- Get the angle. Turn onto your hip so your shin lies across their belly, not square.
- Load them forward onto your shin so their weight is off their base.
- Scissor and come up. Chop the bottom leg, sweep with the shin, and follow all the way up into the mount — do not stay on your back.
Common mistakes
- Letting them posture up so there is no weight to sweep.
- Sweeping square, with no angle or off-balance.
- Not following to mount, so you tip them and stay on the bottom.
Frequently asked questions
What is a scissor sweep in BJJ?
A sweep from the guard where you grip collar and sleeve, place a shin across the belly, break posture, and scissor your legs to tip your opponent over into the mount.
Why does my scissor sweep not work?
Almost always because the opponent still has posture and base. Break them down, cut an angle, and load their weight forward before you scissor.
Learn from the source: the Rickson lineage
Go deeper with Chris “Bones” Burns' The BJJ Project and Henry Akins' Hidden Jiu-Jitsu, and hear the philosophy on our podcast with Rickson-lineage black belts Scott Burr and James Driskill.
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