How to Do the Hip Bump Sweep from Closed Guard

When you first start learning Jiu Jitsu, one of your goals should be to improve your ability to get to more dominant positions like the mount.

And there are many different paths to that objective.

One is to sweep directly into the position from closed guard.

Imagine that.

One technique is all that’s required to take you from the bottom (where your opponent can make you suffer with the pressure of their weight) to the top (where submissions like the armbar and the cross choke become significantly easier).

And of the many options for achieving that objective, there is one that is easier to learn, and it is the hip bump.

In fact, we often teach it to our kids, and they pick it up fast.

But in order to assist all students in mastering the movement, we also put a quick breakdown on tape, and you can check it out here:

Execution Tips

• The first and most critical objective is that you must sit up to the hand. That means that your palm of your hand (not elbow) is on the mat behind you and your body is upright with your arm over your opponent’s shoulder (armpit to shoulder contact is key). How you achieve that outcome can vary, but it must be accomplished. One thing that helps, though, is angling your hips to the side and lifting your bottom elbow above your shoulder on the mat. It allows you to push off the elbow to sit up with speed.
• Once that first objective is achieved, it becomes imperative that you control your opponent’s arm. It helps to palm their elbow and glue it to your chest.
• Then the finishing motion is a rotation. You’re not knocking them directly back (even though that can work in some circumstances).  When you focus on dropping the knee on the side of their trapped arm and spinning them like a top, the attack becomes so much more difficult to stop.

Hope this helps, and if you wish to learn more, the best place to do it is in class. And if you’re not a student yet, fill out one of the request more information forms and start the process.