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Sweeps

When we enter into the omoplata we are isolating an arm to attack, as a side effect of this we are also removing our opponents base in the direction of that limb. What’s more, the under hook we had on the leg helps us to drive them in that direction. These combine to mean we can sweep. The position we land in is one I call Top Side Omoplata Control. This is because it makes sense, and is reasonable. Some people call it Baby Arm because inside, they are 12 years old.

Personally, I attack the omoplata as a sweep and look to finish from the top more often than I do from the bottom. I like the control I have on top, and once there I can easily return to the bottom if I want. What’s more, I would like to score points for the sweep, in case they escape my actual submission attempt, at least I will have come out ahead.

Omoplata Sweep against Kneeling

To use the omoplata as a sweep, we begin as before, but instead of trying to chop our opponent down to their stomach, once we have made our initial 180 degree turn to the player card shape, we swing our outside leg back inside with a pendulum motion and roll to our own stomach. Our grip on their leg pulls them up and over us as we roll. It is very difficult to do this if they are already belly down as it requires we lift them over us entirely, it is much easier to do when they are still posturing up allowing us to move under them as much as we are moving them over us. Besides, if they are already belly down, we could finish our shoulder lock easily. Once we have rolled them over, we sit up and solidify our control on the trapped arm. Their upper arm should be pinned between our hamstring and calf as tightly and as close to their shoulder as possible. This position is very difficult to escape quickly and provides us with multiple options to attack.

Omoplata sweep against standing.

Although this seems as though it might be more difficult, in my experience it is easier. Frequently, the top player will stand in our closed guard in attempting to set up a pass. Again, this is a good idea but exploitable when done poorly. If we can get our cross grip and underhook when they stand, we will proceed the same as before. The only difference is that we need to ensure we elevate our hips even higher to get weight onto the shoulder of the trapped arm. Their standing means we have more time to pull them over us as they fall. It is best to try to complete our roll before they hit the mat.

Inverted Ankle pick with standing finish

If when we attempt our Omoplata sweep the standing opponent pulls their arm free of our grip, we can check down to an inverted ankle pick on the leg we have underhooked. To do so, we swing our leg around similar to the above, but instead of choppin into the shoulder, we roll instead to our knees. The hand that was holding their sleeve before they broke the grip goes to the mat to protect our neck as we do so. When we land on our knees, we want the tightest possible overhook on the ankle and we want to lift it off the ground as soon as possible. Pressuring back into their shin with our lat will help shift their weight to their other leg so that we can stand with their ankle. As quick as possible we would like to pass their leg to our other arm and re grip at the hip. This makes it very easy to hip forward and use our near leg to kick out their one remaining post.

Inverted ankle pick with grounded finish.

I use this ankle pick a lot. It is possible in the circumstances described above, but also in many others. In my experience, most people defend it poorly. This poor defense leads to the grounded finish. Once we roll out to our knees and have the overhook on the ankle, a common response is for our opponent to turn into us, bending their knee so that they can attack our back our a front headlock. Once the knee is bent, they lose most of their base and their strength. As long as we keep their foot off the mat, we should win this exchange. Keeping the foot off the mat, we hand it off to our other arm. Our near arm then forces itself across their body and we sit to our hip in a foot facing side control. It might feel like a scramble or a struggle but as long as we do those two things, keep their foot up and find the far side grip, we will win position.

The real threat to the inverted ankle lock is if our overhook ends up on the thigh instead of the lower leg. More on this another time, but for now, just stay on the ankle.

Entry to Top Side Omoplata from Side control

If you finished your ankle pick or for any other reason are in a foot facing sidecontrol (twister side control, full mount prep), we can look to trap the nearside arm for top side omoplata as well. Gripping the hips or upper legs we attempt to use our hip to wedge under the near elbow and force it to the far side of their body. If we can successfully trap the arm in this manner there is a ton of attacks we can do, but usually our opponent will defend by dropping their elbow back to the mat when we dig for it. This allows us to hip up and over the arm, sitting for a moment on their near pec. Reaching down between our knees we secure the wrist and pull the arm upward where we trap it again between our hamstring and calf.

Side control to top side omoplata control

Top Side Omoplata Finish.

From our Top side position it is still possible to apply the shoulder lock itself. In fact, most people find this version stronger when applied correctly. Controlling the trapped elbow with our outside hand, we place our inside hand on the mat next to the hip for base. We then back step with our outside leg and use our knee to collect the head. It’s important to only do a 90 degree turn here, not a full 180. We will want that last 90 degrees to actually apply the lock once it is tight. Scooping the head up with our knee and pulling up on the elbow with our hand we then continue turning as if we intended to sit on the mat beneath their trapped shoulder. This comes on very tight if done well so don’t expect to have to rotate far. If you find that you are needing to rotate a lot it is likely because the leg connected to their arm is dippin to the mat. It is a must that this knee be lifted as high as possible. * When filming for this piece, we reshot this example with me being looser so that I could rotate further to show the proper direction. The initial takes were too tight and came on too quickly to demonstrate the direction of the turn. When it’s right, it doesn't take much.

Top side control to conventional finish via lateral roll

If you have trouble with the top side finish, or if your opponent blocks you leg with their free hand, it is possible to re roll them to the conventional position. Thi si very similar to what we did from mount. To roll them laterally, we back step again, but instead of collecting the head with the knee, we post our foot on the mat nice and far away and continue our turn extending our leg and bringing it over their head. Again, here they will end up on their belly with one arm in the shoulder lock and one trapped under their own weight. Our posted hand should already be on their back preventing their recovery.

top side omoplata control with lateral roll

Top side control to conventional finish via forward roll.

If when we back step to collect the head for our top side finish they do not let us do so nor do they let us post on the mat for the lateral roll above, we can once again do a forward roll as we did from mount and from defending the single leg. Again they will be forced to sit up, and most likely remain on their knees. So you may want to check down again to the toe hold or another finish.

Top side omoplata control with forward roll

Wrist lock finish

From a tight topside control, we can attack the trapped arm directly with a wrist lock. Because our inside leg should provide good control over their elbow, we already have control of the joint above, we next need to control the joint below. The joint in question is the knuckles. Using our outside hand so it is harder for them to reach and defend, we grip the knuckles, preferably with our thumb and middle finger. Unfortunately, they are very likely to stiffen up, male a fist, and try to not let us bend the wrist. The best way to deal with this is to apply pressure down and then strike them in the wrist with the back of our own wrist. This sudden impact will bend the wrist and once it is bent they will lack the strength to straighten it. Some people like to figure four their hands to finish, but I don’t think this adds anything. I prefer to cup my hands one over the other, and hugging tight do an abdominal crunch to bring their palm down toward their elbow. Wrist locks won’t win you any friends but they are legit. Be careful.

Filthy wrist lock for filthy wrist lockers.

Catching top side omoplata control when our opponent does a forward roll.

One of the more common escapes our opponents will attempt is a quick forward roll during the early stages of our attack. As a result an important skill to develop is the ability to chase them down when they roll and win top side control. In the example below you can see this play out. As I apple the entry and look to sit up Maria does a forward roll over her near shoulder taking her to her back. I follow her up, leaning toward her so that I can point both my feet away to make the transition smoothly back to top side control. I could have decided to stabilize on top for longer and apply one of the other finishes, but if done quickly the reroll will often be the easier option. Here I choose to continue my momentum directly into another forward roll, this time finishing with a better grip on the back and preventing her from rolling again.

Countering a forward roll by catching top side omoplata control and rerolling back to a conventional finish.

Click here for part 1 and part 3.

Toughness. Effort. Technique. Discipline.