Student Objectives:
The student will perform the Hook the Knee Leg Weave Sweep with good technique on a compliant partner.
The student will investigate the combined value of underhooking the knee pit with the foot while also having the arm bound under the same leg.
The student will develop dynamic guiding pressure by using the sleeves during the execution of the sweep.
Teaching Cues:
Sleeves
Scissor
Open the Knees
Shrimp and Weave
Push the Knee
Woven leg to Knee Pit
Lift Lift Turn
Lesson: Hook the Knee Leg Weave Sweep
The Leg Weave Entry
The assisting student will start in the Triangle Sit with their knees on the ground and their buttocks on top of their heels. The practicing student will start in the Closed Guard position with their legs wrapped around the waist of the assisting student. Next, the practicing student will then take two same side sleeve grips.
Once in the starting position the practicing student will maintain their sleeve grips and enter into a scissor sweep with their legs. This can be accomplished with a partial Shrimp to make space and then sliding the knee across the beltline. Once the knee is across the assisting student’s centerline the knee can be opened and framed against the assisting student’s same side shoulder. The practicing student should then place both feet on the assisting students hips and gently squeeze with the outside knee. The resulting position should be, one knee in between the assisting student’s shoulders and one on the outside with both feet resting on the hips. Once the legs are aligned correctly the practicing student should gently stretch the assisting student by pulling with the arms and pushing with the feet. The goal is to take all of the slack out of hte assisting student’s sleeves and create a counter pressure.
Next the practicing student will make a dramatic lateral Shrimp in the direction of the knee that is on the outside. The hip movement should place the practicing student completely on their side with their chest angled towards the assisting student. What is now the furthest foot should have a strong foot placement that makes stretching/pushing very easy. This bottom leg will stretch as the arms pull to create a very powerful kuzushi.
After stretching the assisting student by pulling and pushing the practicing student will weave their top leg over the assisting student’s head and then back into the space by the near armpit. The foot should pass through the armpit with the toes actively flexed. The practicing student will then draw the knee of the woven leg back towards their chest until the top of their foot locks against the back of the assisting student’s shoulder. When the foot makes contact, the assisting student should gently open the knee of the woven leg away from the assisting student's body. This should effectively trap the assisting student’s arm.
The Amazon Sweep
Once in the Leg Weave position, the practicing student will remove the stretching foot from the hip and perform a Base Check by pushing on the assisting student’s far knee. In an attempt to avoid the Base Check the assisting student will Combat Base by lifting their knee off of the floor and post their foot.
When the assisting student posts their foot, the practicing student will remove the woven ankle from the armpit and hook under the assisting student’s far knee pit. The practicing student should maintain the sleeve grip during this transition as it will create a strong binding on the arm. Once the foot is hooked in the assisting student’s knee pit, the practicing student will take the non hooking foot and post it comfortably on the floor away from the assisting student. To execute the sweep, the practicing student will perform 3 simultaneous movements.
Lift and rotate the sleeve grip of the non-bound arm. The pathway for the sleeve should include bringing the grip over their own head. This will guide the sweep as the assisting student falls. *Note- The grip should always maintain a pulling pressure to keep all of the slack out of the sleeve
Lift with the foot that is hooked in the knee pit. This is the general power of the sweep and creates a very strong Kuzushi. Keep in mind that lifting with the foot also pulls down on the assisting student’s cross side shoulder and the assisting student may feel a disproportionate amount force in the sweep compared to the amount of effort applied by the practicing student.
Pivot off of the practicing student’s posted foot (non-woven leg) to bring the head close to the assisting student’s body. Make sure the practicing student keeps their lower back flat on the floor and uses the foot to pivot rather than Shrimp.
After executing the above steps, the assisting student should fall to their side or back and the practicing student should immediately transition into Side Control. To obtain Side Control, the practicing student should release the grip of the non-woven arm and place it near the hip as they elevate over the woven arm. It is ok to release the grip on the Leg Weave arm as well if it is needed to elevate and get to Side Control.
Possible Extensions:
When there is a large size disparity the practicing student may find value in reinforcing the hook in the knee pit. To do this they will simply remove the posted foot from the floor and place it in the knee pit as well. Once both feet are hooking, the practicing student will have an increased lifting ability, however it will be extremely difficult to pivot their head close to the assisting student’s body. This lack of angle change will have to be made up for by an increased lifting of the arm and a slight guiding of the lift of the legs. Make sure both student’s have practiced the above sweep to understand the pathways otherwise this has a higher chance of an awkward fall.
The lesson plan above has the assisting student posting their foot as a result of the Base Check. If the assisting student starts in Combat Base with their knee between the legs, then it can be possible to hook the knee pit of the assisting student’s other knee. The sweep can be performed similar to the above written lesson plan with the foot woven into the near knee’s knee pit. Be careful as this will change the trajectory of the fall and the power of the sweep is increased. When performing the technique like this the sleeve grip on the non-woven arm becomes very important in guiding the direction of the fall. Again, make sure the practicing student has a firm understanding of how this sweep works before attempting the sweep in this manner.
Some students will find a transition into Mount easier than rolling up into Side Control. To get to mount, the practicing student will execute the sweep as stated above and then maintain the sleeve grips after the assisting student hits the ground. The practicing student will then do a back roll over their near shoulder and use the sleeve grips to pull themselves into mount. While the back roll can be executed during the sweep, make sure they practice it in two parts, with the back roll being done slowly, to find the pathway and avoid rolling over or on the assisting student’s face.
Possible Refinements:
This sweep can be extremely powerful when done correctly. The pathway of the fall can vary greatly depending on the correct use of the arms and the pathway of the lifting leg. Make sure the student’s practice this sweep slowly at first to build an understanding of the power it generates and the correct pathway to sweep the assisting student. Additionally make sure the assisting student does not resist the sweep and that they fall on their side by tucking their head and turning. Otherwise they may land on their face and/or shoulder.
It is extremely important to maintain good pressure on the sleeves throughout the sweep. However, the practicing student may find that they need to allow a slight amount of slack into the grip of the woven leg when they transition into the assisting student’s far knee pit. This is natural, and while it will feel like there is limited control in the grip, the combined lifting pressure with the foot and the shoulder being pulled down due to the woven leg is extremely dominating. Encourage the students to communicate with each other during the drilling portion of this technique to discover the difference in effort vs power output.
From my personal experience, the pivoting flat on the back to rotate the head towards the assisting student’s body is the most difficult of the cues to execute. This is not due to the movement being difficult, but rather it is a rare transition and many students have not practiced it. Make sure to observe the movement and reinforce the importance of the pivot.
Reference materials:
Teaching Reflections:
How did I do teaching?
What could I do better next time?
Did the student gain proficiency in lesson material?