Elevator Sweep From Guard
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Elevator Sweep·TakingItToTheMMAT
Pedro Sauer BJJ Black Belt Anibal Lobo shares with us an Elevator Sweep From Half Butterfly Guard and One Overhook.
Elevator Sweep
SubFamilyエレベータースイープ(Erebētā Suīpu)
TransliterationTranslation: elevator sweep
Overview
The Elevator Sweep subfamily covers the closed guard sweep that uses a butterfly-style hook (elevator hook) inside one of the opponent's thighs to elevate and roll them over while controlling the upper body with grips. [1] The guard player opens the closed guard, places one foot inside the opponent's thigh as an elevator hook, and uses this hook to lift and tip the opponent over while pulling with the arms. [1],[2] The elevator sweep bridges the mechanics of the closed guard with the butterfly guard, using a single hook insertion to generate powerful sweeping leverage. [2],[3]
History & Origin
Effectiveness
The elevator sweep uses a butterfly or half-guard hook to elevate and flip the opponent. [1]
Lineage
A fundamental BJJ sweep taught at all levels. [1]
Competition Record
Commonly scored in BJJ competition. [1]
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Biomechanical Mechanism
Primary Action — Breaking the opponent's leg control to advance to a more dominant position
Joints Involved — Hips (posture and pressure), knees (opening the guard with knee-in or standing), hands (grip fighting)
Force Vector — Forward pressure (stack/smash) or backward posture (stand-up break) to open the closed guard
Passing Mechanic — Once the guard is opened, speed passing, pressure passing, or toreando passing advances the position
Position & Entry
From bottom side control — Create frames with the forearms against the opponent's neck and hip, hip escape (shrimp) to create space, insert the knee to recover guard
From underhook escape — Swim the near arm to an underhook, bridge into the opponent and come to knees or reverse
From opponent's transition — When the opponent moves to mount or north-south, use the movement to create space and escape
Videos
1 video
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Ratings
Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
3
Moderate3/10
Sweeps reverse position from bottom; moderate impact on landing for top player
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Intermediate
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
— Unified MMA — Legal defensive/transitional technique
Unified Rules of MMA, August 2025PDF— IBJJF — Legal
IBJJF Rules Book v6.0, June 2024PDF— IJF — Legal
IJF Sport and Organisation Rules 2025, Article 27PDF— ADCC — Legal
ADCC Rules Update, April 2025PDF— UWW — Legal
UWW International Wrestling Rules, January 2026PDF— FIAS Sport Sambo — Legal
FIAS International Sambo Competition RulesPDFTraining Notes
✓The elevator sweep uses a butterfly-style hook from closed or half guard to elevate the opponent and sweep them over — combining the butterfly hook with upper body control from guard (Renzo Gracie & Royler Gracie, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique, 2001)
✓Execution: from closed guard, overhook one arm, place the same-side foot on the opponent's thigh as an elevator hook, open the guard, and lift while rolling to the side
✓The elevator hook provides the lifting force; the overhook prevents the opponent from posting
✓The sweep direction: roll toward the overhook side while lifting with the elevator hook
✓The elevator sweep works when the opponent has one arm trapped by the overhook — they can't post to resist
✓This sweep is particularly effective against opponents who are low and tight — the hook gets under them
✓After the elevator sweep, follow to mount — you end on top with the opponent's arm still controlled
✓The elevator sweep is often taught as the second or third sweep from closed guard after the scissor and hip bump
Common Mistakes
!Not overhooking the arm tightly — a loose overhook lets the opponent pull free and post
!Placing the elevator hook too low (on the shin) — the hook should be on the inner thigh for maximum lift
!Not opening the guard before the sweep — the guard must open to create the lifting angle
!Lifting straight up instead of at an angle — the sweep combines lift with a roll to the side
!Not controlling the opponent's posture with the overhook — the overhook must pull the opponent into the sweep
!Rolling the wrong direction — roll toward the overhook side
!Not following to mount — the elevator sweep ends in mount; don't release the position
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Setup Chain
1Control Grips — establish the controlling grips needed to load the sweep
2Off-Balance — shift the opponent's weight to the target direction
3Execute Sweep — apply the sweeping mechanic to topple the opponent
4Follow to Top — ride the sweep momentum to establish top position
Sources & References
Primary Source
Jiu-Jitsu University (Saulo Ribeiro, 2008)
1BookThe Guard (Moreira & Beneville, 2008)
Alias sources — [1] Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (Gracie & Gracie, 2001) [2] Jiu-Jitsu University (Saulo Ribeiro, 2008) [3] Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique (Renzo Gracie & Royler Gracie, 2001)
2BookJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
3OtherJapanese Combat Sports Katakana Convention
Standard katakana transliteration of Western martial arts terminology (外来語) — used in Japanese MMA, boxing, and BJJ communities
4CitationThe Guard (Moreira & Beneville, 2008)
Alias sources — [1] Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (Gracie & Gracie, 2001) [2] Jiu-Jitsu University (Saulo Ribeiro, 2008) [3] Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique (Renzo Gracie & Royler Gracie, 2001)
5CitationJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Community
Athletics
Requires
timing, hip power, off-balancing skill
Favours
strong hips and active legs for sweeping leverage
Key muscles
hip flexors, glutes, quadriceps, core rotators
Sub-techniques
Notes
The elevator sweep appears in 11 passages across 3 books. A butterfly guard sweep that uses the instep hook to elevate the opponent while falling to the side. One of the first butterfly guard techniques taught in BJJ fundamentals. (3 books in corpus; Advanced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Techniques, Garcia)
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Elevator Sweep work?
The Elevator Sweep subfamily covers the closed guard sweep that uses a butterfly-style hook (elevator hook) inside one of the opponent's thighs to elevate and roll them over while controlling the upper body with grips. The guard player opens the closed guard, places one foot inside the opponent's thigh as an elevator hook, and uses this hook to lift and tip the opponent over while pulling with the arms.
Where does the Elevator Sweep come from?
The elevator sweep is one of the classic closed guard sweeps in BJJ, combining closed guard upper body control with butterfly guard hook mechanics. It has been a staple of the closed guard curriculum since the early development of BJJ's sweeping game.
Is the Elevator Sweep legal in competition?
Unified MMA: legal — Legal defensive/transitional technique; IBJJF: legal — Legal; IJF: legal — Legal; ADCC: legal — Legal; UWW: legal — Legal; FIAS Sport Sambo: legal — Legal
How dangerous is the Elevator Sweep?
Danger rating 3/10. Moderate — sweeps reverse position from bottom; moderate impact on landing for top player
How do I set up the Elevator Sweep?
The standard setup chain: Control Grips → Off-Balance → Execute Sweep → Follow to Top.
How do I defend against the Elevator Sweep?
Standard counters include: Heavy Hips — maintain low hip pressure and wide base to absorb the bridge / Grapevine — hook legs inside opponent's thighs to neutralize hip movement / Post Hand — post arm on the mat in the direction of the bridge to maintain balance.
What are the variants of the Elevator Sweep?
Common variants: Standard sweep (primary off-balancing and reversal technique from the guard); Combination sweep (chaining two sweep directions to catch the opponent's adj…); Counter sweep (sweeping as the opponent initiates a guard pass attempt); Competition sweep (optimised for point-scoring in tournament settings).
How effective is the Elevator Sweep in competition?
Commonly scored in BJJ competition.
What are common mistakes when doing the Elevator Sweep?
Top errors to watch for: Not overhooking the arm tightly — a loose overhook lets the opponent pull free and post / Placing the elevator hook too low (on the shin) — the hook should be on the inner thigh for maximum lift / Not opening the guard before the sweep — the guard must open to create the lifting angle / Lifting straight up instead of at an angle — the sweep combines lift with a roll to the side.
What are other names for the Elevator Sweep?
The Elevator Sweep is also known as Erebētā Suīpu, Elevator, Leg Lever Sweep, Hook Elevator.