The main sweep to know from half guard (Lachlan Giles)
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Standard Old School·Absolute MMA St Kilda - Melbourne
This sweep using the underhook is the primary sweep you should look for when playing half guard, there are many follow u…
Standard Old School
Genusスタンダードオールドスクール(Sutandādo Ōrudo Sukūru)
TransliterationTranslation: standard old school
Overview
The Standard Old School sweep executes the classic half guard reversal by securing a deep underhook, switching the hips to come to the knees, and driving forward using the underhook to push the opponent over while maintaining the leg entanglement. [1] The guard player first fights for the underhook, then hip-switches to get underneath the opponent's weight, comes to the knees using the underhook for base, and drives through to complete the sweep. [1],[2] The sweep finishes with the sweeper in a half guard top position or side control. [2],[3]
History & Origin
Effectiveness
Lineage
Competition Record
The old school sweep is used in no-gi competition. [1]
Images
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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
Variants
Standard sweep — primary off-balancing and reversal technique from the guard
Combination sweep — chaining two sweep directions to catch the opponent's adjustment
Counter sweep — sweeping as the opponent initiates a guard pass attempt
Competition sweep — optimised for point-scoring in tournament settings
Videos
Old School Half Guard Sweep!
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Standard Old School·The Grappling Academy
SALE SALE SALE OVER 50% OFF – BOX SET – ALL 4 COURSES 50% OFF CLICK HERE – https://bit.ly/2lAOHmp • The Blue Belt Sup…
Old School Sweep by Azamat Hamzathanov
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Standard Old School·BJJ Fanatics
OLD SCHOOL SWEEP https://bjjfanatics.com Azamat Hamzathanov is a highly regarded up and coming BJJ instructor from the …
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3 videosWhat Instructors Say
The standard old school sweep from half guard is a fundamental reversal technique taught across multiple instructional lineages with notable convergence and divergence in execution details. BJJ Fanatics' Azamat Hamzathanov emphasizes the importance of staying on the side (not flat), pummeling for an underhook, and positioning the head low under the opponent's belly button for leverage. He describes feeding the opponent's ankle through to the opposite hand after securing it, then using knee drive and hip posts to execute the sweep, with particular attention to countering the opponent's defensive arm post by pushing on the inside to redirect them the opposite direction. Absolute MMA's Lachlan Giles approaches the technique through a high knee shield setup, stressing a high underhook reach to prevent cross-body escape, the critical "getting around the corner" body repositioning for control, and foot switching before the final drive. Giles also introduces a roll-under counter when the opponent pressures back. The Grappling Academy's Coach Tom presents a distinct variation where the bottom player bridges and hip-drives from an underhook-cross-face scramble position, emphasizing the "free lottery ticket" nature of the technique with minimal risk. All three instructors agree on the underhook as essential, proper body positioning underneath the opponent, and hip-drive mechanics, though they differ in entry method, defensive counters, and risk assessment.
Synthesized from 3 instructors
- BJJ Fanatics — Old School Sweep by Azamat Hamzathanov: Detailed mechanics of underhook entry, low head positioning under hips, ankle-to-hand feed technique, knee drive and hip posting, and specific defense counters to opponent's arm post block
- Absolute MMA St Kilda - Melbourne — The main sweep to know from half guard (Lachlan Giles): High knee shield setup, high underhook positioning to prevent cross-body escape, corner-getting body repositioning for control tightness, foot-switching mechanics, and roll-under counter technique
- The Grappling Academy — Old School Half Guard Sweep!: Alternative variation emphasizing bridge-and-hip-drive from underhook-cross-face scramble, risk-mitigation analysis, and psychological aspects of commitment and surprise
Learn This Technique
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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
✓Standard old school sweep: from half guard, establish a deep underhook, come to the side, rise to the dogfight position, and drive the opponent over their trapped leg (Saulo Ribeiro, Jiu-Jitsu University, 2008)
✓Step 1: from half guard, swim the near arm under the opponent's arm for the underhook — drive to the shoulder blade
✓Step 2: turn to your side facing the underhook direction
✓Step 3: use the underhook to pull yourself up to the knees — entering the dogfight position
✓Step 4: from the dogfight, drive forward into the opponent while maintaining the leg trap
✓Step 5: the opponent falls over their trapped leg — follow to side control or mount
✓The underhook pull is what gets you from your side to your knees — without it, you can't rise
✓The leg trap prevents the opponent from basing: their trapped leg cannot post for stability
✓Drill: partner in top half guard, you execute the full chain — 10 reps per side
Common Mistakes
!Rising to the knees without the underhook — the underhook is the engine for the rise
!Not maintaining the leg trap — if the leg comes free, the opponent can base and resist
!Coming to the knees facing the wrong direction — face the underhook side
!Not driving forward from the dogfight — the sweep requires forward pressure into the opponent
!Staying flat instead of getting to the side first — side → knees → dogfight → sweep
!Not following to top position after the sweep — establish side control immediately
!Over-committing to the sweep and getting countered — if the sweep is stuffed, transition to the back take
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Setup Chain
1Create Space — use frames, hip movement, or leverage to generate room to move
2Disrupt Control — break or weaken the opponent's grips and weight placement
3Execute Escape — apply the specific escape mechanic with timing and commitment
4Recover Position — establish a safe position (guard, standing, or top)
Sources & References
Primary Source
Jiu-Jitsu University (Saulo Ribeiro, 2008)
1BookThe Guard (Moreira & Beneville, 2008)
Alias sources — [1] Mastering the Half Guard (Caio Terra, 2014) [2] Half Guard (Jeff Glover & Ed Beneville, 2010)
2BookJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Saulo Ribeiro, 2008) [2] Mastering Jujitsu (Renzo Gracie & John Danaher, 2003)
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] Mastering the Half Guard (Caio Terra, 2014) [2] Half Guard (Jeff Glover & Ed Beneville, 2010)
5CitationJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Saulo Ribeiro, 2008) [2] Mastering Jujitsu (Renzo Gracie & John Danaher, 2003)
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
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the key to setting up the Old School sweep from half guard?
Get a deep underhook and pull your opponent toward you so you can get underneath their hips as much as possible, with your ear positioned under their belly button close to their hips. Azamat Hamzathanov emphasizes that this low positioning is really important before executing the sweep.
How do I actually execute the Old School sweep once I have the underhook?
Wedge your elbow on the ground, lift your hips and bridge on an angle to get the weight off their side, then clamp them and give a big bridge to push their hip and roll them over. The Grappling Academy instructor notes this is a simple technique—don't try to sweep, just bridge and drive.
What happens if my opponent doesn't fall for the Old School sweep?
There's minimal risk—you don't get passed, mounted, or submitted if the sweep fails. The Grappling Academy instructor explains that when opponents do defend it, they often have to loosen up and give you the underhook, allowing you to escape the cross face and play your half-guard game.
How should I grip the leg once I'm underneath my opponent?
Grab underneath the leg, then transition to grabbing their ankle or shin as far back as you can reach while keeping yourself in position underneath them. Azamat Hamzathanov recommends already anticipating your opponent's post before you complete the sweep.
How does the Standard Old School work?
The Standard Old School sweep executes the classic half guard reversal by securing a deep underhook, switching the hips to come to the knees, and driving forward using the underhook to push the opponent over while maintaining the leg entanglement. The guard player first fights for the underhook, then hip-switches to get underneath the opponent's weight, comes to the knees using the underhook for base, and drives through to complete the sweep.
Where does the Standard Old School come from?
The standard old school sweep is the foundational half guard sweep developed by Roberto 'Gordo' Correa and remains one of the most commonly used half guard sweeps at all levels of competition. It is typically the first half guard sweep taught to students.
Is the Standard Old School 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 Standard Old School?
Danger rating 3/10. Moderate — sweeps reverse position from bottom; moderate impact on landing for top player
How do I set up the Standard Old School?
The standard setup chain: Create Space → Disrupt Control → Execute Escape → Recover Position.
How do I defend against the Standard Old School?
Standard counters include: Maintain Pressure — keep consistent weight distribution to limit escape space / Anticipate Direction — read escape attempt direction and block early / Transition — flow to a new position when the current one is threatened.
What are the variants of the Standard Old School?
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 Standard Old School in competition?
The old school sweep is used in no-gi competition.
What are common mistakes when doing the Standard Old School?
Top errors to watch for: Rising to the knees without the underhook — the underhook is the engine for the rise / Not maintaining the leg trap — if the leg comes free, the opponent can base and resist / Coming to the knees facing the wrong direction — face the underhook side / Not driving forward from the dogfight — the sweep requires forward pressure into the opponent.
What are other names for the Standard Old School?
The Standard Old School is also known as Sutandādo Ōrudo Sukūru, Basic Old School Sweep, Standard Half Guard Underhook Sweep.