The Basic Setup
The tripod sweep begins from an outside De la Riva position. The basic mechanics involve:
- Placing one foot on your opponent’s hip
- Catching behind your opponent’s knee with your hand
- Knocking your opponent down
The Critical Detail Most People Miss
According to Ryan, there’s one crucial detail that “will make or break your ability to put your partner’s butt to the floor.” This often-overlooked element is what you do with your opponent’s leg that you’re controlling with your hand.
“The key detail I’m looking for is to elevate my partner’s foot off the floor with my left hand,”
Ryan explains. By pulling your opponent’s foot toward your buttocks, you effectively remove half of their base of support.
Why This Detail Matters
When you fail to elevate the foot, your opponent can continuously hop to maintain balance. As Ryan points out:
“When I got to push my partner back, he hops, hops, hops.”
This hopping allows your opponent to maintain balance, potentially grip your ankle, step out, and escape the sweep.
The Mechanical Advantage
“I want to put him from two feet on the floor to one foot on the floor,”
Ryan states. By reducing your opponent to a single point of contact with the mat, you create a significant mechanical advantage. When they attempt to hop with only one foot, it becomes much easier to knock them down and follow up with various attacks.
Following Through
Once you’ve successfully elevated their foot and compromised their balance, you can proceed to:
- Tuck a leg
- Attack your opponent’s legs
- Heist up
- Transition to other techniques
The tripod sweep, when executed with this crucial detail, becomes a reliable and efficient technique to add to your grappling arsenal.
