Just Realised that Sweeping Kicks are Real and Usable.

[JowGaWolf]

The best counter for "sweep" is "single leg". In MMA, almost everybody are good in "single leg". When you apply "single leg", you have to move in a get his leg. If your opponent just gives you that leg, it will save you 1/2 of your effort.

I disagree from the perspective that a such a counter being possible means that the person is sweeping at the wrong time. Sweeps are not techniques that can just be done at any time. Sweeps don't initiate, they take advantage of an opponent's poor structure, standing leg, weak stance, or movement. It's not something that one should do in the same manner that jabs are thrown out to break through defenses. There is also a deceptiveness to sweeps that have to be used in order to make them effective.

Here's are 3 examples of me executing a sweep during free sparring. Notice that I don't execute the sweep when my opponent has the ability to counter the me. I take advantage of his movement and use correct timing required for the sweeps (See Video here at the 1:15). The sweeps that you see in the video are my slow sweeps with no power because of safety reasons. If my opponent was having that much trouble with my slow sweeps there's no way he would be able to handle a well timed sweep at full speed and full power. Each time I did the sweep my opponent was at a bad position to initiate a single leg take down or any counter that involves grabbing my sweeping leg.

The question is does the sweep justify the risk? Maybe not.

This is what I'm thinking. The MMA ring is "fall" friendly. A person can take a fall in an MMA ring that would normally be the end of the fight had the same fall happened on a hard surface like packed dirt, grass, or concrete. It may only be good enough to get a knock down and to wear the person down as he has to use some energy to get off the ground provided that they would actually try to get up.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

does the sweep justify the risk? Maybe not.

As long as you can prevent your opponent's hand to reach to your sweeping leg, you should be safe. The advantage of "sweep" is even if you don't sweep your opponent down, as long as you can make him to respond to your sweep, he may forget to kick you. Also in order for your opponent to punch you, he has to put weight on his leading leg. The moment that he put weight on his leading leg, the moment that you sweep his leg, you can interrupt his attack.

The training path for "sweep" is not as easy as people may think. In the normal training progress, you will need to train the following 4 skills all together and in the right order.

1. Shin bite - lock your instep behind your opponent's ankle. Use your shin bone to press on the side of your opponent's lower leg.
2. Sticky sweep - lock your instep behind your opponent's ankle. When he tries to lift up his foot, you lift your foot with his foot, and remain contact.
3. Scoop - slide your foot on the ground toward you, and drag your opponent's ankle toward you. This will make your opponent's stance to be wider than he wants.
4. Sweep - sweep his foot off the ground.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

The sweep is a powerful technique. It can also be escaped easily. When your opponent sweeps you, you can escape it by:

1. bend your leg at the knee joint, and let the sweeping leg to pass under it.
2. parallel your lower leg with the ground, spin your body, and pull your leg back above his sweep leg.
3. just a simple waist level "outside crescent kick" will do.

 

[KangTsai]

I am here to fight for the outside leg sweep. It seem under-represented, here.

Outside leg sweep kicks are more difficult against 45° kickboxing stances, which is my context.

 

[KangTsai]

The sweep is a powerful technique. It can also be escaped easily. When your opponent sweeps you, you can escape it by:

1. bend your leg at the knee joint, and let the sweeping leg to pass under it.
2. parallel your lower leg with the ground, spin your body, and pull your leg back above his sweep leg.
3. just a simple waist level "outside crescent kick" will do.

By sweeping kick I just refer to a hard roundhouse kick aimed at the inside leg. Raising your leg to avoid it isn't an option because of where you aim leg kicks, but an inside check does the job at blocking, and can break the kicker's shin.

 

[KangTsai]

Well, any technique opens you up to a possible counter. I think that's slightly academic unless you're never gonna throw anything out because it could be used against you.
Kind of goes back to the risk reward ratio. The question is does the sweep justify the risk? Maybe not.

Something as simple and quick as a leg kick? Aimed at the calf? Set up appropriately with quick strikes and fakes prior? Personally I judge an inside leg kick, which sweeps easily because I can probably say I have some hard kicks (for my age, but I'm not strong enough to take full advantage of my relatively big thigh and calf mass to kick), as a risk-2 reward-100 move, since every technique I've learned has "what -if" factors and failsaging into consideration E.G. following through with a missed kick instead of staggering etc.

 

[Red Sun]

Inside is underused/underrated and outside is more accessible (imo|ymmv)
Use both.

 

[Tez3]

Those kicks aren't what we know as 'sweeping' kicks, they are just very good hard inside leg kicks, we do them as taught by Muay Thai. I've seen them used a lot in MMA for years now.
Leg sweeps (Ashi Barai, also in Judo) are this

.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

By sweeping kick I just refer to a hard roundhouse kick aimed at the inside leg. Raising your leg to avoid it isn't an option because of where you aim leg kicks, but an inside check does the job at blocking, and can break the kicker's shin.

By definition, a

- sweep kick is a kick that aiming "below the knee". You should escape it (as light as a feather), or turn your shin bone and meet his sweep as force against force." (as heavy as a mountain)
- roundhouse kick is a kick that aiming "above the knee", IMO, you should try to catch it.

 

[Tez3]

By definition, a sweep kick is a kick that aiming "below the knee". If a kick is aiming above the knee, it's not a sweep kick but a roundhouse kick.

Our sweeps aren't kicks however, and we kick at all heights of the body depending on what we want to do. 'Roundhouse' kicks are very specific kicks to us not just kicks above the knee because they could be front, side, hook etc kicks.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Outside leg sweep kicks are more difficult against 45° kickboxing stances, which is my context.

When both you and your opponent have right leg forward (uniform stance), if you move your back left foot to your left and line up with both of his feet, you will be in a good "outside leg sweep" position. There are also many other advantages when your back foot line up with both of your opponent's feet.

The "inside leg sweep" is good to use your leading leg to "jam" your opponent's leading leg. But if you want to use it to sweep your opponent down, you should use your hand to pull down your opponent's neck when you sweep.

From a wrestler point of view, the following terms are different.

1. kick - you use 100% force on your leg.
2. sweep - you use 30% - 50% force on your leg, and use 50% - 70% force on your arm.
3. trip - you use 0 - 10% force on your leg, and use 90% - 100% force on your arm.

Example of "inside leg sweep".

 

[KangTsai]

When both you and your opponent have right leg forward (uniform stance), if you move your back left foot to your left and line up with both of his feet, you will be in a good "outside leg sweep" position. There are also many other advantages when your back foot line up with both of your opponent's feet.

The "inside leg sweep" is good to use your leading leg to "jam" your opponent's leading leg. But if you want to use it to sweep your opponent down, you should use your hand to pull down your opponent's neck when you sweep.

From a wrestler point of view, the following terms are different.

1. kick - you use 100% force on your leg.
2. sweep - you use 30% - 50% force on your leg, and use 50% - 70% force on your arm.
3. trip - you use 0 - 10% force on your leg, and use 90% - 100% force on your arm.

Example of "inside leg sweep".

1) It's left foot forward for me and everyone else right-handed.
2) You really don't need another lever to knock someone over with an inside kick. I have suffered one and have given one. Also

3) I'm pretty sure the torso and hips should contribute more than the arms or legs in a wrestling context.

 

[KangTsai]

1) It's left foot forward for me and everyone else right-handed.
2) You really don't need another lever to knock someone over with an inside kick. I have suffered one and have given one. Also

3) I'm pretty sure the torso and hips should contribute more than the arms or legs in a wrestling context.

Actually I would bend my support leg more but it's harder to recover from without contact.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

3) I'm pretty sure the torso and hips should contribute more than the arms or legs in a wrestling context.

Actually it's the opposite. That's the difference between

- kick used in striking, and
- sweep used in wrestling.

When you

- kick, you use your whole body force. Your rotate your body in one direction, your body pull your leg into the "same direction".
- sweep, you only use your leg force and you don't use your body force (this is very important). The reason is if you miss that sweep, it won't affect your own balance.

When you sweep, your leg is sweeping in one direction but your body is rotating toward the "opposite direction".