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Combat Sports

Scissor Sweep

The scissor sweep is a grappling technique that uses a forward pull and opposing leg movements to turn a kneeling partner from your guard onto their side. It develops trunk control and coordinated hip movement.

Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.

  • Intermediate
  • Compound
  • Higher injury risk
  • Rest 1 min

How to do it

  1. Sit facing your kneeling partner with their knees between your legs.
  2. Take wrist control on one side with an upper-back grip from your other hand.
  3. Lower onto your hip on the wrist-control side.
  4. Place your upper shin diagonally across their torso, with your foot at their far hip.
  5. Extend your bottom leg along the mat beside their near knee.
  6. Draw their upper body forward over you with your grips.
  7. Tip them toward the controlled wrist using a low scissoring motion of your legs.
  8. Follow their turn into a balanced mount, with one knee on either side of their torso.

Form cues

  • Keep your elbows close.
  • Top shin pushes; bottom leg sweeps.
  • Look toward the landing.

Common mistakes

  • Sweeping a partner who sits backShift their weight forward until their knees become light before starting the leg motion.
  • Letting the controlled hand postKeep their controlled wrist close to your body so they cannot brace against the mat.
  • Kicking instead of scissoringUse steady shin pressure against the torso rather than a sharp thrust into the ribs.

Safety

An uncontrolled landing can injure your partner's shoulder, wrist, or head. Trapping the foot while twisting or striking the knee can also injure the knee.

  • Use a clear, padded grappling mat with ample landing space.
  • Agree on the endpoint and a stop signal with a cooperative partner before each set.
  • Practice slowly with minimal resistance and a partner who knows how to land safely.
  • Keep the bottom-leg contact low near the ankle or lower shin; stop if the foot catches or the knee twists.

If either partner has knee, hip, shoulder, or neck pain, choose a non-contact movement drill or seek advice from a physiotherapist before practicing.

Muscles worked

Front
Back

Primary muscles

  • Abs
  • Glutes
  • Obliques

Secondary muscles

  • Front Delts
  • Hip Flexors
  • Triceps

Equipment

  • Combat Training Mat

Sets and reps

Sets
2–3
Target
3–5 reps per side
Rest
1 min

Count one controlled sweep to the agreed top position as a rep, with a slow reset between attempts.