Bruno Ramos demonstrates a sweep with the help of the lapel. (Photo by Junior Samurai/GRACIEMAG)

Middleweight black belt Bruno Ramos is training balls to the wall to put on a show in the land ruled by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. To be sure he shines in Abu Dhabi this April, the Gracie Barra black belt is picking up steam, and to do so he took to the mats at last weekend’s Open Ceará tournament, where he one two gold medals–one at adult, the other at master.

Bruno made the most of the trip to Fortaleza to teach one of the sweeps he uses most. Check it out!

When the opponent tries passing guard, the GB Pernambuco representative sets a trap.

First he pushes one of his opponent’s legs and sits, grabbing the other leg and securing the opposite lapel, as you can see at the 1:05 mark of the video.

The opponent tries to advance, but Bruno sinks a hook and wraps the lapel around the opponent’s waist (1:20).

There the opponent starts to feel the treat and tries to grab his head. That’s when Bruno sinks an underhook to impede him (1:32).

To complete the movement he turns his hip and makes a swaying motion with his leg to achieve the sweep (1:44). From there the lapel comes in handy to help him move to mount.

What do you say? How did that work for you?

Opponent tries sweeping Paulo Miyao from half-guard at 2011 Pan. Photo by Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG.com.

Fernando Nassif is a Jiu-Jitsu professor at California-based academy Gracie Barra San Clemente, a school belonging to our association, the GMA.

Alongside Flavio “Cachorrinho” Almeida he teaches the basic Jiu-Jitsu that works. Or as he learned from Carlos Gracie Jr.: “The great technical virtue possessed by black belts isn’t the number of moves they know, but the experience that goes into their performing the moves they do know.”

So today Fernando shows us seven steps for getting a mounted opponent off you, putting him in half-guard and sweeping him.

1. Use your elbows to get the opponent off your chest.

2. Extend your leg and latch on to one of his legs with your legs.

3. Turn sideways, open up room and grab the opponent’s belt.

4. One of the key steps: rock your legs back and forth sideways to get hold of his ankle and then bring your knee up between his legs..

5. Kick his leg up and, holding his leg firm, push his leg with your foot.

6. Look outside and kick until you are positioned behind the opponent.

7. Posting firm on your foot, pull his knee and complete the sweep.

How did you like that?

Tererê demonstrates hook sweep at recent seminar in São Paulo. Publicity photo.

The latest issue of GRACIEMAG is especially savory for Jiu-Jitsu practitioners aiming to evolve.

One of the highlights is a tribute to one of the greatest mat aces of all times, and the ones who benefit are our readers. Fernando Tererê (Alliance), now living in England, was picked to head the Training Program section, where he shares some of the techniques that marked his career.

One of them is of course the hook sweep that brought gymnasiums to their feet all across Brazil during the last two decades.

Starting kneeling or playing guard, with hooks in place, Tererê caught everyone by surprise with his use of basic leverage.

He’d position one foot between his opponents’ legs and the otherbehind their thigh. From there, Tererê would use the hook he was using for support as leverage for the sweep. With the hand on the same side as the hook, the black belt would sink a deadly grip either on the belt or the leg, depending on the situation. He would thus use his own leg to hoist his opponent up into the air and tip him over.

Check out the position in greater detail in GRACIEMAG #179, now at a bookstore near you. And to not miss a beat in the future, get GRACIEMAG in the comfort of your own home by subscribing here.

In the meantime, refresh your memory of the position by watching Tererê using it against Rodrigo Feijão in the grand finale of the 1999 Brazilian Team Nationals in Rio.

Flavio Almeida, on top, at 2010 Las Vegas Open / Photo: John Cooper

The helicopter sweep is a position as surprising as it is efficient, and the whole world marvels when they get to see one carried out in Jiu-Jitsu.

On the Gracie Barra,

website, Professor Flavio “Cachorrinho” taught a class on how to put it to practice starting from open or butterfly guard.

But we’ll translate the secrets for you right here on GRACIEMAG.com.

Concede, to win

According to the teacher at Gracie Barra Dana Point, California, one of the primary details is to give up the underhook, clearing the way for your hand to go just where you want it.

The other key point is to keep a hook on your opponent’s calf, which is vital in performing the intricate maneuver.

Check it out and let us know what you think. If you don’t get something in particular, just ask us and we, or one of our savvy readers, will break it down for you.