Sweep Single

What This Is

The sweep single — also known as running the pipe — is a single leg finish in which the attacker, holding a single leg, circles to the outside of the trapped leg and sweeps the opponent’s far ankle out from under them. The opponent, hopping on their remaining base leg to maintain balance, has that base leg removed by the sweep and falls backward and to the side. The takedown finishes with the attacker on top, the swept leg now on the mat, and the trapped leg still controlled.

The sweep single is one of the three primary single-leg finishes alongside the cut-the-corner trip and the lift-and-dump. It is the highest-percentage finish against an opponent who is hopping (still moving) rather than rooted, and it is the structural bridge between the single leg as a leg-control technique and the ankle pick as a foot-attack technique — both finish by removing the far ankle’s base, just from different starting positions.

The Invariant in Action

Throw Mechanics

The Single Leg Position

The sweep single begins from an established single leg with hip access — chest at the opponent’s hip, the trapped leg held high (knee at or above waist height), the trapped foot pinned against the attacker’s body. The grip on the trapped leg is high — at the knee or thigh, not at the ankle. A low single leg has weaker hip access and worse sweep geometry.

The Circle

The attacker steps to the outside of the trapped leg — circling away from the opponent’s centreline rather than into it. The circle direction is the side opposite the trapped leg’s hip. As the attacker circles, the opponent must rotate their hips to face the attacker; this rotation forces the opponent’s far foot to lift and reposition. The hop that the opponent uses to keep up with the circle is the timing window for the sweep.

The Sweep

As the opponent’s far foot lifts to hop, the attacker drives the trapped leg upward and forward while sweeping the back of the opponent’s far ankle with the inside or top of their own foot. The two motions are simultaneous — leg up, ankle out. The opponent, suspended on the lifted leg with the swept leg removed, falls backward.

The Finish

As the opponent falls, the attacker continues the forward drive — the trapped leg is brought to the mat, the chest follows the opponent down, and the landing arrives in top control. The grip on the trapped leg is maintained through the landing; the controlling arm becomes the under-arm that prevents the opponent from rolling away on landing.

Bridging Single Leg to Ankle Pick

The sweep single and the ankle pick are mechanically related — both finish by removing the opponent’s far-ankle base while a primary control already holds the line they are falling toward. Recognising this relationship reduces the technique-count and clarifies the choice between them.

Ankle pick: The attacker has not yet lifted a leg. The far ankle is picked from the standing position, and the upper-body grip provides the falling direction. Sweep single: The attacker has already lifted a leg. The far ankle is swept while the trapped leg holds the falling direction. Both finishes end with the opponent on their back, with one leg held and the other removed.

The bridge between them is the principle: at the moment of the finish, the opponent is balanced on a single foot. Whatever the entry — single leg, hand-fight to ankle pick, snap-down to ankle pick — the finish acts on the same single-foot moment. Practitioners who learn the sweep single and the ankle pick separately as different techniques miss that they are different entries to the same finish geometry.

Post-Throw Position

The sweep single lands the attacker in top control with the trapped leg still held. From here the standard sequence applies: the trapped leg is released as the chest descends, the controlling arm transitions to an under-arm, and the position settles into side control or top scarf adjacent. The opponent’s near arm is typically pinned underneath, which makes the side control transition direct.

If the sweep is incomplete — the opponent twists during the fall and lands on hands and knees rather than back — the position becomes a turtle attack situation. The trapped leg control can convert to a near-side seatbelt for the back take. Drill this as a parallel finish, not a failure mode.

Common Errors

Drilling Notes

• Hip-access drill. From an entered single leg, drill arriving the chest at the hip without circling. Confirm the chest contact and the high knee position. 20 reps per side.
• Circle and hop. Cooperative partner, single leg established, attacker circles slowly while partner hops in response. No sweep — only the circle and hop pattern. Drill the timing of when the foot lifts so the sweep window is recognisable.
• Static sweep. Partner standing on one leg with the other lifted (cooperative). Drill the sweep contact at the ankle from various circle angles. Confirm the foot-to-ankle line on every rep.
• Full sequence. Combine entry → hip access → circle → sweep → finish. Cooperative tempo, then progressive resistance. Pair with the ankle pick to drill the bridge — same partner alternates between accepting the sweep single and the ankle pick.

Ability Level Guidance

Also Known As

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