Outside Tripod Sweep

What This Is

The outside tripod sweep is a positional variant of the standard tripod. The mechanics are the same — push one point, pull another, remove the base — but the foot placement changes: instead of pushing the opponent’s belly button or inside hip, the bottom player’s foot goes to the outside of the far hip or the side of the thigh.

This change of angle serves a specific defensive counter. When an opponent successfully defends the inside tripod by turning their hip away or squaring their body, the inside foot placement loses its leverage — they can absorb the push. Moving the foot to the outside of the hip changes the push direction to a lateral one, pushing them across their base line rather than backward along it.

The outside tripod is not a standalone technique learned in isolation. It makes most sense as the second option in a tripod system — available when the opponent has taken away the first angle but not yet addressed the outside one.

Also Known As

The Invariable in Action

The outside tripod disrupts base through lateral displacement. Rather than pushing the opponent backward over their near leg, the outside foot pushes them sideways across their near leg. The near leg is still the loaded support point; the direction of disruption simply changes from sagittal (front-to-back) to lateral (side-to-side). INV-06 holds regardless of push direction as long as the ankle is simultaneously pulled.

The outside tripod is often deployed as a reactive tool — the inside tripod created a reaction (the opponent’s hip defence), and the outside tripod exploits the gap that reaction created. The destabilisation precedes both sweeps: the threat of the inside tripod produces the defensive movement, and the defensive movement is what the outside tripod targets.

When the outside tripod sweeps, the opponent typically falls to the side the outside foot is pushing toward. They post on the hand on that side. The bottom player follows the push direction, rises to top position on that side, and may immediately threaten the posted arm.

Setup and Entry

Geometry of the Outside Foot Placement

In the standard tripod, the pushing foot sits on the opponent’s stomach or inside hip — roughly at the navel. In the outside tripod, the foot moves laterally to the outside of the far hip, or along the outside of the thigh. The exact placement depends on the opponent’s body position and which way their hip is turned.

The pushing foot should contact the fleshy lateral part of the hip, not the bony point of the hip. Contact on the hip bone produces discomfort without force transfer. The foot must be able to push, not just press.

From Seated Guard

Against an opponent who is standing squared up to the bottom player, the outside foot placement is available from the start. The bottom player sits up to the side, places the outside foot on the lateral hip, reaches the inside hand to grip the near ankle from the outside, and drives both forces together — foot pushes the hip laterally, hand pulls the ankle up and across.

Reactive Entry from Inside Tripod Failure

The most common entry. The bottom player attempts the inside tripod; the opponent turns their hip away, pulling the inside hip point out of reach. As the opponent adjusts, their outside hip comes into range. The bottom player shifts the pushing foot from inside to outside and completes the sweep to the now-exposed side.

This transition should be practised as a single linked motion — inside attempt, hip turns, foot shifts outside, sweep completes — not as two separate sweeps with a reset between them.

From Shin-on-Shin

From shin-on-shin, the bottom player can initiate the outside tripod directly if the opponent’s stance is wide or if their hip is already turned to one side. Assess the hip angle before committing to inside versus outside — if the hip is already laterally open, start outside.

Common Errors

Defence

• Step the near leg inside: Moving the near leg across to the inside takes the ankle out of the outside sweep’s path and can flip the available angle back to a different tripod variant.
• Widen the base laterally: A wide stance in the direction of the push gives the opponent more base to absorb the lateral force before the ankle needs to clear.
• Drive into the bottom player: Driving forward over the bottom player collapses their hip drive and flattens the pushing leg’s leverage. Most effective when done before the ankle is gripped.
• Strip the ankle grip early: The outside tripod relies on the ankle pull as much as any other tripod variant. Clearing the grip before both forces combine stops the sweep.

Drilling Notes

Ability Level Guidance

Related Pages