What is the Knee Tap Sweep?
The knee-tap sweep removes the opponent’s posted knee while your grips pull their upper body past that base. It is a fundamental open-guard reversal that works from collar-sleeve, butterfly, and seated positions whenever they plant a knee to pass.
Create the Post
Force a knee they must plant.
- Establish collar-sleeve or wrist control from open/seated guard
- Off-balance them so a knee posts to stop a sweep or pass
- Angle hips toward the posted knee
- Secure the grip that will pull their upper body
Tap and Dump
- Tap or block the posted knee while pulling the upper body past it
- Extend your free leg to stop the far post if needed
- Follow their fall rather than watching from your back
- Keep grips through the rotation
Settle Top
Convert the sweep into control.
- Land in side control or a stable top pin
- Clear frames and turtle turns
- Establish cross-face/underhook
- Only then hunt submissions
Key Grips & Control Points
- Collar and sleeve (gi) or wrist/collar-tie control (no-gi)
- Hand or shin contact on the posted knee you will tap
- Hip angle that faces the direction of the dump
- Active free leg ready to block the far post
Timing & Movement Cues
- Tap when their weight is on the posted knee
- Pull as they drive forward to pass
- Finish when the upper body crosses the tapped knee line
Pressure & Weight Distribution
- Pull the upper body and tap the knee on the same beat
- Do not tap a light knee while they still have a strong far post
- Follow to top — the sweep ends in a pin, not a sit-up
Typical Counters to Expect
- Pulling the knee back and posting the far hand
- Standing tall before the tap lands
- Knee-cut through the opposite side as you commit
Follow-Up Options
- Side control with cross-face after the dump
- Mount if they bridge poorly
- Technical stand-up if the sweep stalls and you need base
Setups & Entries
- Collar-sleeve open guard that forces a knee post
- Butterfly elevation that makes them plant a knee
- Tripod or scissor threats that overload one side
Training Drills
- Knee-tap timing from seated open guard
- Collar-sleeve pull-and-tap chains
- Sweep-to-side-control consolidations
Coaching Notes
- Upper-body pull and knee tap must arrive together
- Angle your hips toward the dump side
- Chase the pin immediately after they fall
Related Study
Connect this movement with complementary positions and attacks.
Summary
Knee-tap sweeps dump a posted knee while you pull the upper body past that base. Time the tap with the pull, follow to top, and chain it with other open-guard off-balances.