Cyborg is one of the most known super heavyweights in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Not only is he a killer on the mats, but he is also one of the sports innovators. Perhaps his most known move is the Tornado guard which leads to the Tornado sweep. The Tornado guard is entered from bottom half guard, one of Cyborg’s most common positions. To complete the sweep, you need to invert underneath the opponent and catapult them forwards by using your thigh muscles to elevate them into the air. The result is gaining a dominant top position, either by getting a Kimura grip or landing in top side control.
Table of Contents
Entering the Tornado Guard
To enter the Tornado guard, you need to begin in a knee shield position. By having an active frame against their arms; you can manage distance to avoid being hit with a cross face. When ready, you then need to close the distance and invert underneath the opponent’s body.
Managing distance is a key component when playing half guard and you only ever want to initiate close contact on your own terms. When underneath the opponent, you then place the back of your hand onto their outer leg. This is similar mechanically to doing an Imanari roll or kiss of the dragon movement.
This should be done whilst using your other hand to hold the back of their other tricep. This allows you to stabilize your position and spin underneath your opponent whilst blocking a crossface. To finish the position, you want to invert fully underneath the opponent and get under them. If you need to pull them into you to get closer then this is fine.
The Tornado guard is done in both Gi and Nogi. The main difference is that in the Gi you can grip their collar instead of the tricep which gives you a similar level of control. With your other hand, you can opt to grip their outside pants rather than simply place the hand on their thigh. Really, there isn’t much difference though and if you can do it in Nogi you can do it in the Gi as well.
Finishing the Tornado Sweep
Getting underneath the opponent is arguably the hardest part of the sweep. Once underneath properly, you should be able to move their weight with your leg. To do this you should grip around their arms with your hand and swing your free leg like a pendulum. If needed you can let go of your lower grip and push the ground with this hand, making it easier to come up to the top.
Using the momentum gained from this you can now fire the opponent forwards. With this done you should end up in a top half guard position with an underhook. From here you can easily knee slice into side control or grab the Kimura and go for a submission. Cyborg famously defeated Braulio Estima by using this sweep straight into an armbar that submitted Estima.
Countering the sprawl defense
One of the most common ways to defend the Tornado sweep is by sprawling. By sprawling, the opponent redistributes their weight and becomes heavier, making it much harder to sweep them. If you are sprawled on for long enough then it may drain energy and result in the opponent starting to pass.
However, Cyborg has addressed this and offers the Triangle choke as a counter.
Because the opponent has chosen to sprawl, their head is now closer to your legs which means Triangles are now possible. By controlling one of their arms you can then spin around into a Triangle. As mentioned previously, you should be gripping their arm whilst attempting the sweep so they cannot escape. This means the position has a number of options and submissions available depending on how the opponent reacts.
Summary
Overall the Tornado guard is an interesting position. It is not commonly used which is probably due to being a complex move more than anything. However, do not be put off. The position is still fundamentally solid and just because it may be hard to learn, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth pursuing.
For those with a love of half guard and those with bigger legs, this sweep may appeal to you and play to your advantages. Because of this, it’s definitely worth consideration and has been battle tested by one of the best in the game. For more information, Cyborg’s Tornado guard DVD can be found here. Alternatively, if you’re a fan of his top game – his Flow instructional is here.
