I am sure you all know what combat base is, if not it's just a very stable knee up the middle position that is achieved after cracking a closed guard or at the beginning of a "start on knees" match. Usually when I roll, I pull a butterfly guard of some sort. Practically everyone I train with knows to either try standing passes against me or back out to combat base. The standing passes are not problem for me to counter. The combat base is. The problem doesn't lay in them passing my guard (they don't), but in me having to shift to a different sort of game. Arm drags don't work against it. Getting under and overhooks doesn't work either. Full guard is impossible to pull. My main problem is that they use it entirely defensively, and really don't want to engage. Forcing the action against it is hard.

The only 'successful' things I am able to do are:

1. Pull half guard, sometimes. Most of the time, they don't want any part of that either.
2. Stand up, snap down, to front headlock and all the good stuff from there.
3. Stand up, knock them back and pass their guard.
4. De La Riva guard under their 'up' knee, with my same side arm in. Fall to side, kick leg = sweep. This has been successful for a while now, but the good people are starting to catch on. It also leaves me too open for leg attacks. It also leads to a scramble most of the time, which is ok, but I would rather be in control the whole time.
5. Try to push their up knee out or inwards to off-balance them.

So yeah, what are some other good sweeps and options to do from here? I really would like to keep my guard and not be forced to play their game.

Sit up, single leg takedown.

Don't pull guard. Problem solved.

Shift your hips to the opposite side and high guard, or De La Riva hook.

I almost always go to De La Riva from here, you just have to expand your options. There's more than just one sweep you can get from here. Depending on how they try to pass you haev tons of differents sweeps, a couple of ways to take the back, and great options (such as the single leg) if you sit up. Just start playin with different options.

Since no one has gone into it, I know a sweep that works for combat base but it is gi dependent for the most part. It can be adapted to no gi work but it is much more difficult to use against a fast paced player.

When the opponent uses combat base, sit up and reach your sameside hand under his up knee and grab the bottom of his lapel/gi. Then with the opposite side hand grab sameside sleeve and move push his down knee with your sameside foot and sweep him. Key points to this sweep are to move his hand inbetween your 2 bodies to prevent him from posting out on the side you are trying to sweep him to.

I also like to take the back when the opponent postures and bases up. I usually start breaking them down on one side and move slowly with lots of pressure toward taking the back via armdrag. It usually results in the opponent giving up a sweep because people tend to get desperate to avoid getting back mounted. Also, once you are attatched to their side, you have control over the majority of their body weight and it is possible to force the sweep by using your own body as the starting momentum.

I am more successful with the second against senior practicioners because the first is grip and set up intensive. I try to work the other one during sparring but I don't feel it is as successful (yet).

I could explain a bunch of de la riva/outside hook techniques, but I'm lazy:

http://www.mmalibrary.com/tech_display.asp?id=184

http://www.mmalibrary.com/tech_display.asp?id=183

And most importantly:

http://www.mmalibrary.com/tech_display.asp?id=179

Wham. Bam. Thank. You. Ma'am.

Others have already said it, but I'll chime in ... the DLR is a killer here. I know you say you've used it, but the DLR guard is an entire world in itself. There are tons of moves you can do, or you can convert it to a sitting half guard.

If people are really screwing with your DLR, go to a regular cross guard. The cross-DLR guard is a really nice hybrid here, as it sets up great into cross guard or into a deep half guard.

I love it when people pull the combat base. I prefer it! The base I dislike most nowadays is the "sitting back on two knees with arms tight" base.

Mongo great post! I LOVE these sweeps, as they have so many options built into them... and dont leave you WIDE open for kneebars like DLR does. Also if you like workin butterfly still use it. Whatever knee they are posting up on go ankle to ankle with him. Now if you are using your right leg you are hooking his left leg. Using this ex take your right hand and reach around and grab his belt. Pull him on top while straightening your right leg. You can then depending on how they react 1 take the back as you have turned his hips by straightening the leg or 2 if they are turning into the leg put your other foot on their right hip and sweep to your right. There are other variations from here so go forth and discover.

Just a quick note on the DLR ... it not only doesn't leave you wide open for kneebars, one of the best moves from the DLR is to try to bait your opponent into attempting a kneebar ... whereupon you can easily take his back. Once you learn how to counter the kneebar, you will be trying to spin your opponent any time you can and pop both hooks in (aka "reverse butterfly").

But the sitting half guard sweeps you describe (sit up and grab the lapel/sleeve through the legs) are totally awesome too, and integrate beautifully with the DLR.

DLR/sitting half guard/cross guard all work together like a charm against combat base (yeah, cross guard is right there too! Just put your foot on his hip, grab the up ankle and sleeve on the same side, and the party is ready to begin!).

Just a quick note on the DLR ... it not only doesn't leave you wide open for kneebars, one of the best moves from the DLR is to try to bait your opponent into attempting a kneebar ... whereupon you can easily take his back. Once you learn how to counter the kneebar, you will be trying to spin your opponent any time you can and pop both hooks in (aka "reverse butterfly").

But the sitting half guard sweeps you describe (sit up and grab the lapel/sleeve through the legs) are totally awesome too, and integrate beautifully with the DLR.

DLR/sitting half guard/cross guard all work together like a charm against combat base (yeah, cross guard is right there too! Just put your foot on his hip, grab the up ankle and sleeve on the same side, and the party is ready to begin!).

Ok this i gotta know. When I grab your pant leg and spin for kneebar. How do you get your leg free to take my back?

Other leg my friend. Other leg!

When you take the back with the DLR against a standing opponent, you keep control of the "near" leg and arm with your hands, in a cross guard grip. As soon as the guy turns his back to you, you keep hold of the arm and pop your other leg in as a reverse hook. You then reach up with your hand that was holding the ankle, as your legs pop outward, and pull on the belt/lapel/hips, throwing him up in the air. As he falls on his butt, only then do your hooks whip around and take the back.

In other words, you take the back with a reverse-butterfly guard.

So the simple answer is that holding one pant leg with one arm doesn't get you the kneebar because the guy has *two* hooks between your legs from the back and is maintaining control of your other arm at the same time. If you have any facility with the move, it's pretty hard to get kneebarred, and quite easy to take the back.

Btw, that is how you take the back from a standing opponent. With the DLR played as a counter to combat base, you can still take the back, but you do it with an armdrag from cross guard grip ... like with halfguard. Totally different mechanism.

um...if I have a grip on your leg how do you get the hook in.
Lemme break it down. You have the DLR with your leg leg on my right leg. My left hand grabs your left leg. I turn and pull the pant leg and sit for kneebar. While yes you can get one hook in it is impossible to get both hooks. But this seems like we are going to get into the immovable object unstoppable force argument, but just in case I am still lost on how you would get 2 hooks in.
Btw if you use DLR from my combat base you will get another leglock...my namesake to be more exact. It is a hamstring calf crush, and way to much detail to explain in a post...but this is jiu jitsu and every move has a counter and that counter has a counter...and THAT counter...

Zap, you card. It's good to see you posting more frequently. If you PM a moderator, they'll give you a bright shiny Purple Belt icon and instant credibility.

I just used DLR to sweep someone from combat base in competition this weekend, so I figured I'd post some proof that it at least worked for me ;-)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/357457536_6346b444d5.jpg?v=0

um...if I have a grip on your leg how do you get the hook in.
Lemme break it down. You have the DLR with your leg leg on my right leg. My left hand grabs your left leg. I turn and pull the pant leg and sit for kneebar. While yes you can get one hook in it is impossible to get both hooks. But this seems like we are going to get into the immovable object unstoppable force argument, but just in case I am still lost on how you would get 2 hooks in.
Btw if you use DLR from my combat base you will get another leglock...my namesake to be more exact. It is a hamstring calf crush, and way to much detail to explain in a post...but this is jiu jitsu and every move has a counter and that counter has a counter...and THAT counter...

The part you are missing is that the hooks are both *inner* hooks from the back. You bring your other leg inbetween for a reverse butterfly guard with two hooks (one of which your opponent is attempting to kneebar with one hand). You then sweep the guy from reverse butterfly, and only then do you take the back with outside hooks. It's very hard to explain unless you actually see it.

I don't doubt that you may have a cool calf crushin' counter for DLR from combat base ... Can you describe? Always looking for new moves.