## Tornado Guard Step-by-Step Guide ### Overview The Tornado Guard is an advanced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique known for its unique sweeping capabilities, primarily used as a setup from the **open guard**. This dynamic guard involves inverting under your opponent to execute a sweep or transition effectively. ### Position - **Open Guard** ### Steps to Perform the Tornado Guard: 1. **Initial Setup:** - Begin in the **open guard** position with your back on the mat. - Have both of your feet actively engaged on the opponent's hips or thighs to maintain distance and control their posture. 2. **Secure Control:** - Grasp their right side sleeve with your left hand, ensuring a strong grip for control as you prepare to execute the sweep or transition. - With your right foot, hook behind their left knee delivering a slight outward push with the hooks. 3. **Create Space & Off-Balance:** - Use your left foot against their opposite thigh (right) and push to create leverage, causing them to destabilize and step in closer with their left foot. - Simultaneously, extend your hips upward using shoulder blades as your pivot point finding momentum to roll onto your right shoulder. 4. **Invert Your Body:** - With your head now underneath, dive further under your opponent's base while your right leg starts pivoting up skywards. - Continue to turn your body enabling you to get firmly inverted, briefly creating the setup for follow-on technique execution. 5. **Finish the Sweep:** - Use momentum from the roll, kicking your right and left legs back over your shoulder to direct force toward your opponent’s left knee. - Execute a forceful "roll-up" type movement that propels your entire body through while your opponent falls towards their back. 6. **Secure Top Position:** - As your opponent tips over, utilize your grip to help you rise into a more dominant **top position**, often resulting in **side control** or **mount** transitions. ### Tips for Executing Successfully: - Maintain constant control with your grips to prevent counter attacks during execution. - Practice safely rolling up and down from inversion to get your body accustomed to the movement required. - Keep a dynamic rhythm between engaging your opponent's hips to transition smoothly. ### Common Applications: - Transition to submissions: Arm bars or triangle chokes can capitalized upon during this motion. - Increase odds against practitioners unfamiliar with inverted guards, catching them off guard. ### Caution - Ensure smooth transitions to not cause injury during the quick inversion motion. - Avoid execution if your opponent bases heavily against the pivotal movement. --- Remember, mastering the Tornado Guard requires patience and practice, and mastering ergonomics of asserting momentum will provide successful deployment over time.