Key Takeaways
- A 4-part Gi BJJ instructional explaining how knee lever sweeps work.
- You’ll learn about the mechanics, setups, finishes, follow-ups, and transitions from the knee lever.
- Features John Wayne sweeps setups from guards, submission threats and guard pulls.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 8 out of 10.
JOHN WAYNE SWEEP ADAM WARDZINSKI DVD GET HERE
Have you ever used a knee lever sweep? I’d wager you have and didn’t even know about it. Don’t sweat it, it’s quite a common occurrence. After all, it’s not about the name of the sweep as much as it is about its efficiency.
The Knee Lever John Wayne Sweep Adam Wardzinski DVD is a great resource to open your eyes to the mechanics and ideas behind this particular motion for executing sweeps. If you like to play guard, then you’ll certainly find some value in what Adam has to say on the subject.
Figuring out the Knee Lever
What exactly is the knee lever sweep and how can you make good use of it when you’re playing guard? Well, there is an entire DVD on it, obviously, as we take a deep dive into the Knee Lever John Wayne Sweep Adam Wardzinski DVD today.
However, before we begin, a short introduction to the idea of knee levers in BJJ. The knee lever refers to using any type of control using your legs or arms that force the opponent’s knee in a certain direction by manipulating the position of their shin. For the most part, it is done with the legs.
In other words, plenty of the open guard sweeps you already do, and even some closed guard ones, feature a knee lever component. As opposed to hook sweeps (like the butterfly) that target the knee directly, the knee lever is much more powerful as the force used against the knee is multiplied by the length of the shin.
Polsih ‘Cowboy’ Adam Wardzinski
Adam might not have anything to do with a cowboy past his iteration of the John Wayne sweep which is the focus of the Knee Lever John Wayne Sweep Adam Wardzinski DVD we’re reviewing today. However, looking at him lately, the description fits.
Adam Wardzinski is Poland’s most popular BJJ competitor (arguably, of course) and one of the best people in the world at playing the butterfly guard. He decided to become a world champ using this position, and after many years of falling short, he finally clinched the world title in an impressive manner in 2024.
A true specialist in the guard, particularly with a Gi on, Wardzinski has many more tricks up his sleeve than just the butterfly guard. he is a true aficionado of the bottom game, including both unorthodox positions like the Octopus guard and BJJ classics such as the John Wayne sweep from half guard.
Knee Lever John Wayne Sweep Adam Wardzinski DVD Review
The Knee Lever John Wayne Sweep Adam Wardzinski DVD is a four-part BJJ instructional containing an in-depth analysis of the knee lever motion for sweeping, represented mostly by the John Wayne sweep. It is a Gi DVD with a running length of 2 hours.
Part 1 – How the Knee Lever Sweep Works
As the Knee Lever John Wayne Sweep Adam Wardzinski DVD kicks off, Adam first deconstructs the mechanics of the knee lever sweep, which are fairly technical. As impressive and perhaps simple as the sweep appears, there are a lot of intricacies behind it.
Wardzinski does a great job of breaking down exactly what you need to master to make it work, along with the different types of knee lever motions available from the guard. For the most part in this volume, he uses the flat-out half guard to describe the motion, but he also offers some Coyote guard options at the end.
Part 2 – The John Wayne Sweep
The John Wayne sweep is one of the most popular half guard sweeps in BJJ, but we don’t see people using it a lot apart from those specializing in it. There are pitfalls to it, which Adam covers in great detail as goes over the sweep’s applications in this volume of the Knee Lever John Wayne Sweep Adam Wardzinski DVD.
Using the knee lever mechanics already explained, Warzinski plays around with different grips to offer multiple JOhn Wayne sweep setups. The double sleeve and collar-sleeve controls are first up, allowing for the knee lever motion without any meaningful resistance.
Adam also provides plenty of answers in regard to pulling off the sweep from a seated guard position, as well as a great way to counter knee slide passes with it.
Part 3 – Guard Pull Attacks
One thing we see high-level guard players like Adam do in competition matches is directly go for attacks after they pull guard. That is exactly the subject in the third portion of the John Wayne Sweep Adam Wardzinski DVD, with the sole focus being on the knee lever motion.
Adam offers a bunch of ways to immediately off-balance the top person, using different guard configurations and submission attacks to make sure the sweep works. Front chokes like the Guillotine and Loop choke appear to be great options to ensure the knee lever works every time.
Part 4 – Hook Sweep Connections
There’s no way an Adam Wardzinski DVD can skip over the butterfly, a.k.a. the hook sweep. The Knee Lever John Wayne Sweep Adam Wardzinski DVD is no exception with the final volume dedicated to connecting Adam’s favorite sweep with the John Wayne sweep.
Threatening with both pens up other attacking options as well, like Adam’s preferred shotgun armbar. He also shares Single Leg X guard entries and combinations for those who fancy themselves as being leg lockers.
Destroying Base
What is the best way to attack an opponent when you’re playing guard? Disrupt their balance. This is where I get really frustrated with many coaches. Too often I hear about breaking posture and destroying the base, but coaches don’t seem to offer many ways in which students can achieve it.
So, let’s go a step backward. Focus on making the top person unstable by forcing them to reach for the floor with one or both of their arms. That’s how you create an off-balancing, that will allow you to break posture and start attacking with sweeps and submissions.
The base of the top person doesn’t just refer to the structure of their legs. Take balance away and any base will disappear like magic. Pair that up with sweep-submission combos and you have a very solid attack strategy. Just like in the Knee Lever Sweep Adam Wardzinski DVD.
DOWNLOAD JOHN WAYNE SWEEP ADAM WARDZINSKI DVD
“COWBOYS, Just Like the Word Says”
Time to saddle up and stop burning daylight! Start looking for the knee lever from your favorite guard, and people will suddenly appear to pick the option to sit down and give a sweep away! You’ll find every detail you need in the Knee Lever John Wayne Sweep Adam Wardzinski DVD. All it takes is to implement it.
