Cyborg Abreu & Hunter Ewald – Half Guard Sweep and Arm Drag

By Felix Rodriguez, Staff Writer

In this edition of TXMMA’s Technique of the Week we feature famed black belt, Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu and his purple belt student Hunter Ewald.

Cyborg is a black belt under Francisco Albuquerque known for his innovative tornado guard and for being a fierce competitor. At 32-years old Cyborg remains an elite athlete who competes with men more than 10 years younger than him in the Adult Ultra Heavy divisions. Among his many titles Cyborg includes three Pan-American first place medals, three World No-Gi Championships and many more. As of May 2013 the IBJJF Adult Black Belt rankings list Cyborg as #26 in Gi and as #9 in No Gi competition.

We caught up with Cyborg after a long day of competing and coaching at the 2013 Dallas Open, where Cyborg took gold in the Adult ultra-heavy and Silver in the Absolute. His student Hunter, who will be assisting Cyborg in the video, won double gold in the Purple Belt Medium and Open weight divisions. For those of you who haven’t fought at a tournament before, this is especially commendable because once the tournament ends (usually after 10-12 hours) everyone really wants to get their medals and go home.

TXMMA Technique of the Week – Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu (Fight Sports)

In this edition of our TXMMA Technique of the Week, Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu demonstrates how to initiate a half-guard sweep with the arm-drag. The half guard is a transitional position that can be exploited by either person fighting to advance their offense or re-establish their defense. In this sequence Cyborg demonstrates how effectively one can transition from a defensive half-guard into attack mode.

The technique’s success is contingent upon creating enough distance between you and the opponent when initiating the arm drag. The distance serves the dual purpose of preventing the opponent from smashing to take away hip movement and begin passing and also serves to help generate momentum to initiate the sweep from bottom. For the arm drag to work secure a cross grip and use the top leg as a shield to prevent your opponent from closing the distance. This grip will remain secured throughout the entire technique. To generate force in the arm drag base out with your forearm and pull as you pivot and twist your hips in the direction you want your opponent to go. The key detail of the sweep comes at this point; as you execute the arm drag the bottom leg of your half-guard must come up against your opponent’s thigh as a butterfly hook. At this point the sweep is ready to be executed. To transition from arm-drag to sweep reach across your opponent’s back and secure a grip under the armpit with your top arm and pull your other arm across the chest, securing the shoulder, to prevent them from turning towards you to counter. Once the torso is secured, roll back and use the butterfly hook to sweep over your head. To end up in mount drag your base leg across the opponent’s stomach as you land. If the initial cross grip remained secured throughout the sequence once the mount is landed a traditional mounted armbar will become available by trapping this arm and turning the hips to execute it. As always practice the techniques shown here with safety and respect for your trainer.

For more information on Cyborg and his Fight Sports Team visit his website at www.miamibjjcenter.com

Bonus Footage from 2013 Dallas Open – Cyborg Abreu vs. Diego Gamonal Nogueira