Closed Guard Sweep Pendulum Sweep

An in depth look at the very basic Pendulum Sweep.
This is a very common sweep that is taught to many practitioners in their first few months but requires a lot of good hip movement to truly master.
I personally chose to teach this as early as possible because it focuses on those strong fundamentals that will transfer to other moves. Please reference the video to see how mobile and "open" your hips should be.
If you find yourself having a lot of trouble with this hip movement I suggest starting in the armbar position. This will allow you to focus on the swinging back motion for the sweep. I compare this to a gun that is cocked and ready to fire as opposed to a gun that the hammer is forward. It is much easier to pull the trigger on the pistol with the hammer to the rear.
While practicing this movement it is important to let the person on top know where to be. If they have no posture then you cant move your hips at all. If they have to much posture then you will not be able to control their pants and sleeve. When first practicing this your partner should really be helping you through the motion. Once you have gained proficiency in this sweep it will not matter as much but it is better to gradually increase your partners resistance (as with all BJJ moves while learning).