Should you pull guard in competition? And if you decide to pull guard, then how do you do it correctly? In a certain sense, I am uniquely unqualified to answer these questions... You see, much of my BJJ comes from 8th degree black belt Marcus Soares, and Marcus is very much from the old-school Carlson Gracie way of doing things. The Carlson approach to jiu-jitsu is definitely focused on … [Read more...]
X Guard
Butterfly Guard to X Guard Standup Sweep
There's one particular guard sweep that I've hit more times than than any other in the last 10 years. When I start setting up this technique I always feel happy and confident because I know the odds of finishing it are very high. What's the name of this technique? It's the X guard standup sweep starting from butterfly guard, and it's one of the most powerful sweeping moves in … [Read more...]
Range and Distance in Guard
There's just something about jiu-jitsu that leads to a proliferation of styles of guard. From Z Guard to X Guard and from Spider Guard to Half Butterfly there are many, many different forms of closed, open and half guard, and new variations pop up all the time. How do you know which type of guard to use when? The Concept of Range in the Guard There's an organising principle that brings order … [Read more...]
The 4 Directions for X Guard Sweeps
Every guard position relies on action-reaction. You fake a sweep in one direction, your opponent reacts, and then you take advantage of that reaction and take them the other way. This is true of every type of guard, but it's very easy to illustrate this with the X guard. In the video below I break down the 4 directional options for X guard sweeps... The sweeps are covered in a bit … [Read more...]
How to Make It MUCH Harder to Pass Your Single Leg X Guard!
I love the Single Leg X Guard position! It's relatively easy to get to, offers you many powerful sweeps, gives you the option to upgrade into other forms of X guard, and - if you want to go that way - it dovetails very nicely with the leglock game (seeing as it's basically the same as the 'ashi garami' leglock position). But a lot of people get a key element of the Single Leg X Guard position … [Read more...]
Jiu-Jitsu for the Zombie Apocalypse
As we get closer and closer to Halloween it's important to shift your priorities from training jiu-jitsu to surviving the impending zombie apocalypse. (After all, it's tough to train jiu-jitsu when you're dead. Or undead, as the case may be.) That's why you've got to check out the most important video I've ever put onto Youtube: Jiu-Jitsu for the Zombie Apocalypse. A lot of people will … [Read more...]
3 Fixes for Sore Fingers in BJJ
So I got a question the other day from someone looking for advice about the pain and inflammation they have in their fingers from training BJJ. I sent them back a super-quick email response with 3 suggestions, but now want to elaborate on my suggestions in hopes that this info will be useful to someone else too. First, here is a video I shot about exactly this … [Read more...]
The Styles of X Guard
I'm a huge fan of the family of guards known as the X Guard. This type of guard has saved my butt so many times it's not even funny, and has allowed me to sweep opponents that were otherwise almost entirely unsweepable. But there are still some people out there who haven't heard about the X Guard position. And there are other people who might not know that there are actually different styles … [Read more...]
10 Key Techniques and Tactics of Marcelo Garcia
Marcelo Garcia is probably the most dominant jiu-jitsu athlete of the last 15 years. When he was competing he owned both the gi and the no gi divisions (4 x ADCC champion, 5 x Mundial World Champion). As if that wasn't enough, his amazing performances in the absolute division against giants like Ricco Rodriguez have ensured his place in grappling history. It’s always a good idea to … [Read more...]
How to Take the Back from X Guard
It's almost impossible to use the Butterfly Guard without also using the X Guard... When you attack with the Butterfly Guard your opponent is going to be doing his absolute best to shut you down. For example, that means that he'll be posting hands and feet all over the place to stop you from sweeping him. When he posts his hands or otherwise gets them out of position it opens up … [Read more...]
A Super Sneaky and Slick Triangle Choke Attack!
This is one of the sneakiest, slickest submission attacks I have ever seen. The first time I saw this technique was when BJJ world champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins used it at the IBJJF European Championships in 2013. At first I just didn't understand what I had seen. One minute his opponent was in the X Guard, and the next he was tapping out from a super-tight triangle choke. I had to … [Read more...]
Try This First When You’re in X Guard
The X Guard is a hybrid open guard / half guard position, first popularized by Marcelo Garcia. There are a million sweeps, finishes, and follow-ups from the X Guard. Everything from kneebars and omoplatas, to fancy upside-down backwards flipping sweeps, to techniques that take you directly to rear mount. But I don't suggest starting with any of these techniques... Don't get me wrong - I … [Read more...]
A Cool X Guard Drill and Sweep
In recent years the X Guard has become one of the bread and butter positions in the open guard repertoire. It's an incredibly powerful position, both in gi and no gi grappling (click here for an intro to the X Guard). There are a ton of great techniques, sweeps, and drills that revolve around the X guard, but today I want to share a new drill with you that I recently learned from Clark Gracie … [Read more...]
My Favorite One-Two Sweeping Combo from X Guard
Today I'm going to share two of my favourite (and very powerful) X guard sweeps with you. Plus I'll show you how put them together so that it looks like you have amazing timing without actually having to increase your reaction speed one iota. Let's first talk about what makes two techniques work well together in general. I touched upon the topic of complementary techniques in a previous … [Read more...]
What is the X Guard?
Depending on how you look at it, the X Guard can be be classified as either a form of Open Guard or a form of Half Guard. Maybe that's why the BOTH those positions transition so well into the X Guard. But how about an alternative perspective... I sometimes say that the X Guard isn't a type of guard at all. That's because once you get here you've already done about 80% of the hard work and … [Read more...]
Ronda Rousey and the Power of Gameplans
In case you were hiding under a rock, Ronda Rousey fought Liz Carmouche last night at UFC 157. She both validated her UFC Women's Bantamweight title, and made history by being in the first-ever women's match in the the UFC. And just in case you were under that aforementioned rock, despite a very spirited fight by Liz Carmouche, Ronda won the match with an armbar at 4:49 of the first … [Read more...]
Fifty Ways to Improve Your Grappling Almost Immediately
Sometimes the best way to get better is simply to stop doing things wrong. Over the years I've shot quite a few guerilla-style videos breaking down many of the most common mistakes that I see for different positions and submissions. I get a lot of positive feedback on these videos, because apparently I'm not the only person to have made all these mistakes on the mat! Here, all in one post, are … [Read more...]
How to Salvage a Failed Butterfly Guard Sweep
The 'basic' butterfly guard sweep is one of the most strongest sweeps in grappling. That's why it shows up again and again at the highest levels of competition. It's powerful, reliable, and works for a wide range of body types. It works with and without the gi, on bigger people, smaller people, wrestlers, and judoka. This combination of power and versatility makes the butterfly guard sweep … [Read more...]
How to Set Up the X Guard
I love the X Guard. It's such a high-percentage position. First of all, it can be applied from a huge number of open guard and half guard situations. If you've ever watched an X Guard specialist you'll know that he needs just a tiny bit of room to insert those hooks and - BOOM - he's slithered into the X Guard. And once an opponent is caught in the X Guard he's going down! In fact, by the … [Read more...]
Three X Guard Mistakes (and my Best Drill for Getting a Killer X Guard)
The X Guard is one of my very favorite 'go to' positions. If I can get there in a match then I'm suddenly a very happy camper... In fact, this position is so dominant that you should be able to sweep your opponent at least 80% of the time when you get him jacked up into the X Guard. But people make a lot of mistakes when they try to use this open guard position. Mistakes that absolutely … [Read more...]