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 the sweep is almost inevitable. When you think of it in this way, the X Guard is more like a final stage of a sweep than a static guard position that you would hold on your opponent for an extended period of time.
Definitions aside, the X Guard truly is a super-useful position to know, especially if you ever use the Open Guard or Half Guard. And if, like me, you use the Butterfly Guard then it’s an absolutely non-negotiable necessity.
Having the X Guard in my back pocket has provided me with the answer to many difficult situations. For example there’s nothing I like more than having my opponent try to stand up to pass my Butterfly Guard and – boom – jamming my body under their center of gravity, getting my hooks in position, and hoisting them up into the air with my X Guard!
From the X Guard you have a ton of sweeping options and even some cool submission attacks.
In this short (1:59) video I first cover how to do the X Guard correctly. Then, even more importantly, I show you my favorite way to TRAIN the X Guard so that it’s much easier to get into and maintain this position in a real match!
For More X Guard:
The highly reviewed Dynamic Guard Sweeps Volume 1, which concentrates on the Butterfly Guard and X Guard in great detail, including sweeps, submissions, counters, recounters, drills, and strategies.
The Grapplearts ‘Guard Sweeps’ app in the iTunes store and the Grapplearts ‘Guard Sweeps’ app for Android which focuses on six different guard positions including the X Guard.