The open guard can be quite confusing. Basically any time your legs are not closed around the back of your opponent you are in a type of open guard. Butterfly guard, X guard, spider guard, sitting guard etc. etc. are all open guards. … [Read more...]
X Guard
The X guard position
The 'X guard is a position that I've been using a lot recently. It is either a form of the open guard or the half guard, depending on your point of view. You end up here a lot when you use the butterfly guard, especially when your opponent posts his foot to stop your sweeps. … [Read more...]
Half Guard Sweep Counter to the Crossface, by Andreh Anderson
Countering the crossface when you're on the bottom of half guard is really important - if you don't know how to get out of it then you'll be dead in the water and soon get your guard passed. This technique is demonstrated by BJJ black belt Andreh Anderson … [Read more...]
The Evolution of the ‘Logsplitter’ From Fluke to Trusted BJJ Technique…
Today I want to tell you a story about how I stumbled across a technique by fluke at a tournament, and how it became one of my bread and butter moves from Butterfly Guard, X Guard and Half Guard. There's a high-percentage position that I call the 'Logsplitter' and I use it all the time. I often end up there by transitioning from Butterfly Guard, X Guard and/or Half Guard. The Logsplitter offers … [Read more...]
The X Guard Position
The 'X guard' is a position that I've been using a lot recently. Depending on your point of view, it's either a form of the open guard or the half guard, but whatever you call it, it's effective as hell! You end up in X Guard a lot when you use the Butterfly Guard, especially when your opponent posts his foot to stop your sweeps. … [Read more...]
Butterfly Guard / X Guard Q & A
The questions in this article arose, in part, from a discussion of my Butterfly Guard and X Guard video, which is part of the Guard Sweeps DVD Package. Of course everyone is welcome to read on, but for maximum benefit it'd probably be a good idea to pick up a copy of this 2 DVD package … [Read more...]
A Glossary of Guards Part 3: The Half Guard
By Stephan Kesting and Elliott Bayev Principal Photography by Keith Haist Originally Published in Ultimate Grappling Magazine This is the third and final article in a series introducing a wide variety of guard positions. … [Read more...]
Sorry, It’s Gonna Get Worse…
As you improve as a grappler you'll go through phases of adding new techniques and strategies to your game. These are exciting times, but the sad truth is that you're usually gonna get worse before you get better. … [Read more...]
A Video Tutorial on the X Guard
The X Guard is a really powerful open guard position that creates a whole world of trouble for your opponents. Here's an excerpt from my DVD "13 Techniques You Can Use On The Mat Today" which takes you through the most important points of the X Guard... … [Read more...]
Free Book About the Guard for Grapplearts Readers
Heres's a really cool resource for you, something that I've received a TON of positive feedback on. It's a free, downloadable book that breaks down the many different variations of the Guard position with detailed descriptions and lots of pretty pictures! And you can grab it super easily, for free... … [Read more...]
A Jiu-jitsu Secret
OK, draw the curtains, turn down the lights, turn off your recording devices and come closer. Today I want to share a principle with you that Marc Laimon calls "one of the secrets of jiu-jitsu". … [Read more...]
The Stiff Arm (in Grappling)
The stiff arm on the Heisman Trophy is an iconic posture in football, and it is used by players in every single game. In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, however, the stiff arm has a bit of a bad rap. One of the first lessons a grappler learns is to NOT push the chest with straight arms when trapped in the mount. This piece of wisdom is reinforced by training partners endlessly applying effortless … [Read more...]
Jiu-jitsu and Physical Attributes
Physical attributes are things like balance, neck strength, limb length, explosiveness, leg flexibility, and percent body fat. Your physical attributes are the foundation of what you can do with your body, and are influenced by genetics, training, age and injuries. Some instructors teach as if everyone, regardless of age, build and flexibility, can use the same techniques. Well I'm here to tell … [Read more...]
Short Legged Guard Work
A while ago I gave some suggestions about dealing with the open guard of long-legged and flexible opponents. In the interests of fairness and balance let's address some options for the opposite situation, namely what to do if you have shorter, inflexible legs. … [Read more...]