X-Guard

What it is

X-Guard is an open guard underneath a standing opponent where one arm hugs their near leg and your legs cross in an X around their other leg: one foot hooks behind the knee and the other pushes the front of the hip. Both of their legs are tied up. Their base is right on top of you, so a small push in the right direction topples them, and that is why it is played for sweeps.

What you want from here

• They stand over your butterfly or sit-up guard and you can slide under one leg.
• You want to sweep a tall or heavy standing passer who is hard to off-balance from the front.
• You have come under them from single leg X and want a stronger position to sweep from.
• On top: you need to keep your weight on the trapped leg and get your hips back before they extend you.

Key details

• Hug their near leg with one arm, your shoulder under it. The hug keeps that leg from stepping away.
• Stretch them with the X: the foot on the hip pushes while the hook behind the knee pulls.
• Get your shoulders under their hips. Too far out and you lose the X; too close and you get pressed down.
• Sweep to the side their base is weakest, then come up on top as they fall, rather than staying on your back.
• The sweeps here are what we teach. Heel hooks from this position are illegal in the gi and below brown belt and are not taught.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: letting the hugged leg pull away from your shoulder. They step out and pass.
• Mistake: staying under them after the sweep. They come back to their feet or land in a scramble.
• Mistake: pushing with only one leg. They shift their weight onto the free leg and nothing moves.

How it is escaped or passed

• Dropping the hips low and sitting their weight back onto you to kill the stretch.
• Stepping the hugged leg back out of your arm to break the connection.
• Pushing your head to the mat and passing around your legs.

Gi and no-gi

In the gi you can grip the pant leg or belt to keep them close. In no-gi there are no pants to grip and the position is slipperier, so hug the near leg tighter.