I have been playing around with Leandro's DLR/Spider X guard recently and absolutely love it. It is the only position/guard I've played that seems to allow for infinite improvisation as your opponent reacts/attacks.
I've downloaded his DVD's and there's a lot of great content to study, but I'm interested in hearing from anyone who has successfully implemented the Lo Guard into their game. Any advice or suggestions you could provide to someone with less experience playing the guard would be much appreciated. 
I didn't know anyone was calling it the Lo Guard but I like his transitions from a cross collar grip to dlr and one leg X guard a lot
ECM - I didn't know anyone was calling it the Lo Guard but I like his transitions from a cross collar grip to dlr and one leg X guard a lotThat's the name of his Digitsu DVD - I think it's called like "The Lo Guard and Matrix Passing" or something like that
I've been playing Lo guard a lot as well. I took a private with Aj Sousa and got some really good details on entries and control from it. Let's say you're starting with your right foot in spider and your left leg in DLR.
1. If you have one foot on the bicep with spider control and the other with DLR control - It was stressed to me that regardless of whether or not your opponent is standing or kneeling, when you decide bring the DLR leg inside to enter X, the foot on the bicep needs to strongly direct the opponent across your body and you should drive thru your heal by flexing the shit out of your foot, and you need to try and switch your hips from the DLR side as hard as you can all the way to other side, preferably getting all the way to your right/spider side hip. It makes the DLR side leg that you're trying to get under lighter and easier to get under.
2. If your opponent is standing, try not stomp on the mat with the DLR leg to bring your opponents weight over you. Most advanced guys that are privy to the entries will simply kick one leg back when you stomp on the mat and step past your guard. Instead, if you use the grip at the bottom of the pants instead of the heal, base on your elbow and use that to help you switch your hips from left to right, don't step on the mat, just bend your knee enough to get inside the leg and punch your knee behind their knee to help collapse their leg. It's hard as hell to do and requires a lot of timing and feel for where their base it at, but it works like a charm when you hit it. Especially if the opponent is standing above you and pressuring toward the DLR leg.
3. The most underutilized entry is from lasso/spider. If you're in lasso and your opponent is standing and pressures to you the lasso side, (let's say he puts his knee behind your lasso) release the lasso grip and grab the pants just above the ankle and turn your palm up and facing toward you, plant that elbow on the mat, do the hip switch, enter what used to be your lasso leg and punch it behind the opponents knee like I mentioned above. While maintaning the spider grip, remove the spider foot from the bicep and kick the other knee away from you, stretching the opponent away, technical stand and you've pretty much got the modified x guard sweep.
Hope that makes sense... haha. message me if you want a little video demonstrating the technique. I've got a couple.
Side note: I saw some demo's from the Lo video you got and I know Lo says specifically to step on the mat. Aj said he competed against Lo at Abu Dhabi and Lo quit doing that because people were back stepping when he stepped on the mat. He said, that Lo said, he tries to use the pant grip, spider control, and the hip switch and knee punch more now so that people won't know when he's about to enter the guard. I'm sure it's situational.... I guess Lo just prefers that now. It's probably one of those super advanced black belt things that works for him but is hard as fuck for 99.9% of the bjj population.
A_Butler - I've been playing Lo guard a lot as well. I took a private with Aj Sousa and got some really good details on entries and control from it. Let's say you're starting with your right foot in spider and your left leg in DLR.Dude... Holy shit voted up... Man you just answered a ton of questions that have arisen since I started playing the Lo guard, especially the entry from DLR to X and guys passing on the stomp. I can get away with using that to drag lower level opponents overhead, but high level guys don't fall for it.
1. If you have one foot on the bicep with spider control and the other with DLR control - It was stressed to me that regardless of whether or not your opponent is standing or kneeling, when you decide bring the DLR leg inside to enter X, the foot on the bicep needs to strongly direct the opponent across your body and you should drive thru your heal by flexing the shit out of your foot, and you need to try and switch your hips from the DLR side as hard as you can all the way to other side, preferably getting all the way to your right/spider side hip. It makes the DLR side leg that you're trying to get under lighter and easier to get under.
2. If your opponent is standing, try not stomp on the mat with the DLR leg to bring your opponents weight over you. Most advanced guys that are privy to the entries will simply kick one leg back when you stomp on the mat and step past your guard. Instead, if you use the grip at the bottom of the pants instead of the heal, base on your elbow and use that to help you switch your hips from left to right, don't step on the mat, just bend your knee enough to get inside the leg and punch your knee behind their knee to help collapse their leg. It's hard as hell to do and requires a lot of timing and feel for where their base it at, but it works like a charm when you hit it. Especially if the opponent is standing above you and pressuring toward the DLR leg.
3. The most underutilized entry is from lasso/spider. If you're in lasso and your opponent is standing and pressures to you the lasso side, (let's say he puts his knee behind your lasso) release the lasso grip and grab the pants just above the ankle and turn your palm up and facing toward you, plant that elbow on the mat, do the hip switch, enter what used to be your lasso leg and punch it behind the opponents knee like I mentioned above. While maintaning the spider grip, remove the spider foot from the bicep and kick the other knee away from you, stretching the opponent away, technical stand and you've pretty much got the modified x guard sweep.
Hope that makes sense... haha. message me if you want a little video demonstrating the technique. I've got a couple.
I am going to re-read your post a few times and then drill the areas you've pointed out. I can't thank you enough for typing everything out, it is sincerely appreciated.
juanderlei -Yeah no sweat man. Message me if you want a video. It might answer a lot of questions by seeing it. It's hard to explain but if you see it it makes more sense.A_Butler - I've been playing Lo guard a lot as well. I took a private with Aj Sousa and got some really good details on entries and control from it. Let's say you're starting with your right foot in spider and your left leg in DLR.Dude... Holy shit voted up... Man you just answered a ton of questions that have arisen since I started playing the Lo guard, especially the entry from DLR to X and guys passing on the stomp. I can get away with using that to drag lower level opponents overhead, but high level guys don't fall for it.
1. If you have one foot on the bicep with spider control and the other with DLR control - It was stressed to me that regardless of whether or not your opponent is standing or kneeling, when you decide bring the DLR leg inside to enter X, the foot on the bicep needs to strongly direct the opponent across your body and you should drive thru your heal by flexing the shit out of your foot, and you need to try and switch your hips from the DLR side as hard as you can all the way to other side, preferably getting all the way to your right/spider side hip. It makes the DLR side leg that you're trying to get under lighter and easier to get under.
2. If your opponent is standing, try not stomp on the mat with the DLR leg to bring your opponents weight over you. Most advanced guys that are privy to the entries will simply kick one leg back when you stomp on the mat and step past your guard. Instead, if you use the grip at the bottom of the pants instead of the heal, base on your elbow and use that to help you switch your hips from left to right, don't step on the mat, just bend your knee enough to get inside the leg and punch your knee behind their knee to help collapse their leg. It's hard as hell to do and requires a lot of timing and feel for where their base it at, but it works like a charm when you hit it. Especially if the opponent is standing above you and pressuring toward the DLR leg.
3. The most underutilized entry is from lasso/spider. If you're in lasso and your opponent is standing and pressures to you the lasso side, (let's say he puts his knee behind your lasso) release the lasso grip and grab the pants just above the ankle and turn your palm up and facing toward you, plant that elbow on the mat, do the hip switch, enter what used to be your lasso leg and punch it behind the opponents knee like I mentioned above. While maintaning the spider grip, remove the spider foot from the bicep and kick the other knee away from you, stretching the opponent away, technical stand and you've pretty much got the modified x guard sweep.
Hope that makes sense... haha. message me if you want a little video demonstrating the technique. I've got a couple.
I am going to re-read your post a few times and then drill the areas you've pointed out. I can't thank you enough for typing everything out, it is sincerely appreciated.
In
A_Butler -Definitely. I'll be in touch tomorrow.juanderlei -Yeah no sweat man. Message me if you want a video. It might answer a lot of questions by seeing it. It's hard to explain but if you see it it makes more sense.A_Butler - I've been playing Lo guard a lot as well. I took a private with Aj Sousa and got some really good details on entries and control from it. Let's say you're starting with your right foot in spider and your left leg in DLR.Dude... Holy shit voted up... Man you just answered a ton of questions that have arisen since I started playing the Lo guard, especially the entry from DLR to X and guys passing on the stomp. I can get away with using that to drag lower level opponents overhead, but high level guys don't fall for it.
1. If you have one foot on the bicep with spider control and the other with DLR control - It was stressed to me that regardless of whether or not your opponent is standing or kneeling, when you decide bring the DLR leg inside to enter X, the foot on the bicep needs to strongly direct the opponent across your body and you should drive thru your heal by flexing the shit out of your foot, and you need to try and switch your hips from the DLR side as hard as you can all the way to other side, preferably getting all the way to your right/spider side hip. It makes the DLR side leg that you're trying to get under lighter and easier to get under.
2. If your opponent is standing, try not stomp on the mat with the DLR leg to bring your opponents weight over you. Most advanced guys that are privy to the entries will simply kick one leg back when you stomp on the mat and step past your guard. Instead, if you use the grip at the bottom of the pants instead of the heal, base on your elbow and use that to help you switch your hips from left to right, don't step on the mat, just bend your knee enough to get inside the leg and punch your knee behind their knee to help collapse their leg. It's hard as hell to do and requires a lot of timing and feel for where their base it at, but it works like a charm when you hit it. Especially if the opponent is standing above you and pressuring toward the DLR leg.
3. The most underutilized entry is from lasso/spider. If you're in lasso and your opponent is standing and pressures to you the lasso side, (let's say he puts his knee behind your lasso) release the lasso grip and grab the pants just above the ankle and turn your palm up and facing toward you, plant that elbow on the mat, do the hip switch, enter what used to be your lasso leg and punch it behind the opponents knee like I mentioned above. While maintaning the spider grip, remove the spider foot from the bicep and kick the other knee away from you, stretching the opponent away, technical stand and you've pretty much got the modified x guard sweep.
Hope that makes sense... haha. message me if you want a little video demonstrating the technique. I've got a couple.
I am going to re-read your post a few times and then drill the areas you've pointed out. I can't thank you enough for typing everything out, it is sincerely appreciated.
The main thing about the Lo guard is that Lo doesn't play that so much anymore.
He plays seated guard with cross collar grip.
From there he looks to go under into single leg attack or push back sweep if they fight too hard to counter.
There's a match from worlds this year (iirc) against keenan where he does this.
He used this as his primary guard in copa podio, until the semis and finals, where he went back to his hybrid guard.
vegard - The main thing about the Lo guard is that Lo doesn't play that so much anymore.Wonder why he decided to revert back to a different guard concept?
He plays seated guard with cross collar grip.
From there he looks to go under into single leg attack or push back sweep if they fight too hard to counter.
There's a match from worlds this year (iirc) against keenan where he does this.
He used this as his primary guard in copa podio, until the semis and finals, where he went back to his hybrid guard.
idk... I can't say that I want to emulate that guard, because I don't have the length to play a foot on bicep spider without posture control, but from all the lo comp vids that I've watched, his body seems to take a lot of punishment. I think that going with the collar grip like kron does, is much less punishing on your back and neck.
Meatgrinder -From what I've heard about Lo and how he trains, lives, competes, everyone expects his bones to be ground into dust by the time he hits 30.
idk... I can't say that I want to emulate that guard, because I don't have the length to play a foot on bicep spider without posture control, but from all the lo comp vids that I've watched, his body seems to take a lot of punishment. I think that going with the collar grip like kron does, is much less punishing on your back and neck.
Btw any good resources on a sit up /collar control guard? I know Marcelos site has a lot of sit up guard but any else?
mkou - Btw any good resources on a sit up /collar control guard? I know Marcelos site has a lot of sit up guard but any else?
The Mendes Bros. I'm on their site and they teach a lot of what they call collar and sleeve guard.
A_Butler -This.mkou - Btw any good resources on a sit up /collar control guard? I know Marcelos site has a lot of sit up guard but any else?
The Mendes Bros. I'm on their site and they teach a lot of what they call collar and sleeve guard.
Gui has a lot of good collar and sleeve videos on YouTube where he thoroughly explains grips, transitions, controlling posture, etc. He seems to be a great instructor.
Thanks