A lot of people on this forum have been asking about the X guard and what the details are. Since I have been using this position quite a bit recently I have done up an X guard primer, showing what I consider to be the key details. Check it out at
www.grapplearts.com/X-Guard.htm
Stephan Kesting
Thanks for sharing, Stephan! Very good explanation. I thought that the basic version of the X-guard was actually to get a basic half guard leg position (i.e. crossing your ankles) around one of his legs and basically "hugging" his other leg with your arms. Is that maybe not the X-guard, but just a variation of the half guard?
But it seems that you have more mobility and more options with these variations.
Cheers!
jonpall.
Good stuff. I like to try omoplata from there. (ha ha ha).
Cool.
jonpall - I've never heard the position you describe called the X guard. Then again, consistent terminology in BJJ is forbidden, and there is probably someone out there calling it that...
"I thought that the basic version of the X-guard was actually to get a basic half guard leg position (i.e. crossing your ankles) around one of his legs and basically "hugging" his other leg with your arms. Is that maybe not the X-guard, but just a variation of the half guard? "
You're right that that's just a half guard variation. You can go two ways with a good half guard. One you get control on the side you're hooking your legs with and come up beside them to take the back or sweep or something. Then there's what you described where you hug the far leg. I usually put a spin on that half guard to make it more effective, like when I'm going into it premptively not cross my ankles and put my shin across their stomach so that they can't pressure down on me. The other option is the half-butterfly guard and hug the far leg.
Gooooood times. Great pics!
I had heard the same explanation as jonpall. This makes things interesting. Time to get out the notebook!
~TT
Good job Stephan.
ttt
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