X Guard
An advanced hooking guard.
Per the hourglass teaching model, several entries and several sweeps.
What you do when he stands up in your hooks in / butterfly guard.
Entries
Leg Drag
You have hooks in. He stands. Reach across with your left hand and grab behind his left knee. Pull yourself toward his left leg, underhook it with your right hand, get the right side of your neck against his ankle, your right hand on his left knee. Get your right foot through on top of your left for the X guard. Get on your left side so that if he tries to step back with his left leg, he is working against your structural strength (shoulder and right side of your chest) rather than against your arm strength.
Big Step
He is standing, you have hooks in. sit up and wrap your left arm around his thigh; let your left hook slide down his right leg, to his ankle. Roll back and take your left hook directly overhead rolling to your L across your back, forcing him to take a Big Step forward with his right foot. Your right arm goes between his feet and underhooks his right as you make him step with his left. Slide your L hook up into his R knee, Get your left foot in and consolidate the X Guard.
Flagpole
He is kneeling, you have both hooks in. Get double underhooks. Get your head to the right of his, preventing him from posting with his head when you sweep him to your right. Rock back and elevate him with your hooks. Kick your right leg vertical or just past vertical, so his left leg slides down so you can under hook it with your right arm and get it next to your neck. Get to the X Guard from here.
Failed Butterfly Sweep
He is kneeling, you have both hooks in. Overhook both arms; join your hands and push them down towards his groin, pinching his elbows in close. Sweep him toward your upper right corner. You may get the sweep. If so get on top. He may step forward with his left leg to stop the sweep and stay standing; underhook it with your R arm, go the the X guard.
If the guy falls over, THAT’S THE PLAN! Just get on top. Don’t despair if you didn’t get the sweep because he fell over … because you did actually get the sweep!
Sweeps
Rigan’s Sweep
(see: first cab off the rank)
You are moving toward the X guard; before getting the second hook in, try this:
Get your R shin behind his R knee; slide your L hook down to his ankle. You want to lift his R foot with your L hook but won’t be able to, unless you lift his leg with your R shin first. so lift his leg with your R shin then lift his ankle with your L hook, so he falls backward to your right. Keep your L hook in until you can underhook his R leg with your L arm and come to your knees.
If the sweep fails, just go to X guard.
Leg Split Sweep
From X guard. Stretch his legs apart as far as possible. Make sure you are on your left side; release your R foot and use it to push, sidekick style, with your R foot against his R knee, He should fall forward, weight on his hands. Come up on your elbow, then your hand, then to your knees, then stand up if necessary. A BJJ guy will go to guard; but if not, step over his R leg with your R Leg. keep hold of his L leg, going to half guard, switch your R leg out to side control before releasing his L leg.
Single Leg Back Sweep
You have the X guard. He drops his L knee to the floor and underhooks your head with his L arm (a common wrestler’s tactic). Use your L hook to get your R leg out, then to bring his R foot up so you can grab his R ankle with your L hand. Pull his ankle toward you and drive his knee back and to the left so he falls on his back as you come on top.
Backdoor
You have X guard. You need to get his R leg to the other side of your head. Just lifting it with your hands is difficult, so LIFT HIM WITH YOUR BODY. Do a small crunch to lift his foot, then transfer it to the right side of your head, gripping his leg now with your left hand the same way as you did with your right. Grab his belt or pants with your R hand, disengage you L hook and spin R until you can put your L hook in behind his L leg. Grab his belt with the other hand, hold him while you kick his legs out and forward with your hooks, so he lands between your legs. Get your hooks in and some controls with your arms to secure back control.
First cab off the rank
Exceptional people in any endeavour often have the trait of noticing and being able to see and act on small windows of opportunity which others either see too late or not at all, or lack the confidence to exploit immediately.
Rigan’s sweep is an example. The sweep is only available for a very short interval before you consolidate the X Guard, and before the guy can react, start defending, etc. The timing of lifting his R leg with your R shin, and sweeping his ankle with your L, allows only a small window. Miss it, you must go to X guard proper and try something else. Rigan’s somewhat facetious saying in this regard is “X Guard is for losers” … i.e. those who missed Rigan’s sweep.
This principle can be applied to other transitions and positions. Time considering and working on this in the wider scope of BJJ will be very well spent.
There is a continuum between Intent (getting it whatever it takes) and Adaptability (fairly obvious). The good stuff is at the ends – neither is better than the other, and ideally you can operate at both ends.
Most people sit in the middle, lacking the perseverance and courage to pursue a goal no matter what, and the courage to be truly adaptable to the situation, trying only proven strategies and tactics, but stopping when they meet obstacles and resistance. This is BORING. Avoid it. Abhor it.
Miyamoto Mushashi calls intent “Ox’s Neck”, adaptability “Rat’s Head”.
$20
If you see a $20 note on the ground in Vegas, as happened to John, don’t stop and wonder why, just scoop it up. When that opportunity appears, take it. Don’t agonise over what you were originally planning, don’t run through your checklists. Some people’s checklists are too long; by the time they get to the bottom, what/whoever they were interested in is gone.