BJJ X-Guard: The Best Guard In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

BJJ x-guard is the best guard among all types of guards in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. X-guard can also used in mixed martial arts (MMA). You can use it to get on top of your opponent. It has a lot of significance, making it the best guard in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. 

BJJ x-guard is the type of guard in which you use your legs to form a barrier below your opponent’s body and control your opponent’s leg with one arm. It is called an x-guard because you make an x shape with your legs. BJJ x-guard opens the gate for many attacks, sweeps, and submissions that you can make against your opponent. It is the type of open guard in BJJ and is the strongest guard among all guards used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

• BJJ x-guard is the best guard in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It can also be used in an MMA fight. You can use it to get on top of your opponent and get the win. BJJ X-guard is better than other guards. With BJJ x-guard, you are directly underneath your opponent's hips, and you can make many sweeps against your opponent. Positioning yourself directly underneath your opponent's hips makes your opponent feel light, and sweeping them is relatively easy.
• If BJJ X-guard is so great, why should you not just use BJJ X-guard and abandon all other guards? BJJ x-guard is a bit more challenging to enter than other guards. It is not insanely hard to enter; it is just that there is a bit more of a process to get there. For example, your opponent may willingly jump into your half-guard, but no one will willingly enter your BJJ x-guard to pass. There are a lot of ways to enter X-guard.

• BJJ X-guard is called x-guard because you position your legs in a way that looks relatively like an X. The in-step of your bottom leg hooks underneath the top of the knee, and the in-step of your top leg hooks onto the thigh. It is essential to apply tension with your feet so your opponent can't easily grip and fight your feet. Also, they should not be able to easily take your feet off them on the same side as your top leg. You control your opponent's other leg with your arm, and positioning the leg between your ear and shoulder will provide the most control. Controlling their knee with your hand is ideal to control their leg.
• You don't want your opponent to be able to turn their knee inward, kick their leg out, or press their shin down and backstep with their other leg. Directing your opponent's hands to the mat will make it more difficult to grip your feet because their hands are on the mat. Framing on their triceps will also help keep them there. All of these details provide a ton of control, and they are considered best practices. But Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is very variable and even chaotic. It may not look exactly like this. It just depends on how your opponent is reacting. What we looked at is the standard BJJ X-guard.

• Anytime your opponent steps close to your head, this provides you with what you need to enter BJJ X-guard, i.e., the ability to get underneath their hips. This is true for various guards, whether the passer is standing or on their knees. Simply underhook their leg as they step close to your head and then position your legs to the inside to get your insteps onto their thigh and hip. The same is true from half guard if you notice that your opponent's knee or foot on the mat is close to your head.
• You can underhook their leg and scoot your hips underneath them while again also positioning your hooks to the inside of their legs. You need their legs to be light to get fully underneath your opponent. This is why you can direct their body weight away from you to take their weight off their legs. In the BJJ Gi, you can grab their lapel to move them. You can push them by the armpit or their head, whether BJJ Gi or No Gi. Following are some BJJ x-guard entries that you need to know.

As much as you can in your guard, you should always try to get shin on the shin as it can provide access to the hips for leg locks, back takes, and BJJ X-guard. You can use shin on shin to enter right into BJJ X-guard or first into single leg BJJ X-guard and then to BJJ X-guard. It just depends on how your opponent is reacting. How wide or narrow do they position their legs as you enter? These are all go-to ways to enter, but remember you can enter X-guard anytime you can get underneath your opponent's hips. So, have that as your objective, and be on the lookout for it. You should be able to enter from plenty of different positions.

The most common and easiest way to enter the BJJ X-guard from butterfly guard is when the opponent defends the sweep by posting with their leg. They again step close to your head.

Another entry that is pretty commonly taught is doing so with double underhooks. Pulling them forward causes them to post their hands on the mat, which puts their weight on their hands and off their legs. Although this works, it's not exactly easy to get double underhooks, but it is an entry worth knowing.

When your opponent steps close to your head, you can underhook it. Then, start inserting your BJJ butterfly hooks as you shoot your hips underneath them.

All you have to do is insert a butterfly hook and push their armpit as you underhook their leg, and then you get underneath their hips for BJJ x-guard.

When you go and hit the sweep, it pulls their leg out. You can underhook it, push on the armpit, and enter the BJJ x-guard.

Take double underhooks. Once you have double underhooks, you can pull your opponent forward. Now, your opponent’s weight is on their arms. Then you can get underneath.

BJJ X-guard has a lot of significance as it can allow you to attack and sweep. You can take down your opponent. The following are some points that outline the significance of the BJJ X-guard.

The most crucial thing in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game is control. You have to keep your opponent in control all the time. This is to prevent your opponent from making sweeps and submissions against you so that you have the BJJ game in your hands. BJJ X-guard provides you with this control. You control your opponent while you are on your back. This is a very effective control if you do it properly.

The second thing that BJJ X-guard provides you is your opponent’s imbalance. BJJ X-guard allows you to disrupt your opponent’s balance and keep them unstable. This instability prevents your opponent from making attacks, sweeps, or submissions, which means you are leading your BJJ game.

The third thing that BJJ X-guard provides you is the opportunity for BJJ sweeps. You go for sweeps when you know you are in a submissive position and your opponent is dominant. So, to counter that, you try sweeps, and with that, you disrupt your opponent’s balance and position and move to a dominant position, and you put your opponent in a submissive position in your control. That is what you can achieve with BJJ X-guard. You can go for sweeps once you have set your opponent in BJJ X-guard.

Another thing that signifies the importance of the BJJ X-guard is that you can use this guard as a starting point for putting your opponent in other guard types of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. You can utilize this guard to execute various other guards. You can take advantage of this thing: if your opponent is not in your control for any reason, once you have executed this BJJ X-guard, you can transition this guard to other types of guards.

If, after all these things, you cannot submit and take your opponent down, then what’s the point of learning and mastering this BJJ X-guard? You know, you have mastered all the techniques just for one thing: submission. BJJ X-guard allows you to take your opponent down and submit them. You have a lot of ways to attack, trap, and submit after taking your opponent into X-guard. So you can execute this BJJ X-guard for submissions as well.

With BJJ X-guard, you always remain on the defensive side because your opponent loses control and cannot attack you due to instability.

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, some moves and techniques can give you an advantage over your opponent at any point in the game. BJJ X-guard is one of those techniques. With all its significance and benefits, it becomes very crucial for you to learn and master BJJ X-guard. Besides, there is also an advantage if you cannot correctly set your opponent in BJJ X-guard; you can also transition that guard into other guards. You can make sweeps, attacks, and submissions with BJJ X-guard. At any point, you can dominate your opponent with this technique. 

BJJ X-guard is called x-guard because you position your legs in a way that looks relatively like an X. The in-step of your bottom leg hooks underneath the top of the knee, and the in-step of your top leg hooks onto the thigh. It is essential to apply tension with your feet so your opponent can't easily grip and fight your feet. You control your opponent's other leg with your arm, and positioning the leg between your ear and shoulder will provide the most control. Controlling their knee with your hand is ideal to control their leg.

BJJ X-guard is so essential to learn because of its following benefits;

• BJJ X-guard allows you to keep your opponent in control.

• BJJ X-guard disrupts your opponent’s balance.

• BJJ X-guard will enable you to make BJJ sweeps.

• BJJ X-guard can be transitioned to other guard types.

• BJJ X-guard will allow you to submit your opponent.

• BJJ X-guard keeps you on the safe side.

Following are some entry points for BJJ X-guard;

• Shin on shin

• When your opponent defends the sweep

• BJJ double underhooks

• BJJ butterfly hook

• From BJJ half-guard butterfly

• From failed BJJ butterfly sweep

• BJJ butterfly guard

All you have to do is insert a butterfly hook and push their armpit as you underhook their leg, and then you get underneath their hips for BJJ x-guard. This is the easiest way for entering into the BJJ X-guard. Another easy way is to take double underhooks. Once you have double underhooks, you can pull your opponent forward. Now, your opponent’s weight is on their arms. Then you can get underneath.