BJJ

Top BJJ Submissions You Can Make From BJJ X-Guard

top-bjj-submissions-you-can-make-from-bjj-x-guard

BJJ submissions are the BJJ techniques and moves through which you submit your opponent. BJJ X-guard provides many benefits that help you take an edge over your opponent. The submissions are the most important advantage of utilizing BJJ X-guard against your opponent. BJJ X-guard provides many ways to submit and take your opponent down. The best submissions you can make on your opponent through the BJJ X-guard are discussed in this article

1. Perfect Position for Making the BJJ X-Guard Submissions

Suppose you are in the BJJ X-guard position against your opponent. Your arm is across your opponent’s foot. Your elbow is behind their ankle. Your one foot is upper on your opponent's thighs, and the other is behind your opponent's knees. You are lying on the ground. Your opponent is standing. So, this is the correct position for making a submission against your opponent in the BJJ X-guard position.

2. BJJ X-Guard Submissions

Have you ever wondered what to do after putting your opponent in BJJ X-guard? You don't need to be confused further. The best thing you can do is put your opponent in BJJ X-guard. Following are some BJJ submissions you can apply to your opponent using BJJ X-guard.

2.1 BJJ X-Guard Submissions: Ankle Lock

So, the first submission you can make from BJJ X-guard is the straight ankle lock

2.1.1 Go for Sweep First

For making the submission, first make the sweep. Drop your opponent on the mat. You can make your opponent fall on the ground by pushing your upper foot against your opponent’s thighs towards the mat. With a lower foot, push upwards. 

2.1.2 Bait Your Opponent

Bait your opponent by gripping their collar. Pull your opponent towards yourself. Your opponent will shift their focus on trying to get their collar off you. This is the correct way to make the submission.

2.1.3 Grab Your Opponent’s Gi

After making your opponent fall on the ground, grab their gi on the foot with your one hand. Keep their foot in your arms control. Slip your hips towards your opponent. 

2.1.4 Grab Your Opponent’s Leg

Keep your foot flexed under the hamstring. Now, move your other foot over their leg. So now you are controlling their one leg with your legs and arms and the other leg with the other hand gripping their gi. 

2.1.5 Squeeze Your Opponent’s Knee

You have your opponent’s knee captured. You can squeeze between your legs. You can slide down a little bit just to find the right angle. Try to put your wrist under their Achilles. You can also grab the gi here. You have a lot of options here for making submissions. So after placing your hand under their Achilles, hold that hand with your other locking their ankle. As said previously, this is not ankle lock specific; you can do a lot of options here. 

2.1.6 Lock the Ankles

Just hold your hands like a guillotine grip. Pinch your elbow. Lock their ankle tightly. At the same time, your opponent will tap because it will cause your opponent a lot of pain. This pain comes from your wrist being under your opponent’s ankle. You are tight. Lean back, and here comes the submission.

bjj-ankle-lock-submission-from-bjj-x-guard-position

2.2 BJJ X-Guard Submissions: BJJ Knee Bar

The second submission you can make from the BJJ X-guard position is the BJJ kneebar submission. Suppose you are in a BJJ X-guard position against your opponent. 

2.1.1 Make the Sweep and Use the Momentum

So, in this situation, you will do the same sweep, and you are going to do a very similar attack. You will use the momentum from the sweep and go for a knee bar. 

2.1.2 Pull the Collar

So, similarly, you have the collar. Pull the collar down. Now, as you switch and you open their legs. 

2.1.3 Rotate

Now, instead of coming and getting under your opponent’s leg, you will rotate, step your knee over, keep your legs pinched, and come around for the knee bar. You know you have the knee bar because their knee is still inside. If you are too far, you don't have it. You are just trying to break your opponent’s shin. It's not gonna work. You should have the knee. That's what we say: when you escape the knee bar, you are escaping the knee line. 

2.1.4 Extend

So from here, you have your opponent’s elbow tucked back to your hip. Move your hips forward and extend. Keep your elbow tight. So from the position up here, pull down. Get the timing, sweep over, and go straight to your elbow and for more movement, come in here.

bjj-knee-bar-submission-from-bjj-x-guard-position

2.3 BJJ X-Guard Submissions: BJJ Arm Bar

The third submission you can make from the BJJ X-guard position is the BJJ armbar. BJJ armbar is a common submission technique in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu submissions in which you hyperextend your opponent’s arm. Hyperextend means that you extend your opponent’s arm beyond the normal range of the arm’s extension. 

2.3.1 Start With the Sleeves

So, unlike the first two submissions, we will start with sleeves to make this submission. This is because you can grab it while in the BJJ X-guard or grab the sleeves from another guard, like the spider guard. So here, you have the opponent’s sleeve in your left hand but want to bring it to your right hand. Bring the hand over to meet your other hand. In this part, your opponent will know that if you have done this, your opponent will be in more trouble than they already were. 

2.3.2 Stay With Double Grip

So because of that, stay with two grips on one while they fight it. Once you know it is secure, keep the sleeves in my right hand. Now, your left hand is free. This is how you can switch your hands to grab the sleeves.

2.3.3 Break the Posture

Your left hand is going to go deep in your opponent’s collar. Break their posture. Bring their shoulder way closer to your legs. That is how you are going to find the BJJ armbar.

2.3.4 Pass the Leg

Now, all you will do is take the leg and pass it over. Don't point your toes. Wipe your heel down because it activates your calf like a triangle. Try to get your knee as close to their neck as possible and clamp down. This will help you break your opponent’s posture.

2.3.5 Bring the Knee Inside

  • Now, because of your hook with this BJJ X-guard, the knee is on the outside. Bring the knee inside. Your foot can stay where it is. Flex your foot along your opponent’s torso. Pinch your knees, and the armbar will already be there.
  • So from here, you have the sleeve. Pass it to double secure the grip, then pass it to the collar. Pull the collar down, past the leg over the head. Pinch the arm with your knees. Go for the BJJ armbar. It is a deep armbar right away, and they are out if they escape their arm even slightly. Similar to the knee bar, it is like that knee line.
  • It is the elbow line as well. When you get this position, you are not so close to your opponent; you have to bring them to yourself. So, the further you can bring them down their way, the better it is. Now you are secure. You know you will get it; there is no room to escape. So if your opponent slipped out a little bit, you still have the elbow and still have it there. Just be careful with your training partners because it's a very sensitive situation, and if you go for the arm right away, they will tap right away. It will be tight. 
bjj-arm-bar-submission-from-bjj-x-guard-position

3. Last Words

These were the top three submissions you can make from the BJJ X-guard. You can also make the toe hold submission. You can go off the BJJ knee bar, but because it's one movement, we're using the momentum. When your opponent is swept, and you come on top, you can grab that BJJ knee bar. That is what you should try to finish with. If you are advanced enough, you can go for a toe hold from there if you feel comfortable.


All these submissions, as well as the sweeps, are very highly successful. So, if you go for the sweep and want to go for this submission, that's fine. If you want to come up and pass, it's great. There are still a lot of options involved. 

4. Frequently Asked Questions

4.1 How Can You Make BJJ Ankle Lock Submission From BJJ X-Guard?

You can make the BJJ ankle lock submission by following the steps;

  • Make your opponent fall on the mat by pushing your upper foot against your opponent’s thighs towards the mat. With a lower foot, push upwards.

  • Bait your opponent by gripping their collar.

  • Grab their gi on the foot with your one hand.

  • Keep your foot flexed under the hamstring. Now, move your other foot over their leg.

  • Put your wrist under their Achilles,

  • hold that hand with your other, and lock their ankle.

4.2 How Can You Make BJJ Knee Bar Submission From BJJ X-Guard?

You can make the BJJ knee bar submission by following the steps;

  • Pull down your opponent’s collar.

  • Switch, and you open their legs.

  • Rotate, step your knee over, keep your legs pinched, and come around for the knee bar.

  • Move your hips forward and extend. Keep your elbow tight.

4.3 How Can You Make BJJ Armbar Submission From BJJ X-Guard?

You can make the BJJ armbar submission by following the steps;

  • Start with sleeves and switch the grip from your left hand to your right hand.

  • Pull your opponent by their collar and break their posture.

  • Bring their shoulder way closer to your legs.

  • Try to get your knee as close to their neck as possible and clamp down.

  • Bring the knee inside. Flex your foot along your opponent’s torso.

  • Pinch your knees, and the armbar will already be there.

4.4 What Type of Submissions You Can Make From BJJ X-Guard?

You can make a lot of submissions when you are in a BJJ X-guard position against your opponent, but the following four are the best submissions;

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