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

BJJ X-guard is often considered the best guard in all guards of the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu game. It is very versatile, and you can do much once you have trapped your opponent in the BJJ X-guard. The best thing you can do from any position in BJJ is the BJJ sweep. Sweep means moving your opponent from a dominant position into a submissive one. In BJJ X-guard, you can do sweeps to put your opponent into a somewhat horrible position, which makes it easy for you to submit your opponent. You don't need to be confused about what sweeps you should try and should not. The best sweeps that you can try from the BJJ X-guard position are explained in this article.

• BJJ X-guard is a position that you can get in form various ways. You can get into the BJJ X-guard position through single-leg attacks, spider guards, butterfly guards, and many other BJJ moves and techniques. So, to learn the first sweep from the BJJ X-guard position, consider that you are in the BJJ X-guard position.

• So your legs are controlling your opponent’s legs. Your one foot is behind their one knee, and the other foot is in the front. In this, you are controlling your opponent’s knee. You have to be careful that you don't have lazy legs. Keep your legs glued and attached to your opponent’s knee. Keep your legs tight. Otherwise, if you have lazy legs and are not controlling them properly, you can’t keep them in your legs’ control for so long. They will just step them out, and you cannot do anything. So your legs are the key here.

• So, on the other hand, your arms control your opponent’s other leg. Your arm is around their one leg, and you can grab your hand from the other side across their leg. This will keep both their legs in your control. Besides this, your shoulder blade is over your opponent’s foot. So if they lift one leg, which you control with your arms, they can't be successful because you have their other leg in proper control.

• In the same way, if they try to lift their leg, which you are controlling with your legs, they will fail to do so because you have their other leg in control by your arms. So that’s the thing. You have them in your proper control. You have to be sticky with your opponent.

• So, the first sweep you can try from the BJJ X-guard position is the BJJ scissor sweep. But you will not go directly for the sweep in this position. You will first bait your opponent. For this, grab your opponent’s collar and pull them towards you. How will they respond to this? Of course, by pulling themselves up. That’s precisely what you want. They will shift their focus to pulling themselves up and away from you.

• At the same time, you will make a sweep. To sweep and play with their legs. Slide your foot, that foot at the back of your opponent’s leg, towards the mat. Keep your upper foot in the same position.

• Once one foot is on the mat and the other is above the knee, sweep your opponent. You only have to sweep them with your legs. Push your upper foot towards the ground and your lower foot upward away from the ground. This will help you drop your opponent on the ground. They will fall easily because their entire focus will shift to trying to stand. After all, you baited them by grabbing their collar and pulling them towards you.

• Then you will come upon them. They will be on the bottom, lying on the mat, and you will be on their top.

• Make sure you keep your feet and arms glued to their legs. As they fall on the ground, grab both legs under your arms, open their legs, and come in their middle. In this position, when your opponent tries to get up, you should just stand up and keep their legs glued to your arms. This will make it difficult for them to get away from this position.

• The second sweep you can make from the BJJ X-Gaurd position depends on the stickiness of your foot with your opponent’s legs. As you observed in the first sweep from the BJJ X-guard position, you must keep your foot glued to your opponent. This plays a significant role in making your sweep successful.

• So you are in the BJJ X-guard position against your opponent. If you are not glued to your opponent, they can easily escape your control. The foot at the front of your opponent’s leg is not the main foot keeping your opponent in control.

• The foot, if glued at the back of your opponent’s knee, plays the main role in keeping your opponent in control. So, if you are not sticking your foot with your opponent, they can quickly get free by pushing your foot towards the ground. They will move backward, and then they will be free. 

• But this is not the case if you have glued your foot with them. They will try to get free by pushing your leg and moving backward. But this time, you will move with them. 

• They will fall on the mat if you keep them glued to your legs. Like the first sweep, you will again come in the middle. They will be on the bottom, and you will be on the top.

• The third sweep from the BJJ X-guard position will be close to a spider guard. So, imagine you are in a BJJ X-guard position against your opponent. You have your opponent’s sleeves gripped with your one hand. Grip their sleeves with both of your hands. Ensure you don't let go of their sleeves, even for a moment, to grip it with both hands. So grip the sleeve and then slightly push your opponent towards yourself. 

• Now, keep the sleeve in one hand and, with the other hand, grip your opponent’s collar. 

• Now, move your opponent by their collar towards you, i.e., towards the ground. It will break their posture. 

• Now, use your legs to lift your opponent while griping their sleeves and collar with your hands. Drop them on the ground and come on top. Let go of their collar. Then, you will still have their sleeves and legs. Let go of both, and you will be on their belly. 

• The fourth sweep you can make from the BJJ X-guard position is the far-side arm sweep. It is a very graceful and easiest sweep. All you have to do is just two to three steps, and boom! Your opponent is on the mat under your control. The perfect and easiest time to make this sweep is when your opponent is grip-fighting your feet or trying to grip your lapel. 

• Start making the sweep by gripping their far side arm sleeve or wrist. Have a strong grip. When gripping the far side arm sleeves and wrists, it is a little bit tougher to grip the wrists than the sleeves. So, if you cannot grip the wrist, then grip the sleeves. The result will be the same if you do it perfectly.

• Pull them towards yourself after grabbing their far side arm wrists, or sleeves. When you pull them, they will lose control over themselves. 

• Now, extend your legs to disrupt their balance and make them fall on the mat.

• The sweep number five from the BJJ X-guard position is the neck sweep. Push on your opponent’s hips with your top foot to direct their hips to the mat. Lower your other foot to trip them. You can also keep your foot to the inside of the knee, but it will end up being more of a lift than a trip. The perfect time to go for this sweep is when your opponent is posturing up from their hands on the mat. You have to use their momentum against them and trip them as the posture.

• The sixth sweep you can do from the BJJ X-guard position is also very simple and easy. Place your lower foot on your opponent’s thigh. Make that leg straight to take their weight. Their other leg will become light. Control that leg with your arm and keep the leg on your shoulders. Then, take your foot off their leg and get up using a technical stand-up.

• The last sweep you can make from the BJJ X-guard position is going behind your opponent. Go from your head in front of their leg to behind their leg. If you are putting their hands on the mat, then their leg will be light. So it will be relatively easy to move. Insert your both insteps behind them for a position called crab ride. Then you will take their back. It is the easiest way for taking your opponent’s back from the BJJ X-guard position.

BJJ X-guard is a great way to compromise someone’s base and go for the sweeps and submissions. You can further take these sweeps to convert them into submissions. But one thing you always need to ensure is that you have to keep your feet glued to your opponent’s legs. If you fail to do this, or even if you slightly lose your feet, your opponent will get free from your control, and you will be vulnerable to attacks and submissions. Because you are on the ground, your opponent can make many attacks, which are very easy for them.

BJJ X-guard provides many options to make sweeps, put your opponent into horrible positions, and take them for submissions by compromising your opponent’s base. You can attack your opponent in many ways. You can make many types of sweeps on your opponent. After making these sweeps, you can go for submissions.

You can make a scissor sweep from the BJJ X-guard position by following the steps given below;

1. Bait your opponent by grabbing your opponent’s collar and pulling them towards you.

2. They will shift their focus to pulling themselves up and away from you. At the same time, you will make a sweep.

3. Slide your foot, that foot at the back of your opponent’s leg, towards the mat.

4. Keep your upper foot in the same position.

5. Once one foot is on the mat and the other is above the knee, sweep your opponent.

6. Push your upper foot towards the ground and your lower foot upward away from the ground. This will help you drop your opponent on the ground.

7. As they fall on the ground, grab both legs under your arms, open their legs, and come in their middle.

One thing you always need to ensure is that you have to keep your feet glued to your opponent’s legs. If you fail to do this, or even if you slightly lose your feet, your opponent will get free from your control, and you will be vulnerable to attacks and submissions. Because you are on the ground, your opponent can make many attacks, which are very easy for them.

The far-side arm sweep from the BJJ X-guard position is the easiest sweep. All you have to do is just two to three steps, and boom! Your opponent is on the mat under your control.

• Grip your opponent’s far side arm sleeve or wrist.

• Pull your opponent towards yourself. They will lose control over themselves.

• Extend your legs to disrupt their balance and make them fall on the mat.