Spider Guard

Spider Guard is a dynamic Open Guard position in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that involves controlling your opponent’s upper body and posture using grips on their sleeves (or wrists in no-gi) while your feet are actively engaged on their biceps or hips. The guard is highly versatile, offering options for sweeps, submissions, and transitions while keeping your opponent at a controlled distance.

Purpose of Spider Guard

Distance Management

  • Maintains a safe distance between you and your opponent, preventing them from applying pressure or passing.

Control

  • Neutralizes the opponent’s Posture and restricts their mobility by using grips and leg pressure.

Setup for Attacks

Dynamic Guard Retention

  • Helps recover or reset guard when under pressure.

Key Features of Spider Guard

Grips

  • The most common grip is a Four Finger Sleeve Grip on both of your opponent’s sleeves.
  • In no-gi, use a wrist or hand grip to achieve similar control.

Foot Placement

  • Place one or both feet on your opponent’s biceps, using Pressure to manage their posture and movement.
  • Alternate foot placements include the hips or one foot on the bicep and the other hooked around their leg (e.g., transitioning to Lasso Guard).

Hip Positioning

Leg Engagement

  • Use your legs dynamically to push, pull, or block your opponent’s movement, maintaining control and setting up attacks.

Common Variations of Spider Guard

Double Spider Guard

  • Both feet control the opponent’s biceps, offering excellent control and setup potential.

Single Spider Guard

  • One foot controls a bicep while the other foot transitions to the hip or hooks their leg, adding versatility.

Spider-Lasso Guard

  • Combines Spider Guard with a Lasso Guard, looping one leg around the opponent’s arm for tighter control.

Hybrid Spider Guards

Attacks from Spider Guard

Sweeps

Balloon Sweep

  • Lift your opponent by pushing their bicep and pulling their sleeve, using momentum to flip them.

Scissor Sweep Variation

  • Use the Spider Guard grip and leg position to off-balance and sweep them.

Overhead Sweep

  • Elevate your opponent and use your legs to guide them over your head.

Submissions

Triangle Choke

Omoplata

  • Transition by overhooking their arm with your leg to attack their shoulder.

Armbar

  • Extend their arm while maintaining sleeve control to finish the submission.

Transitions

Defensive Considerations

Guard Retention

  • Maintain active foot pressure to prevent your opponent from closing the distance or collapsing your Frames.

Grip Fighting

  • Reestablish grips immediately if your opponent breaks them.

Angle Creation

  • Constantly adjust your angles to stay ahead of your opponent’s passing attempts.

Drilling Tips for Spider Guard

Solo Drills

  • Practice hip mobility drills to develop fluid movement.
  • Combine shrimping and Butt Scoot to simulate guard adjustments.

Partner Drills

  • Drill grip setups and foot placements with a cooperative partner to refine technique.
  • Practice sweeps and transitions in a controlled environment to build confidence.

Flow Drills

Live Sparring

  • Use Spider Guard during positional sparring to test your ability to maintain control and execute attacks under resistance.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Weak Grips

  • Ineffective Sleeve Grips reduce your control and allow the opponent to counter or pass.

Flat Hips

  • Keeping your hips immobile limits your ability to adjust angles and attack dynamically.

Passive Feet

  • Failing to apply active pressure with your feet gives your opponent room to pass or attack.

Overcommitting

  • Leaning too far back or extending your legs too much can leave you vulnerable to guard passes.
Tip

Spider Guard is a highly versatile and dynamic guard system that bridges control and offense. Focus on strong grips, active legs, and fluid transitions to maximize its effectiveness in both gi and no-gi scenarios.

Advancing Spider Guard

Transitions from Spider Guard

Transition to De La Riva

  • Loosen the pressure on one leg and step your foot to wrap around your opponent’s leg, establishing De La Riva while maintaining sleeve control.

Transition to X Guard

  • Use an off-balance movement to create space, insert one foot under the opponent’s thigh, and transition into X Guard while controlling their sleeve.

Transition to Lasso Guard

  • Thread your foot around their arm, creating a deep lasso with the same-side sleeve grip to maintain control and set up sweeps or submissions.

Submissions from Spider Guard

Triangle Choke

  • Pull one arm across their body using the sleeve grip while maintaining the spider hook on the opposite side. Kick your leg over their shoulder to lock the triangle.

Omoplata

  • Use your spider hook to off-balance the opponent and bring your leg over their shoulder while controlling their sleeve, locking their arm for the finish.

Armbar

  • Break their posture using your spider hooks and pull their arm into your centerline. Swing your leg over their head to complete the submission.

Sweeps from Spider Guard

Balloon Sweep

  • Elevate your opponent with both spider hooks and lift their weight while kicking one leg diagonally to flip them over.

Scissor Sweep Variation

  • Off-balance them by pulling a sleeve, then use one spider hook and your shin to scissor their base, knocking them to the side.

Tripod Sweep

  • Use a spider hook on one arm and hook the opponent's ankle with your other foot, pushing with your spider hook while pulling the ankle for a sweep.

Sickle Sweep

  • Control one sleeve and kick their same-side leg out with your free foot while pulling with your grips to drop them backward.

Passes from Spider Guard (if opponent establishes it)

Knee Cut Pass

  • Break their sleeve grip, pressure down on their shin, and slide your knee through their guard while keeping a strong underhook or crossface.

Leg Drag Pass

  • Break grips and step back to loosen their tension, then drag their leg across your body, controlling their hip and upper body for the pass.

Over-Under Pass

  • Collapse their spider guard hooks and dive into the space between their legs, driving your weight through their hips to complete the pass.

Escapes from Spider Guard (if opponent controls you)

Grip Break and Reset

  • Grip their sleeve firmly, straighten your arm, and circle it to break their control, stepping backward to reset distance.

Stack to Pass

  • Drive their knees toward their chest to stack their legs, removing their hooks and turning to initiate a Stack Pass.

Takedowns from Spider Guard (when transitioning to standing or engaging a guard pull)

Trip from Guard Pull

  • Pull their sleeve and off-balance them while lifting your hips to stand, then hook their ankle with your foot and push them over.

Collar Drag

  • Transition their weight forward with your grips, drop to one side, and drag their collar across their body to take them down.

Each of these techniques leverages the strengths of Spider Guard: control via Sleeve Grips and hooks, as well as the ability to off-balance opponents effectively. Adjusting grips and angles is essential for success in any of these actions.

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