X-guard routes.

[Keith Kavanagh]

Just when I think I'm getting pretty good at leg locks, 1 new concept or flow makes me glad to know there will always be some small fine detail of a movement that will make it more and more accurate. Eddie Cummings is dominating with his beautiful xguard transitions from Ashi to DOA. I've been using it a lot lately and drilling the MTS stuff like crazy. That with some tips from Sean Applegate changed my game completely.

I'm playing a lot more X-guard now but I'm wondering what are your favourite routes off X?

[Arman Fathi]

Xguard is a universe. Just having the double inside leg position gives him only two options; kill a hook and get one of his legs inside or try to shove both knees thru and mount. That's an under simplification sure (not forgetting about toeholds and other footlocks) but I'm finding more and more that just having my feet as points of contact, keeping my one or both of my knees btwn our bodies, and protecting the feet at all times can put the opponent on the defensive. There's a whole book written on Xguard by Marcelo Garcia that could break it down to a science, but I'm noticing at least that there are only a handful of principles at play and just keeping those bigger picture things in context will always give a launching pad for attacks.

[Keith Kavanagh]

I knew there was good control from the Xguard after the sweep when they're on their ass but the universe that is Xguard is starting to open up to me. I had the opportunity to roll with some guys from a different club today, some higher grades and I got to test out my x-guard/DOA game and it worked beautifully. I'll have to check that book out!

[Marty McLaren]

http://victorybelt.com/the-x-guard-marcelo-garcia/