Attacking From The Lasso Guard

By BJJ Fanatics, February 17, 2017

It seems like that there is a large amount of guard variations these days. Take any basic guard and there is probably a variation or combo variation of it. While some of these can seem a little silly, there is one variation that works and should be taken seriously. That variation is the lasso guard, otherwise known as lasso spider guard. Lasso guard utilizes spider guard, but also uses one of your legs circling and lassoing one of the opponent’s arms. The control is very good, and allows for a bit more control than your standard spider guard. Take a look at an easy attack that you can perform from the lasso guard… Also Check out our article "Playing and Passing The Lasso Guard" it's a great resource for an intro to both ends of the position.

Samir is playing spider guard, but uses his right leg to lasso around his opponent’s right arm. His left leg stays as a spider guard hook on the bicep. He plays close and tight because that is where the lasso will work best for this technique. Samir slightly loosens up the lasso on the arm and puts his toes to his opponent’s shoulders. The next few steps will transition from just maintaining the guard, to attacking with the triangle choke.

Once the opponent is close and controlled, Samir takes his right leg out of the lasso and puts his foot on the right hip of his opponent. At the same time, he pulls the right arm close to his shoulder. Right as he does that, he bends his left leg and pulls his hips high off of the mat. Then he kicks his left foot off of the bicep and gets it around his opponent’s neck. From there, he locks up the triangle choke and finishes his opponent with ease.

This is just one of the many cool attacks from lasso guard. Lasso guard is something that you can add to your game, once you have a good spider guard. The lasso guard can become a great part of your game once you move up the ranks. The blue belt/purple belt level is where you can really star to apply it correctly. Check out this lasso guard sweep from Gregor Gracie below, it is simple and effective.