Exploring The Lasso Guard For Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

By Matt Bryers, March 15, 2019

The Lasso Guard Is A Great Way To Sweep, Submit, and Control Your Opponent

The lasso guard is a great way to restrict your opponent’s movements when they are trying to pass. Typically taught to blue belts and above, the lasso guard is a fairly basic way to play open guard that you will often see used in high level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions. It may seem like a complicated technique but it is actually pretty easy to learn. There is just so much that goes into the lasso guard, from learning how to attack it and how to defend against it. No matter what level you are at, it is good to know the basics of the lasso guard.

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So what are the basics of the lasso guard? The lasso guard is used when your back is flat on the mat and your opponent is either sitting or standing in front of you. The lasso guard employs sleeve grips and a “lasso” with one of your legs around your opponent’s arm from the outside to control your opponent’s upper body. From the lasso guard there are a variety of passes, sweeps and submissions. Typically you will see BJJ players hit omoplatas and triangles easily from the lasso guard because of the fact that you already control one of your training partner’s arms, making the submission very nearby. With that in mind, let’s explore a variety of different tips and techniques you can use from the lasso guard. Ready? Then let’s get going!

Lasso to Arm Drag Back Take by Marcos Tinoco

Marcos is infamous for his lasso guard. He has some amazing sweeps and submissions from the lasso guard. He is so notorious for his half guard that he has even released an instructional series called “Mastering The Lasso Guard” available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com! It is a really instructional series that simplifies the lasso guard making it easy to learn no matter what your level of experience is. Marcos has used this guard game against some of the best grapplers in the world. Check out the video below and then we will break down the technique.

According the Marcos, the first thing you should do is establish your lasso guard. Marcos likes to place both his feet in his training partner’s hips to control distance. From here he will establish his grips. Typically he will go for gripping the gi sleeves in order to control his opponent’s arms. Now Marcos will use this setup to create a little bit of space. He does this by pushing away with his feet in the hips. The goal here is to get to your hip and set your lasso guard. When you set your lasso, it is a very common reaction for your opponent to move one of his legs back and away. He will do this in order to keep the lasso around his arm loose. It will not be effective for you to continue to chase your opponent to retain your lasso guard, so let go of it. From here it is as simple as switching your grip in order to free your leg from the lasso guard. Use the momentum from freeing your leg to sit up and pressure towards your training partner, giving you an opportunity to take your training partner’s back.

Lasso to Arm Bar by Kurt Osiander

Kurt Osiander is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Ralph Gracie and a cult hero in the BJJ community. Kurt has one of the most loved personalities in BJJ and shares tons of knowledge online for the world to see. The lasso guard to arm bar is a technique Kurt has used successfully many times in competition, and has been battle tested and proven to work. Watch the video below of Kurt Osiander demonstrating his lasso to arm bar technique and then we will break it down. Check it out now!

Kurt Osiander starts off this demonstration in top lasso guard. The first thing he does is establish his grips and pass the leg. He rotates his opponent 90 degrees and goes straight into an arm lock. Notice how Kurt exploits his opponent when he keeps his leg too close. He passes the leg over to the arm currently caught in the lasso and then grabs the opposite wrist using the gi sleeve. It allows him to rotate his opponent easily, completely removing his ability to defend in the lasso guard. He puts his knee on his training partner’s belly; steps over with his other foot, and then wraps the arm. There is no space between Kurt and his training partner, which is what makes it possible to hit the arm bar without giving your opponent the possibility of rolling out to escape.

Lasso Guard Pass with Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa

Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Andre Fabiano. Lucas competes for the Marcio Rodrigues team and his break through came in 2014. Lucas Barbosa is one of the most decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters there is and he is a passing machine. Here he is going to show us one of his best lasso guard passes. This position can be easily implemented by anyone. Pay attention to the details and destroy everyone's lasso. Watch the video below and then we will break down Lucas Barbosa’s technique. Check it out now!

As Lucas demonstrates, the goal of this lasso guard pass is to hit the Ezekiel Choke from the back. His training partner has his hooks in, has is lasso set, and is controlling both of Lucas Barbosa’s arms and posture with his grips. To counter this, Lucas Barbosa stands, takes a step back, and drives forward with his knee, putting pressure on his training partner’s leg at the hamstring. From here Lucas circles his hand and grabs the inside leg using the gi pants. Now that you have the first leg cleared, and your grip established you want to walk to the side of your training partner. This is in order to break the lasso and pass the guard. Now that you have stepped to the side of your training partner you sit down as if you are going for the knee slice. You want to use the momentum of shooting for the knee slice to circle your hand and break the lasso grip. Once you have the knee slice and have circled your arm around to the outside of your training partner’s thigh you want to establish a collar grip. With the hand that is grabbing the outside of your training partner’s thigh, pull the leg to break the grip and dismantle the lasso. After you pull the leg, re-establish your grip on that side at your training partner’s hip. Make sure your arm is dropped down on the inside of your opponent’s leg. From here Lucas Barbosa grabs the collar and the gi pants and slides his arm underneath his training partner’s neck. This allows him to jump to the side, gripping his own sleeve, and pass to the neck with an Ezekiel choke already in place.

Lasso To Rolling Omoplata by Tom DeBlass

Tom DeBlass is a well respected grappling figure having earned his Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Ricardo Almeida. Tom DeBlass is a competitor in both Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and mixed martial arts. The rolling omoplata is a unique submission to his from the lasso guard. Watch the video below of Tom DeBlass demonstrating is lasso to rolling omoplata and then we will break down his technique. Check it out now!

Sometimes when you are playing half guard your training partner will use their arm to create a leg weave to set up a guard pass. In this case, you can manipulate their pass attempt by controlling the gi sleeve and ending up in an omoplata. If you can’t pull your leg in front to recover you are going to get passed. However, pay attention to how the way Tom DeBlass keeps his grip on the arm. You can’t hook your opponent’s legs, which lets him walk around and pass. When your training partner passes you want to exploit the arm you still have control over. To do this come up to your shoulder as your partner continues to walk around you. As he does this you want to turn, going across your shoulders as you land in the omoplata position. The key detail here is that you need to come to your shoulder. As your partner walks around you, you can simply go up to your shoulder and switch your leg to come back outside into the lasso. If you stay flat you will not be able to do anything, especially if your training partner gets a hold of your head. Once your opponent gets up into the tripod you need to anticipate his walk, and as he is walking you want to get to your shoulder. Pull your opponent’s arm towards you and spin all the way through. If all is done well you can come right up into the omoplata.

Lasso Guard Sweep With Crazy Fast Arm Bar by Marcos Tinoco

Here is another awesome submission from lasso guard from Marcos Tinoco. This video comes from Marcos Tinoco’s instructional series, “Mastering The Lasso Guard,” available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com. Watch the video below and then we will break down Marcos’ technique!

To hit the lasso sweep, the first thing Marcos does is use his lasso leg and hook the back of his training partner. His opponent counters by attempting to circle around to the opposite side of the lasso guard. Marco’s exploits this by framing against the bicep while escaping his bottom leg. From here, he switches his hook from the back down to the thigh of his training partner. This allows Marcos to switch his hip and sweep his opponent. After hitting the sweep, Marcos is in a great position to nail an arm bar. To go for the submission, Marcos adjusts his position by posting with his outside foot on the mat. Marcos is facing the same direction of his opponent and he uses his legs to lock up the arm bar by crossing his legs over the arm and then bend the arm against the inside of his thigh.

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