How To Bait Your Opponent Into Z Guard For BJJ By Craig Jones

This 1 Simple Trick Will Give You A HUGE Advantage!

The half guard has come a long way. What was once seen as a last ditch effort to save your guard is now one of the most commonly used techniques. You will see guys like Tom DeBlass, Craig Jones, and Bernardo Faria preaching the greatness of the half guard, and for good reason. The half guard opens up all types of opportunities for submissions and transitions. The Z guard in BJJ is a modern variation of the half guard. With the Z guard comes plethora of attacking using sweeps and submissions while defending against any of your opponent’s advances.

Craig Jones is a master of the half guard and foot lock attacks. His DVD the Z Guard Encyclopedia gives you a variety of different set ups and attacks from half guard to get the sweep or submission.

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The Z guard is a great technique to have in your arsenal. It may seem like an innocuous move but it is anything but that. When it comes to understanding the power of the Z guard look no further than Craig Jones. Craig jones is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Lachlan Giles, he fights out of Austrailia and with the Absolute MMA Academy. Craig had an astounding year in 2017 and he took the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community by storm. Craig is known for his vicious lower body attacks, aggressive style, and calm and collected demeanor. Some of his biggest accomplishments are IBJJF NoGi World Champion Purple Belt 2015, AFBJJ Pan Pacific Champion weight and absolute Purple Belt 2014, EBI Absolute Finalist, UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro Bronze Medalist Brown Belt, Multiple time EBI veteran, ADCC veteran, 3x ADCC Trials Winner.

Craig Jones has a great instructional series on the Z guard called “The Z Guard Encyclopedia.” Craig’s secret weapon is the Z Guard, and in this series he shares all of his amazing tips that will turn you into a Z guard machine. Let’s take a look at how Craig Jones baits his opponent’s into Z Guard. Watch the video below and then we will break down the technique. Check it out now!

The Z guard is an amazing position but a lot of BJJ guys struggle to get into the position with out compromising a part of their body to a quick submission. The sneaky trick Craig Jones uses is to play Z guard on his opponent’s weak side. Most BJJ players tend to try and pass with their right leg forward, so Jones likes to make it so they have to play with their left leg forward. This way he can attack them in positions they are uncomfortable with. To force his opponent to play to the side he wants, Jones will hook the inside of their lead leg with his left foot. By hooking the inside leg you can prevent your opponent from being able to pass. Now Craig will switch his hips and start playing Z guard from the opposite side. Very cool!

From here there are a few options. You can go for a reverse De La Riva hook, with a shallow hook around your opponent’s thigh. Or you can go straight leg across to behind your training partner’s opposite knee. Just remember to keep your knee shield up to help maintain distance and control your opponent. Now you can work towards getting your opponent’s knee to the floor. Keep in mind that while your opponent’s knee is on top of your leg you are still technically vulnerable to a knee slice. Craig uses his foot to secure a reverse De La Riva hook, effectively preventing his opponent from pressuring forward. From Craig uses an in step with his De La Riva hook to push his opponent’s leg back, getting his knee to the floor.

The most interesting concept about this Z guard setup is the way Craig Jones baits his opponent into playing on the opposite side he prefers. If you can get comfortable playing on a side that most of your opponent’s are not familiar with you give yourself a huge advantage. As you can tell, Craig is incredibly methodical with his approach to the Z guard. He breaks it down like no one else. So if you liked this technique then be sure to play around with the Z guard the next time you are on the mats. And if you are looking for more amazing Z guard techniques then check out “The Z Guard Encyclopedia” by Craig Jones, available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com!

Craig Jones has a secret weapon in jiu jitsu... his Z Guard (half guard variation). He was virtually unheard of until recent ADCC and EBI competitions where he shocked the world with his Z guard and foot lock attacks. His approach is simple, and makes sense. After watching it, your approah and execution from the Z Half Guard will dramatically change for the better.

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