Improve Your X Guard Technique Using This Far Ankle Sweep with Jon Satava

An attractive aspect of Jiu Jitsu is the number of different techniques you have at your disposal to practice and narrow down to develop your game. This includes offensive and defensive techniques, submissions, and other techniques such as takedowns and feints. Obviously the ultimate goal is to become proficient in all techniques, but there is nothing wrong with narrowing your focus and practicing more of what works best for you.

In your quest to achieve this, one of the most important things to become proficient in is guards such as X guard. The X guard in particular is your gateway into tons of different submission and takedown options. Proper finishing mechanics are more than important when it comes to submissions, but you have to get there first.

Two of the main advantages of the X guard are the possibilities for sweeps, and entries into leg locks. There are defensive strategies to prevent the sweep if you are caught in someone's X guard, and this is why it is important to understand some of the more common sweeps so you can predict your partners defensive strategy and go for a more creative sweep.

In this video, Jon Satava demonstrates a far ankle sweep from X guard that accounts for your partners defensive techniques, check it out below!

 

X Guard Technique

To begin the technique, Jon has his partner in the traditional X guard, maintaining his partners other leg over his shoulder with grips above the knee. Jon prefaces this technique by saying perhaps it is difficult to control your partner’s hands or he has a wide base which would make tradition X guard sweeps more difficult;this would be a good time to use this far ankle technique.

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The most notable benefit of the X guard is the ability your hooks give you to push and pull your partner's leg. Oftentimes people will push their partners' legs to really widen their base and make it harder for them to balance and then go for the sweep. However, for this sweep the goal is going to be to pull your partner's leg in to get a grip on his ankle.

Once you have used your hooks to pull your partner's far leg in closer and have gained control of his ankle, Jon points out some things to consider. He states that in using a traditional knock back sweep without control of the ankle, chances are your hooks won’t be enough to stop your partner from stepping back and regaining his base. People also tend to try and use a sit up sweep from this position, but in this case the knock back sweep is where you want to go.

With control of the ankle, you are going to pull it up while extending your legs up and back, leaving your partner nothing to base with and successfully completing the sweep. Using the momentum of you and your partner, the goal is to heist yourself up onto your left knee while coming up to put yourself in a good position to start passing the guard quickly.

About Jon Satava

Jon Satava is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Marcelo Garcia who has made a name for himself in the highest levels of Jiu Jitsu competition. Being one of the top prospects due to his many accomplishments at lower belts, Jon lived up to the hype with his double gold at the NoGi Pan Am, back to back silvers at the NoGi World Championships, as well as many other titles at black belt.

Jon served as an instructor at the Marcelo Garcia academy in New York City and has put on seminars across the world. Jon has over 11 years of experience in the sport, and his passion is what allows him to be the great practitioner that he is.

Jon’s Instructional

Jon has devoted this entire instructional to the use of the modern NoGi X guard. Included you will find techniques covering leg hug entry, De La Riva entry, unbalancing principles, deep half entry, a multitude of different sweeps, and so much more.

Jon has both trained and competed at the highest of levels and has rightly earned his rank in the game. Improve all aspects of your game with this high level X guard manual, check out his instructional here!

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