BJJ Graph

Double Sleeve Guard Bottom

Dec 09, 202514 min read

Double Sleeve Guard Bottom is a fundamental open guard position where the bottom practitioner controls both of the opponent’s sleeves while maintaining distance with their feet on the hips or biceps. This position provides excellent control over the opponent’s upper body, preventing them from establishing grips or initiating passing sequences while setting up numerous sweep and transition opportunities. The position is particularly effective in gi jiu-jitsu, where the sleeve grips create a strong connection that can be used to manipulate the opponent’s posture and balance. Double Sleeve Guard is characterized by its emphasis on grip fighting dominance and distance management. By controlling both sleeves, the bottom player neutralizes the opponent’s ability to grip the pants or control the legs, forcing them into a defensive posture. This guard excels at creating off-balancing opportunities and can transition seamlessly into more specialized guards like Spider Guard, Lasso Guard, or De La Riva Guard. The position requires good hip mobility and grip strength but offers a high return on investment for practitioners who develop proficiency with the fundamental sweeps and transitions available from this control position.

Position Definition

  • Bottom practitioner controls both of opponent’s sleeves with firm grips at or near the cuffs, maintaining constant tension to prevent opponent from breaking grips or establishing their own control
  • Bottom practitioner’s hips are mobile and off the mat, with feet actively posted on opponent’s hips, biceps, or shoulders to maintain distance and prevent opponent from closing the gap
  • Opponent is on their knees or standing, unable to establish controlling grips on bottom player’s pants or belt due to sleeve control, with their upper body posture being constantly manipulated
  • Bottom practitioner’s shoulders remain on the mat with head neutral or slightly lifted to maintain visual contact with opponent’s movements and maintain proper spinal alignment
  • Distance is maintained between bottom player’s torso and top player through active foot pressure, preventing top player from establishing chest-to-chest pressure or smash passing positions

Prerequisites

  • Opponent is in open guard top position on their knees or standing
  • Bottom practitioner has established grips on both of opponent’s sleeves
  • Sufficient distance exists between bottom and top player to extend legs
  • Bottom practitioner’s guard has not been passed and they maintain hip mobility
  • Opponent has not yet established dominant grips on pants or belt

Key Defensive Principles

  • Maintain constant tension on both sleeve grips to prevent opponent from breaking grips and establishing their own control system
  • Use feet actively to push and pull opponent’s body, creating off-balancing opportunities and preventing them from settling their weight
  • Keep hips mobile and ready to follow opponent’s movements, adjusting foot placement as they attempt to change angles
  • Break opponent’s posture by pulling sleeves while pushing with feet, creating a concave bend in their spine that compromises their base
  • Transition grips and foot placement fluidly to prevent opponent from anticipating and countering sweep attempts
  • Maintain visual contact with opponent and read their weight distribution to time sweeps and transitions optimally
  • Use the guard to control tempo and prevent opponent from initiating their passing game

Available Escapes

Scissor Sweep → Mount

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 35%
  • Intermediate: 50%
  • Advanced: 65%

Flower Sweep → Mount

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 30%
  • Intermediate: 45%
  • Advanced: 60%

Pendulum Sweep → Mount

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 25%
  • Intermediate: 40%
  • Advanced: 55%

Spider Guard Sweeps → Spider Guard

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 40%
  • Intermediate: 55%
  • Advanced: 70%

Lasso Guard Sweeps → Lasso Guard

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 35%
  • Intermediate: 50%
  • Advanced: 65%

Omoplata Sweep → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 20%
  • Intermediate: 35%
  • Advanced: 50%

Triangle Setup → Triangle Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 25%
  • Intermediate: 40%
  • Advanced: 55%

Elevator Sweep → Mount

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 30%
  • Intermediate: 45%
  • Advanced: 60%

De La Riva Sweep → De La Riva Guard

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 25%
  • Intermediate: 40%
  • Advanced: 55%

Opponent Counters

Counter-Attacks

Decision Making from This Position

If opponent maintains strong upright posture and attempts to break grips by pulling arms back:

If opponent leans forward with weight attempting to break grips and establish chest pressure:

If opponent attempts to circle or step to one side to initiate passing sequence:

If opponent successfully breaks one sleeve grip and establishes pants grip:

Common Defensive Mistakes

1. Releasing tension on sleeve grips, allowing opponent to break grips easily

  • ❌ Consequence: Opponent establishes their own grips on pants or belt and initiates passing sequence with dominant control
  • ✅ Correction: Maintain constant pulling tension on both sleeves, using bicep curl motion and keeping elbows tight to body

2. Allowing feet to rest passively on opponent’s hips without active pushing

  • ❌ Consequence: Opponent closes distance and establishes smash passing pressure, collapsing the guard structure
  • ✅ Correction: Actively push with balls of feet, extending legs to create and maintain distance while adjusting pressure based on opponent’s movements

3. Keeping hips flat on mat instead of mobile and ready to move

  • ❌ Consequence: Unable to follow opponent’s circling movements, making sweeps ineffective and allowing easy passing
  • ✅ Correction: Keep hips elevated slightly off mat, ready to pivot and follow opponent’s direction changes

4. Gripping too high on opponent’s sleeves near the shoulders instead of at the cuffs

  • ❌ Consequence: Opponent has greater range of motion and can use leverage to break grips more easily
  • ✅ Correction: Establish grips at or near the cuffs where opponent has minimal leverage and maximum control can be maintained

5. Attempting sweeps without first breaking opponent’s posture and balance

  • ❌ Consequence: Sweeps fail as opponent maintains strong base and can simply step through or around sweep attempts
  • ✅ Correction: First use push-pull dynamics to break posture, then time sweep when opponent is off-balance

6. Failing to transition grips when opponent adjusts position

  • ❌ Consequence: Opponent creates angles for passing that cannot be controlled with static double sleeve grips
  • ✅ Correction: Be ready to transition one sleeve grip to lasso, spider, or collar grip as opponent moves

Training Drills for Defense

Double Sleeve Grip Retention Drill

Partner attempts to break both sleeve grips using various methods while bottom player maintains grips for 2-minute rounds. Focus on grip strength, frame integrity, and re-establishing grips quickly if broken. Partner should use realistic grip breaking strategies including posting, pulling back, and circling.

Duration: 5 rounds of 2 minutes

Sweep Chain Flow Drill

From double sleeve guard, practice flowing between scissor sweep, flower sweep, and pendulum sweep based on partner’s resistance. Partner provides progressive resistance, allowing successful sweeps initially then increasing difficulty. Emphasize smooth transitions between sweep options and reading partner’s weight distribution.

Duration: 10 minutes

Distance Management Drill

Maintain double sleeve control while partner attempts to close distance and establish chest pressure. Bottom player must use feet to maintain optimal distance, adjusting foot placement between hips, biceps, and shoulders as needed. Focus on active leg extension and hip mobility to prevent opponent from collapsing guard.

Duration: 3 rounds of 3 minutes

Guard Transition Drill

Start from double sleeve guard and transition to spider guard, lasso guard, or De La Riva guard based on partner’s movement. Partner walks around attempting to pass while bottom player adjusts grips and foot placement to transition between guard types. Emphasize maintaining control throughout transitions.

Duration: 8 minutes

Escape and Survival Paths

Triangle finish from double sleeve

Double Sleeve Guard Bottom → Triangle Setup → Triangle Control → Triangle from Guard

Omoplata from broken posture

Double Sleeve Guard Bottom → Omoplata Sweep → Omoplata Control → Omoplata from Guard

Sweep to mount submissions

Double Sleeve Guard Bottom → Scissor Sweep → Mount → Armbar from Mount

Spider guard armbar

Double Sleeve Guard Bottom → Spider Guard Sweeps → Spider Guard → Armbar from Guard

Success Rates and Statistics

Skill LevelRetention RateAdvancement ProbabilitySubmission Probability
Beginner50%30%15%
Intermediate65%45%25%
Advanced80%60%40%

Average Time in Position: 45-90 seconds before transition or pass attempt

Expert Analysis

John Danaher

Double sleeve guard represents one of the most fundamental control systems in gi jiu-jitsu, embodying the principle of controlling the most dangerous weapons first. By controlling both sleeves, you neutralize your opponent’s primary means of establishing grips and initiating their offense. The position is built on the biomechanical reality that human beings cannot effectively attack without the use of their hands, and by denying them hand placement, you force them into a defensive posture from what should be their offensive position. The key to success in this guard is understanding that your sleeve grips must work in concert with your leg frames - the grips control their upper body while your legs control distance and create the leverage necessary for sweeps. When executing techniques from this position, focus on the push-pull dynamic: pull with your hands while pushing with your feet to break their posture and create the off-balancing necessary for high-percentage sweeps.

Gordon Ryan

In competition, double sleeve guard is my go-to position when I need to slow down an aggressive passer and set up my game on my terms. The beauty of this guard is that it’s extremely difficult for opponents to pass if you maintain proper tension and distance - they literally cannot grip your pants or establish control points without first dealing with your sleeve control. I use this position to control the pace of the match and force opponents into positions where I can execute my highest percentage sweeps. The scissor sweep and flower sweep from double sleeve are money techniques that I hit constantly in competition because they work at the highest levels when timed correctly. The key is being patient and waiting for your opponent to make a mistake in their posture or base before committing to the sweep. Also, don’t be married to the position - be ready to transition to spider or lasso when your opponent adjusts, because the best guard players are constantly flowing between related positions based on their opponent’s reactions.

Eddie Bravo

Double sleeve guard is fundamental, but a lot of people sleep on how dynamic and creative you can be from here. At 10th Planet, we use double sleeve as a launching pad for all kinds of transitions - you can hit the classic sweeps everyone knows, but you can also set up rubber guard entries, triangle setups, and even back takes if you’re creative with your grip transitions. The thing people don’t realize is that when you control both sleeves, you’re not just preventing their grips - you’re controlling their entire upper body structure, which opens up opportunities for unorthodox attacks. I like to use double sleeve to set up omoplata entries by breaking their posture down first, then swimming one leg over the shoulder. Also, if you’re in no-gi and can’t get the sleeve grips, the same concepts apply to wrist control - control both wrists and use your feet to create distance, and you’ve got the same offensive opportunities. The key is staying creative and not just defaulting to the basic sweeps everyone expects. Mix in some unusual transitions and you’ll keep opponents guessing.