Ringworm Guard Bottom is an advanced lapel guard variation that originated from the Worm Guard system popularized by Keenan Cornelius. The position involves threading the opponent’s lapel around their leg while maintaining control from bottom guard, creating a powerful control system that limits the top player’s mobility and creates numerous sweeping and back-taking opportunities. The name derives from the lapel configuration that wraps around the opponent’s leg like a parasite, hence the creative nomenclature consistent with the Worm Guard family.
This position represents a highly technical approach to lapel-based guard systems, requiring significant coordination and spatial awareness to establish and maintain. The bottom player uses the lapel as an extension of their grips, effectively tying the opponent’s leg to their own body while using their free limbs to create off-balancing opportunities. The Ringworm Guard excels at neutralizing standing passes and creating angular attacks, making it particularly effective against aggressive passers who rely on pressure and forward movement.
Strategically, Ringworm Guard Bottom sits within the broader lapel guard ecosystem alongside positions like Worm Guard and Squid Guard, sharing similar principles of lapel manipulation and leg entanglement. It provides a pathway to various high-percentage sweeps, back takes, and triangle attacks while offering strong defensive properties against common guard passing sequences. The position requires gi-specific training and is most effective in IBJJF and gi-based competition formats.
Position Definition
- Practitioner on their back with opponent’s lapel threaded around opponent’s leg, creating a lapel wrap that connects the opponent’s lower body to the bottom player’s control points with the lapel tail secured in the bottom player’s grip near their hip or chest
- One or both of practitioner’s legs engaging opponent’s upper body or hips, typically with hooks, frames, or shin shields, preventing forward pressure while maintaining distance management and creating angles for off-balancing
- Opponent in standing or combat base position with one leg compromised by the lapel wrap, limiting their mobility and base while forcing them to compensate with altered weight distribution and restricted passing options
Prerequisites
- Opponent wearing a gi with accessible lapel
- Ability to establish initial lapel grip and create space to thread the lapel
- Control of at least one of opponent’s legs or hips to initiate the wrap
- Understanding of lapel guard principles and grip fighting
- Sufficient space to complete the lapel threading sequence
Key Defensive Principles
- Maintain constant tension on the lapel wrap to restrict opponent’s leg mobility and prevent them from escaping the configuration
- Use leg frames and hooks to control distance and prevent opponent from establishing dominant grips or crushing forward
- Create angles by moving your hips laterally while keeping the lapel wrap tight, forcing opponent to turn and exposing their back
- Combine lapel control with secondary grips on sleeves, pants, or collar to create multi-directional control systems
- Keep your shoulders off the mat when possible to maintain mobility and prevent being flattened, allowing quick transitions to sweeps or submissions
- Monitor opponent’s weight distribution and exploit moments when they commit weight forward or to one side by executing off-balancing attacks
- Be prepared to transition to related lapel guard positions if opponent begins to escape the wrap configuration
Available Escapes
Ringworm Sweep to Back Control → Back Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 45%
- Advanced: 60%
Triangle Setup → Triangle Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 25%
- Intermediate: 40%
- Advanced: 55%
Omoplata to Sweep → Omoplata Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 20%
- Intermediate: 35%
- Advanced: 50%
Lapel Guard Sweeps → Mount
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 65%
Berimbolo Entry → Back Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 15%
- Intermediate: 30%
- Advanced: 50%
Transition to Worm Guard → Worm Guard
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 45%
- Intermediate: 60%
- Advanced: 75%
Decision Making from This Position
If opponent stands upright and attempts to back away from the guard:
- Execute Lapel Guard Sweeps → Mount (Probability: 55%)
- Execute Ringworm Sweep to Back Control → Back Control (Probability: 50%)
If opponent drops into combat base and attempts to control your hips:
- Execute Triangle Setup → Triangle Control (Probability: 45%)
- Execute Transition to Worm Guard → Worm Guard (Probability: 60%)
If opponent establishes strong crossface and begins passing to the side:
- Execute Berimbolo Entry → Back Control (Probability: 40%)
- Execute Omoplata to Sweep → Omoplata Control (Probability: 35%)
If opponent successfully begins to extract their leg from the lapel wrap:
- Execute Lapel Retention and Re-wrap → Ringworm Guard (Probability: 50%)
- Execute Switch to Squid Guard Configuration → Squid Guard (Probability: 45%)
Escape and Survival Paths
Shortest path to triangle finish
Ringworm Guard → Triangle Setup → Triangle Control → Triangle Choke
High-percentage sweep to submission
Ringworm Guard → Lapel Guard Sweeps → Mount → Armbar from Mount
Back attack sequence
Ringworm Guard → Ringworm Sweep to Back Control → Back Control → Rear Naked Choke
Alternative triangle path via berimbolo
Ringworm Guard → Berimbolo Entry → Back Control → Rear Triangle
Success Rates and Statistics
| Skill Level | Retention Rate | Advancement Probability | Submission Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 40% | 35% | 15% |
| Intermediate | 60% | 50% | 30% |
| Advanced | 75% | 65% | 45% |
Average Time in Position: 45-90 seconds before transition or pass
Expert Analysis
John Danaher
The Ringworm Guard represents a sophisticated application of lapel control theory where we convert the opponent’s gi into a mechanical disadvantage that systematically restricts their movement options. The biomechanics are fascinating - by threading the lapel around their leg, we create a closed loop system where any attempt to extract the leg actually tightens the control mechanism. The key technical principle is understanding that the lapel wrap serves as both a distance management tool and a directional control device. When properly configured, it forces the opponent into predictable defensive patterns that we can exploit with pre-planned sweeping sequences. The position requires precise understanding of leverage angles and weight distribution, as the success of attacks depends entirely on our ability to break their base while maintaining the integrity of the lapel configuration. This is not a position for beginners, as it demands high-level spatial awareness and fine motor control of multiple grips simultaneously.
Gordon Ryan
Ringworm Guard is one of those high-level gi positions that can completely shut down aggressive passers if you know what you’re doing. In competition, I’ve seen Keenan use this to dominate world-class opponents because it creates such frustrating dilemmas for the top player. The reality is, once that lapel is wrapped around their leg, their passing options become extremely limited and they’re forced to fight on your terms. My approach is to use it as a transitional position rather than a sustained guard - get the wrap, create immediate off-balancing, and then capitalize on their defensive reactions with back takes or sweeps. The triangle entries from Ringworm are particularly high-percentage because the lapel wrap naturally pulls their posture down and creates the angle you need. Don’t overthink it - wrap, off-balance, attack. The position does the work for you if you maintain tension and stay aggressive with your sweeping attempts. It’s also incredibly effective at burning time in competition if you’re ahead on points.
Eddie Bravo
Ringworm is pure Keenan magic and it’s a perfect example of how creative minds keep pushing BJJ forward. This position shows that we haven’t figured everything out yet - someone can still come along and invent entirely new control systems using parts of the gi we never thought to manipulate. From a 10th Planet perspective, we don’t train this in no-gi obviously, but the conceptual lesson is valuable: look for unconventional control points and create systems around them. What I love about Ringworm is that it completely violates your opponent’s expectations. They’re not used to defending against a guard where their own clothing is actively working against them. It’s psychological warfare combined with technical innovation. If you’re training gi, this is the kind of position that makes you dangerous because most people haven’t developed specific defenses against it. The learning curve is steep but the payoff is huge - you become the guy who has these weird guards that nobody knows how to pass, and that’s a huge competitive advantage in the modern game.