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Spider Guard Variations Bottom | BJJ Position Guide | BJJ Graph

Oct 25, 202516 min read

Spider Guard Variations Bottom

bjjstateguardopen-guardoffensiveadvanced

State Description

Spider Guard Variations represents an advanced open guard position system characterized by sleeve grips combined with foot positioning on the opponent’s biceps or lasso wrapping over their arms. This position earns 0 points but provides excellent offensive opportunities through sweeps and submissions while controlling distance and preventing guard passing attempts. The position exemplifies BJJ’s principle of using leverage and technique to control larger opponents through grip fighting and leg positioning.

Spider guard variations include traditional spider (both feet on biceps), lasso spider (one leg wrapped over arm), one-arm spider, and numerous hybrid combinations. The system’s effectiveness comes from creating constant dilemmas for the opponent - defending against sweeps exposes submissions, defending submissions exposes sweeps, and attempts to break grips create timing windows for attacks. This multi-layered threat system makes spider guard a powerful offensive position.

The position is most effective in gi competition where sleeve grips provide strong control, against opponents who pass with forward pressure, and when the practitioner has good grip fighting skills and leg strength. It requires significant energy investment to maintain but offers high percentage sweeps and diverse submission opportunities. Modern competition BJJ has seen spider guard evolve from simple sweeps to complex submission chains and back takes.

Visual Description

You are on your back with your hips elevated slightly off the mat, not flat. Your hands grip your opponent’s sleeves at the wrist or forearm area with strong four-finger grips. Your feet are positioned either on your opponent’s biceps (traditional spider) or one leg is wrapped over their arm like a lasso (lasso spider), with legs active and engaged. Your hips are mobile and constantly adjusting position to maintain optimal distance.

Your opponent is in front of you, either on their knees or standing, attempting to establish passing grips or break your sleeve grips. Their arms are controlled by your grips, with their mobility limited by your leg positioning. The combination of your sleeve grips and foot pressure creates distance between you and your opponent, preventing them from closing space and establishing chest-to-chest pressure. Your legs work in concert with your grips - extending to create distance, retracting to create attack angles, always active and coordinated.

The spatial relationship is defined by your ability to extend or retract your legs while maintaining grip control, creating a dynamic guard that prevents forward progression while setting up offensive attacks. When legs extend, distance increases and opponent’s base is challenged. When legs retract, submission and sweep opportunities emerge.

This creates both offensive opportunity (sweeps, submissions, back takes) and strong defensive structure (distance management, pass prevention) while requiring active energy investment through constant grip fighting and leg engagement.

Key Principles

  • Grip and Leg Coordination: Spider guard effectiveness depends entirely on coordinated use of sleeve grips and leg positioning working together simultaneously
  • Dynamic Distance Management: Constantly adjusting distance through leg extension and retraction based on opponent’s movements and attack opportunities
  • Energy Distribution: Must balance energy expenditure between grip fighting and leg extension to maintain position over time
  • Variation Flexibility: Ability to switch between spider variations (traditional, lasso, one-arm) based on opponent’s defensive responses
  • Dilemma Creation: Every defensive choice opponent makes should expose different attack - defending sweeps exposes submissions, defending submissions exposes sweeps
  • Active Hips: Hip mobility and movement critical for all spider guard techniques - static hips make position ineffective
  • Grip Recovery Protocols: Understanding when to fight for grips vs. when to transition to different guard when grips are broken

Offensive Transitions

From this position, you can execute:

Sweeps

  • Lasso Spider Sweep → Mount (Success Rate: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 70%)

    • From lasso control, extend lasso leg to sweep opponent over trapped arm while pulling with sleeve grips

  • Traditional Spider Sweep → Top Position (Success Rate: Beginner 40%, Intermediate 55%, Advanced 75%)

    • Bilateral leg extension on biceps combined with coordinated grip pulling to off-balance and sweep

Submissions

  • Triangle from Spider → Triangle Control (Success Rate: Beginner 25%, Intermediate 40%, Advanced 60%)

    • Remove one foot from bicep, draw opponent high and forward, bring leg over shoulder for triangle

  • Omoplata from Lasso → Omoplata Control (Success Rate: Beginner 20%, Intermediate 35%, Advanced 55%)

    • From lasso position, sit up and swing leg over shoulder for shoulder lock while maintaining sleeve grip

  • Armbar from Spider → Armbar Control (Success Rate: Beginner 20%, Intermediate 35%, Advanced 55%)

    • Isolate one arm by removing foot from bicep while maintaining sleeve control, swing leg over for armbar

Advanced Transitions

  • Back Take from Spider → Back Control (Success Rate: Beginner 15%, Intermediate 30%, Advanced 50%)
    • Use spider control and leg entanglement to transition behind opponent during pass attempts

Defensive Responses

When opponent has this position against you, available counters:

  • Knee Slice Pass → Half Guard Top (Success Rate: 45%)

    • Cut through spider guard with knee slice, using pressure to break grip and leg control

  • Stack Pass → Side Control (Success Rate: 40%)

    • Stack opponent’s hips up and back, drive through while breaking grips and leg positioning

  • Smash Pass → Side Control (Success Rate: 35%)

    • Smash down on grips and legs with heavy pressure, break control and establish pass

  • Stand and Break Grips → Standing Guard (Success Rate: 50%)

    • Stand up with posture, systematically break sleeve grips, force guard adaptation

Decision Tree

If opponent maintains low posture with strong grips:

  • Execute Lasso Spider Sweep → Mount (Probability: 50%)
    • Reasoning: Low posture creates sweep opportunities, lasso provides strong control for sweep execution
  • Or Execute Traditional Spider Sweep → Top Position (Probability: 55%)
    • Reasoning: Can extend both legs against low posture to disrupt base and sweep

Else if opponent stands up to break grips:

Else if opponent’s arm positioning creates submission opening:

Else (balanced opponent / default):

Expert Insights

John Danaher: “Spider guard represents one of the most mechanically sophisticated guard systems in jiu-jitsu because it requires precise coordination between hand and foot movements in opposite directions. The fundamental principle is that you’re creating vectors of force - your grips pull toward you while your legs push away, creating a tension system that controls the opponent’s posture and balance. The key technical detail most practitioners miss is that the legs should not be at maximum extension constantly; they should pulse between extension and retraction, creating dynamic pressure changes that prevent adaptation. The lasso variation adds rotational control, making certain sweeps more powerful but requiring greater flexibility and committing one leg. What makes spider guard effective at the highest levels is the submission integration - the same positions that create sweeps also create triangles, omoplatas, and armbars. This multi-attack capability forces the opponent into constant defensive decisions.”

Gordon Ryan: “I don’t play traditional spider guard much in no-gi obviously, but understanding the principles helped my guard game overall. In gi competition, spider guard is everywhere because it’s so hard to pass if the person has good grips. The key is grip fighting - if you can’t maintain your sleeve grips, you don’t have spider guard. When I coach people on spider, I tell them the same thing: don’t hold maximum extension until your legs are burning. Pulse your pressure, vary your distance, make them constantly adjust. And have a backup plan for when grips break - you can’t just sit there trying to re-grip while they’re passing. Switch to De La Riva, go to butterfly, close guard, anything. The position works because of the dilemma it creates - they have to defend sweeps and submissions simultaneously. Use that.”

Eddie Bravo: “Spider guard with the lasso is sick because it’s like having a seatbelt on their arm - they can’t get out without giving you something. In 10th Planet, we use spider principles in combination with other guards, especially the rubber guard system. The key is understanding that spider is about creating obstacles. Your legs are obstacles to their passing, your grips are obstacles to their posture. When they try to solve one obstacle, the other attacks. We drill spider guard even in no-gi training because the distance management and coordination principles apply everywhere. The biggest thing I teach about spider is: don’t fall in love with holding the position. If your grips are getting broken, transition. Spider is a tool, not a destination. Use it to sweep, use it to submit, use it to take the back. Keep moving.”

Common Errors

Error: Holding Maximum Leg Extension Constantly

  • Consequence: Legs fatigue rapidly, making position unsustainable and allowing opponent to break through tired legs. Constant maximum extension also makes it easier for opponent to break grips and time their passing
  • Correction: Pulse leg extension between 60-90% rather than constant 100%. Retract legs periodically to rest while maintaining grip control and ready to re-extend. Vary extension based on opponent’s pressure
  • Recognition: If legs are burning and shaking after 30-60 seconds of spider guard, extension is too constant

Error: Grip Fighting Without Leg Pressure

  • Consequence: Grips alone cannot maintain spider guard - without leg pressure on biceps or lasso control, opponent easily achieves posture and passing position despite grips being maintained
  • Correction: Always coordinate grips with active leg pressure. When pulling with grips, extend legs simultaneously. Grips and legs must work as unified system
  • Recognition: If opponent achieves upright posture despite your sleeve grips being maintained, leg pressure is insufficient

Error: Static Hip Positioning

  • Consequence: Immobile hips prevent sweep execution, submission entries, and position adjustments. Static hips make spider guard purely defensive rather than offensive
  • Correction: Hips must be constantly mobile - rotating, elevating, moving laterally. Every technique from spider requires hip movement as foundational element
  • Recognition: If stuck in spider guard without creating sweep or submission opportunities, hips are too static

Error: Not Adapting When Opponent Stands

  • Consequence: Traditional spider guard with feet on biceps becomes much less effective when opponent stands - distance increases, leverage decreases, grips easier to break
  • Correction: When opponent stands, immediately adjust feet higher on arms (toward shoulders), consider switching to different guard variation, or capitalize on standing position for triangle or sweep opportunities
  • Recognition: If opponent stands and you maintain same spider position without adjustment, position effectiveness plummets

Error: Forcing Grip Maintenance When Both Grips Threatened

  • Consequence: When opponent is simultaneously breaking both grips with strong technique, trying to hold both results in losing both and having no guard structure
  • Correction: If both grips being broken simultaneously, transition to different guard (closed guard if possible, other open guard if not) rather than losing both grips with no backup plan
  • Recognition: If both grips break and opponent is immediately passing, you fought too long for grips instead of transitioning

Error: Focusing Only on Sweeps or Only on Submissions

  • Consequence: Single-threat spider guard allows opponent to focus all defense on that one threat, dramatically reducing success rate
  • Correction: Always threaten both sweeps and submissions. When opponent defends sweep, attack submission. When defending submission, attack sweep. Create dilemmas
  • Recognition: If opponent easily defends your spider guard attacks with focused defense, you’re not creating multi-layered threats

Error: No Lasso Variation in Arsenal

  • Consequence: Without lasso option, missing powerful control variation that works specifically against forward pressure and creates different sweep/submission angles
  • Correction: Develop both traditional spider and lasso spider capabilities, switching between them based on opponent’s pressure and positioning
  • Recognition: If struggling against forward-pressure passers, lack of lasso variation is limiting options

Training Drills

Drill 1: Grip Fighting and Leg Extension Coordination

From open guard with partner on knees, establish sleeve grips and foot on bicep position. Partner provides 0% resistance initially. Practice pulling sleeve grips while simultaneously extending legs, then releasing extension while maintaining grips. Partner gradually increases resistance from 25% to 75% attempting to break grips or achieve posture. Focus on coordinating pull-and-extend rhythm, maintaining grip pressure throughout movement cycles, recognizing fatigue onset and adjusting accordingly. 3 minute rounds, 3-4 rounds per session. Success metric: maintaining position for full 3 minutes at 75% resistance.

Drill 2: Spider Variation Transitions

Start in traditional spider (both feet on biceps). On coach call or timer (every 15-20 seconds), switch between: traditional spider, lasso spider right, lasso spider left, one-arm spider right, one-arm spider left. Partner provides moderate resistance attempting to pass during transitions. Focus on maintaining sleeve grips throughout transitions, smooth position changes, recognizing which variation best suits current angle. 5 minute continuous flow drill. Success metric: maintaining grips through all transitions without position loss.

Drill 3: Sweep Timing from Spider Guard

Partner on knees in spider guard. Partner attempts to pass slowly and deliberately. Identify and execute sweeps based on partner’s movements: when they reach forward (traditional spider sweep), when they drive pressure (lasso sweep), when weight shifts (timing-based sweep). Progressive resistance: start at 50% partner resistance, increase to 90% over multiple rounds. Focus on recognizing weight shifts, coordinating leg extension with grip pull, following through to top position. 5-minute rounds, emphasis on sweep completion not just initiation.

Drill 4: Submission Chains from Spider

Establish spider guard. Partner defends against all submission attempts but provides no passing pressure. Practice flowing between triangle → armbar → omoplata based on partner’s defenses. When triangle defended (posture), transition to armbar. When armbar defended (arm pull back), continue to omoplata. Complete cycle back to spider. Focus on maintaining grip control throughout chain, recognizing defensive reactions immediately, smooth transitions without position loss. 10 repetitions of complete chain per round, 3 rounds.

Drill 5: Grip Break Recovery and Guard Transition

Partner in spider guard, actively attempting to break sleeve grips using various methods. When grips are broken (one or both), immediately transition to different guard: closed guard, De La Riva, butterfly, etc. Then reestablish spider guard if opportunity presents. Focus on recognizing when grips are truly breaking (don’t fight lost causes), smooth transitions without scramble, maintaining defensive structure during transition. 5-minute rounds, emphasizing transition timing and structure maintenance.

Optimal Submission Paths

Fastest path to submission (direct attack): Spider Guard Variations Bottom → Triangle from Spider → Triangle Control → Won by Submission Reasoning: Triangle is highest percentage submission from spider guard, can be entered directly when opponent’s arms are positioned correctly

High-percentage path (systematic): Spider Guard Variations Bottom → Lasso Spider Sweep → Mount → Submission from Mount → Won by Submission Reasoning: Sweeping to dominant position first, then submitting from mount provides higher overall success rate than direct submission from guard

Alternative submission path (shoulder lock): Spider Guard Variations Bottom → Omoplata from Lasso → Omoplata Control → Won by Submission Reasoning: When opponent drives forward and lasso is established, omoplata is natural progression

Advanced path (back take): Spider Guard Variations Bottom → Back Take from Spider → Back Control → Rear Naked Choke → Won by Submission Reasoning: Advanced practitioners can use spider control during opponent’s pass attempt to take back, leading to high percentage rear naked choke

Chain submission path (systematic): Spider Guard Variations Bottom → Triangle from Spider → Armbar → Omoplata → Won by Submission Reasoning: Classic guard submission chain where each defense opens next submission, eventually leading to finish

Timing Considerations

Best Times to Enter:

  • When opponent has passed closed guard and you’re establishing open guard
  • When opponent is on knees with gi sleeves accessible
  • When transitioning from other open guards and sleeve grips available
  • After sweep or position change when guard is being re-established

Best Times to Attack:

  • When opponent commits weight forward attempting to pass
  • When opponent reaches for grips exposing arm positioning
  • When opponent stands creating triangle opportunities
  • When opponent attempts to break grips creating sweep timing

Vulnerable Moments:

  • During grip transitions when one or both sleeves temporarily uncontrolled
  • When legs are maximally extended and can’t recover quickly
  • When fatigued and leg extension/grip strength weakened
  • When opponent establishes strong stacking pressure

Fatigue Factors:

  • Constant leg extension causes rapid leg muscle fatigue
  • Grip fighting drains forearm endurance quickly
  • Position becomes unsustainable after 3-4 minutes of constant spider guard
  • Energy management critical - vary intensity and consider closed guard for rest periods

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