This article will teach you everything you need to know about the Spider Guard. This should excite you because it’s a dominant position that will allow you to (1) sweep the opponent, and (2) execute a submission.
All in all, it’s a position you want to be comfortable with because it will allow you to gain the upper hand in a fight, especially in the form of getting control. BJJ is all about control, and this is what the Spider Guard will give you.
I’m confident that you’ll be able to use this infamous guard position after reading this article. When you’re done reading, there’ll be nothing stopping you from getting more wins using it.
I won’t just review the fundamentals, but I’ll also be adding as many small details that you want to perfect. If you manage to get them covered, there’ll be nothing stopping you from dominating using this position.
So I hope you’re as excited as I am because the article is a great source of knowledge that will help you fire up your grappling skills. So let’s dive into the fundamentals of the Spider Guard!
What Is the Spider Guard?
The first part of this article will be about the real basics of the Spider Guard. First, it’s important to understand that it’s a variation of the Open Guard. If you remember, the Open Guard is when you’re in your standard guard position (in the bottom) while not wrapping your legs.
Closed Guard, on the other hand, is when your legs are locked around the opponent’s lower back. So what is the Spider Guard and what makes it so effective?
The Spider Guard is when you grip both the opponent’s sleeves with a same-side grip (your left grips his right—and your right grabs his left) while wrapping your feet around the opponent’s biceps (again, same-side grip.) From this position, the best choice you have is a sweep.
Make sure to place your legs on the opponent’s biceps, while using same-side grip. That means that your left foot will be on his right biceps. And on the same coin, your right foot will be on his left biceps.
The last detail we’ll review here is wrapping your toes around the opponent’s biceps. Really lock your toes around them to gain more control.
Eventually, these 4 contact points will bring you more control than you think. The more contact points you have, the more likely you are to come out on top in the fight!
Spider Guard Sweeps
The next part of this article will review a few sweeps you want to know about. What these allow you to do is flip the opponent upside down and attain a more dominant position. The most common position you’ll attain is the Full Mount. However, you can also get Side Control and even Back Mount, if they’re more suitable at the moment.
Sweeps are critical to know and understand. This is why I placed this part of the article before the submissions. Although learning to submit the opponent can be more exciting, sweeps are the first part you want to practice.
99% of all submissions start with a good sweep—from the Spider Guard position.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the 1st one.
#1 – Basic Spider Guard Sweep
Once you have 4 contact points with your opponent, hence your feet are on his biceps and control both his sleeves, you can begin to execute this sweep.
The first step is to pull the opponent’s left arm, using your right hand (which makes sense.) Then, you’re going to slide your right leg and place it beside his hips. Finally, you’ll push his right biceps to the side, using your left leg, while using your right leg as leverage to flip him.
That’s it. You now want to maintain ALL your contact points and attain the Mount position. Once you’re in Mount, you have endless of options to finish the fight. If you want to learn about the best Mount submissions, follow this link.
#2 – Over Sweep
The 2nd sweep we’ll review is going to utilize upward motion to flip the opponent above you. This is a move many grapplers won’t see coming, so you want to utilize that to surprise them and get the upper hand in the fight.
Here’s how it goes:
You first start in the Spider Guard position. Next, you extend his left biceps by straightening your right leg while placing your left foot on his left hip (cross-side grip.) Then, you twist your body to the left while leveraging your contact points to elevate the opponent and flip him to the other side.
From there, attaining the Mount position is relatively easy. You want to get into Knee on Belly as quickly as possible while kicking your close leg outward, around his legs. Then, you attain the Mount position. Here’s a visual aid:
#3 – Standing Spider Sweep
This sweep will be the last one we’ll review because there’s so much else I want to get into already. We have submissions, escapes, and tips to cover. I hope that you’ve been able to follow my instructions and understand how these sweeps work. This one won’t be an exception, as it’s quite simple as well.
This sweep begins with you in the Spider Guard, like the previous ones. However, you can execute it when the opponent stands up. When he does so, that’s your cue to perform this sweep. What you’ll be able to attain at the end is the Knee on Belly position, which is extremely dominant.
You begin in Spider Guard. Then, you remove your right foot from his biceps and place it on his hips, as if you’re going for one of two previous sweeps. Then, the opponent will stand up. When he does so, you’re going to extend your left leg and place your right foot on his right hip (cross-side.)
Finally, you pull the opponent’s right arm with your sleeve grip and use your right leg as leverage to flip him and attain the Knee on Belly as fast as possible.
If you want to learn more about the Knee on Belly position and how to attack from it, follow this link.
Spider Guard Submissions
Alright, fellas. Thus far, you know how to use the Spider Guard position effectively. You also know how to sweep the opponent from it and attain a more dominant position, such as Full Mount, Side Control, and Knee on Belly.
That’s all great. But what about some submissions? I think it’s time we dive into the more advanced techniques so you can begin to see results from your hard work.
There isn’t a more satisfying feeling than forcing your opponent to tap by using a submission you learned and practice. It’s that way for me, at least.
So let’s dive into the 1st submission you want to know about.
#1 – Armbar
The Armbar is one of BJJ’s most effective submissions you must know about. It utilizes a hyperextension of the arm to cause high levels of pain and force the opponent to tap. It’s one of the best submissions out there.
It’s also fairly simple, making it attractive to all belt colors, even if you’re a white, blue, purple, brown, or black belt. Doesn’t matter. What does matter is how willing you are to learn this submission. Because if you’re willing to learn it, then you’ll succeed. It’s all in the head!
Let’s cut the motivational speech and get into the submission itself. Here’s how to Armbar from Spider Guard.
- Start in Spider Guard
- Twist right using your legs and hands as leverage
- Turn until perpendicular to the opponent
- Bring your left knee to the mat
- Grip the opponent’s right triceps with your left hand
- Kick your leg to the left
- Pull his right arm closer
- Isolate his right arm with your left elbow
- Twist back to face the opponent
- Hyperextend his right arm using your legs
- Get the tap
Read more about the Armbar by following this link!
#2 – Triangle Choke
The Triangle Choke is an extremely widespread choke you want to get comfortable with. You can perform it virtually from all BJJ positions, as it’s a flexible and practical submission. If you want to read about BJJ’s best chokes, follow this link!
This Triangle variation is short and easy to understand. Therefore, it’ll be worth it to invest some time in understanding it right now, but spend more on learning the other, more complicated ones, such as the Armbar.
Anyways, here’s how to perform this Triangle variant from the Spider Guard position:
You first start in the Spider Guard and you want the opponent to stand. Then, you’re going to pull his arms toward you while letting go of your two biceps grips. Finally, your wrap your left leg around his head and arm and lock your feet. The last step is to squeeze your legs and choke him out.
That’s how you do it properly. However, there’s so much to learn about this choke. Some masters can write complete books about it. Anyways, if you want to learn the small details about the Triangle Choke—which will allow you to get more taps using it—follow this link.
#3 – Omoplata
The Omoplata, like the Armbar, is a submission that utilizes arm hyperextension to cause a lot of physical pain and force the opponent to tap out quickly. I’m a big believer in this submission because it puts your opponent in such a miserable, hopeless position.
You’ll be sitting and trapping his arm with your legs, which makes it that much more difficult to escape. That’s why it can be extremely useful to learn and understand the Omoplata submission.
Anyways, here’s how to perform it from our infamous Spider Guard:
- Start in Spider Guard
- Stretch the opponent’s right arm
- Double grip his right collar
- Pull the arm
- Place your left foot on his hips
- Turn your body to the left
- Grab his collar with your right hand
- Bring your right leg to his collar
- Push his collar, exposing his arm
- Wrap your left leg around his arm
- Lock your legs
- Stretch your legs
- Sit up
- Apply more pressure by lifting your hips
- Get the tap
#4 – Kneebar
This is the last submission we’ll review, as I think that’s a sufficient number of submissions you need to know about. You’re in a good position to get on the mat and start your training already. That should be exciting and motivating for you as it is for me.
This last submission we’ll review is going to be a leg lock. If you’re unfamiliar with those, it’s when you submit the opponent by hyperextending a part of his leg. You can focus on every part, including his ankle, foot, and knee.
Some examples of common leg locks are:
- Kneebar
- Straight Foot Lock
- Estima Lock
- Heel Hook
- Toe Hold
- Straight Ankle Lock
- Calf Crush
So now, let’s review the steps to performing the Kneebar from the Spider Guard position:
- Start in Spider Guard
- Slide your right leg to the side
- Turn to the right, following your right leg
- Pull the opponent’s collar
- Pull the opponent with you
- Turn even more until you’re under his thigh
- Lock your legs around his leg
- Get the Kneebar lock
- Apply pressure by hyperextending his leg
- Get the tap
This is definitely a fancy move. So if you want to see how that looks, watch the instructional video below. And you can follow the link pointing to the Kneebar above to master this magnificent leg lock.
So you now know how to perform the Armbar, Triangle Choke, Omoplata, and Kneebar from the Spider Guard position. That’s excellent!
How to Escape the Spider Guard
Now that you know to finish from the Spider Guard position, it’s time we review the other side of the coin. Let’s say you were caught in this dominant position by an opponent who knows what he’s doing. What do you do next? What’s the best way to escape his contact points and break his grips accordingly?
Let’s review the best way to do that now:
The best way to escape the Spider Guard position is to stand up and step back as far away as possible. This will break his leg grips. Then, you want to pass the opponent’s guard by pushing his legs to the side, using your hands, and walking to the side.
This will allow you to pass the opponent’s guard and gain a more dominant position, such as Knee on Belly or Side Control.
Because your opponent has a lot of control when he has 4 contact points on you, it’ll be best to practice this escape before trying it in spars and real fights. You want to perform this fast, and, as a result, surprise the opponent.
Spider Guard Setup
The best way to set up the Spider Guard is by starting in Closed Guard. Then, you grip both the opponent’s sleeves, as you’re supposed to, and place one of your feet on his hips (on the same side.)
So if you place your right foot on his left hip, you’re going to now do the same with your left foot. But you’re going to place it on the opponent’s right biceps, as the Spider Guard calls for.
Finally, you finish by placing your right foot on his left biceps. And now you possess more control, which is always beneficial.
Spider Guard Tips
This is the last section of this article. I know it’s sad because learning should make you joyful. However, there’s one thing I recommend you do before you enter the last phase.
The thing I encourage you to do is bookmark this article. Why will that benefit you? That will allow you to have easy access to re-reading the sections that you want to start practicing. For instance, let’s assume it’s the first time you’ve heard of this guard.
That’s alright. What would be the one thing you’ll go practice after you finish reading? It’ll likely be the basics. Therefore, you might not get to practice submissions at all. So bookmarking this article will allow you to gradually learn and remind yourself of everything we’ve discussed thus far.
This is the power of re-reading.
Alright. Without further chit-chat, let’s dive into the first tip.
Tip #1 – Keep moving
The 1st tip is to keep moving. Constant moving is your friend. You want to stretch out your right leg and then the other. That will force the opponent to watch out, as you might be starting a move or a submission.
These will keep him on the lookout and on the defensive. So always moving will be of great use. You don’t have to break your contact points in order to move. Instead, you want to keep moving your hands and legs when they grip the opponent.
Do that and you’ll become a much more threatening grappler.
Tip #2 – Watch the opponent, and not yourself
This tip is the primary reason you want to develop muscle memory with everything you do. When you have muscle memory in place, you’re going to focus on your opponent and not on yourself.
That makes you react and watch the opponent much more thoroughly. However, if you stay inside your bubble and only focus on yourself, you won’t be able to react accordingly to the opponent, which makes you less capable.
So when you notice you’re in your bubble and not watching the opponent: stop. Pop the bubble and start watching what the opponent does and how.
Tip #3 – Learn everything in this article
The last tip is to emphasize learning everything this article offers. You don’t understand just how much more capable you’ll be if you know 3 and not 1 sweep. Even if you know all 3 less than you were to know the 1 if that was the only move you would’ve practiced, it would still be worth it.
So emphasize learning. It’ll make you a more competent grappler with a broader set of tools.
Final Words
The Spider Guard is a fantastic technique you want to familiarize yourself with. It’ll allow you to sweep the opponent and finish the fighting by executing a submission. We’ve learned to do this in this article, such as by using the Armbar or Kneebar.
We’ve also learned to set it up by starting in the Cloesd/Open Guard position and transitioning by using your hips and sleeve grips as leverage. By now, you know to do all these fancy things.
All that’s left is to get on the mat and get real experience. You probably know that real experience is more valuable than reading and theoretical explanations. So get on the mat and don’t hesitate to experiment with everything we’ve learned here. Good luck!
The Spider Guard isn’t the most effective guard type. Follow this link to learn more about BJJ’s best guard positions you must learn (and how to use each one!)
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Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
BJJ 101: Reverse De La Riva Guard
X-Guard – BJJ 101 (How to Use and Finish)
BJJ 101: De La Riva Guard (Sweeps & Submissions)
BJJ 101: Butterfly Guard (Lots of Sweeps & Submissions)
Closed Guard 101 – Complete BJJ Guide
Pull Guard BJJ – Everything You Need to Know
13 Best Submissions From Closed & Open Guard (BJJ)
11 Best Half Guard Submissions From Top and Bottom
BJJ 101: Half-Guard (And How to Finish From It)