X-Guard Sweep
Also known as: Technical Stand-Up Sweep · X Sweep · Marcelo Sweep
From under the X, stretch their legs apart, tip them off their one remaining post, and technical stand-up while holding a leg — you rise, they fall.
Sweep · Gi & No-gi · Difficulty 3/5 · Usually learned at Blue belt
Starts from X-Guard as the x-guard player → lands in Open Guard.
The details that make it work
- Extend the X hooks to widen their stance beyond recovery; their weight loads the leg on your shoulder.
- Steer their hips past their posting foot, then come up holding the ankle like a finished single leg.
- Stand THROUGH the sweep, chest up — you should arrive on your feet, their leg in your hands.
Where it goes wrong
- Sweeping without extending first, against a base that still has both posts underneath it.
How opponents counter it
- Grab the head/collar and drive weight down through the X
- Pummel the shoulder-side leg free and backstep
Is the X-Guard Sweep legal in competition?
Legal in all major rulesets at all levels (IBJJF, ADCC, sub-only). Rules change — always confirm against the current official rulebook for your event.
History & naming
The X-guard system was popularized above all by Marcelo Garcia in the mid-2000s.
Related techniques
All moves from X-Guard · Back to Grapplepedia