Z Guard is a variation of half guard also commonly referred to as the knee shield. The Z Guard name refers to the shape of your leg against your opponents body. In oldschool jiu-jitsu, people would not use half guard very often until deep half guard became popularised. After this people started experimenting with more half guard positions such as lockdown and more recently Z-Guard.
The frame is a key area of Z Guard as it stops the bottom player from being crushed as it nullifies the top weight by keeping the opponent at a distance. This is done by putting your knee on to your opponents pectoral area and then connecting your knee with your elbow. Your spare hand can then stop your opponent getting a cross face grip on you.
Used by pioneer Robson Moura, the Z Guard helped him win countless medals during the early 2000’s. More recently Tom DeBlass and Craig Jones brought attention to the position by using it to hunt leg locks as well as various upper body submissions and sweeps.
In modern day BJJ, Z-Guard is a very commonly used position by itself and also has entries into positions such as the arm saddle.
Table of Contents
General Theory Of Z-Guard Mechanics
When playing Z Guard it’s important to control the top players nearside leg. To do this you should wrap your bottom foot around their leg with your toes pointed toward the ground.
Your top leg should be actively carrying the opponents bodyweight with the knee flared upwards to lessen their pressure. This will then be connected to your own elbow with your forearm across their upperbody, creating a stable and connected frame.
For instance, if the opponent can remove the knee then they can crossface or flatten you out which may lead to a pass. This is because it puts you from an aggressive position to a passive position.
Fundamentally you MUST keep your frames in tact. If the frame is removed then you will no longer have an active Z-Guard and instead will be stuck in a poor half guard. Whilst you are active there are many submission and sweep attempts, as well as entries to other positions. As soon as the knee shield is lost, almost all of these options are removed.
Sweeps
Underhook / Dogfight Position
Z guard offers a number of attacking sweep options. Perhaps the most common is getting a nearside underhook which can lead to sweeps and taking the back. This means you can move your head behind your opponents back, if they remain passive then you can insert hooks and take the back.
However, if they see the danger they may counter with an overhook which leads to sweeps. This position is called the dog fight as it’s scrappy and can drain energy from both parties.
With the opponent overhooking, you can drive and tap their far knee into a takedown sweep. Another option is grabbing their far leg pants and rolling underneath them towards your underhook. This creates a similar sweep towards the otherside and usually reverses the position from bottom to top.
BJJ legend Lucas Leite was known for his sweeps from the underhook and called it Coyote guard. With the underhook he would force his opponent into conceding the sweep or having their back taken.
Shaolin Sweep
The Shaolin sweep is one of the most pretty sweeps in BJJ. With that being said, the shaolin sweep is not a move done just to look good, it is fundamentally sound.
The idea behind this sweep is quite the opposite of the various dogfight underhook sweeps. Your goal is to make the opponent base their weight on to your knee shield, whilst blocking their far side arm and lifting their untrapped leg.
Once the opponents weight is loaded on to your knees and their base is blocked (arm grip). They will have little to no defense against the sweep. From here you are able to perform a backwards roll and come up in to the top half guard position.
Submissions
Z Guard offers a variety of submission attempts, with both access to the upper and lower body.
Upper Body Submissions:
Kimura
Loop Choke
Cross Collar Choke
Straight Arm Lock
Guillotine
Triangle
Mir Lock
Lower Body Submissions:
Heel Hook
Toehold
Kneebar
Craig Jones has used the Z Guard to great effect with his submission game. He will often elevate his opponents and invert to attack the legs by getting underneath the opponents body. Once under the body it is relatively easy to enter a heel hook position followed by a very fast tap from his opponent. The Z-Guard does not have to be used exclusively for upper of lower body attacks. As we can see, there is a variety of options of both sweeps and submissions from this position.
How do you beat the Z-Guard?
The Z-Guard can be defeated by passing it or by submissions. Below we have written a few ways on how to pass the position. However, if possible you can also submit from there too. Remember, if you are going to submit the Z-Guard player, you will usually have to defeat their frames to begin with. Here are the submissions
Leglocks (heel hooks, toeholds, ankle locks and kneebars)
If you’re trying to submit by doing upper body attacks then you will need to remove frames. However, this is not applicable for leg locks. Usually, top-players will chose to grab the exposed foot and fall back into a foot lock.
This is considered a risky position, as if goes wrong you could sweep yourself. With this said, you should know exactly what you’re doing beforehand. Alternatively, it can be used as a hail mary or way to open up the guard to start passing. The kneebar is unique as it involves stepping over the leg, unlike the other leg attacks that all involve falling back.
Kimura and Americana (keylocks)
These can be attacked by removing the knee shield and flattening the opponent. From here, you can then grab the far arm and bend it until submission.
Chokes (various)
Most chokes can be attacked when the opponent has had the knee removed and back flattened. In the gi, the likes of Ezekiel and brabo chokes are both available. Perhaps the most common choke in no gi from there is the arm triangle. This is often seen in MMA when the arm is isolated.
Passing The Z-Guard
Z Guard is not invincible and can be passed through multiple avenues.
Winning The Underhook Battle (Pressure Passing)
As mentioned in the sweeps section, the underhook battle is crucial and if you lose, your opponent can flatten you. With your back on the mat they can apply a crossface and start climbing up the body to enhance their position. From here they can eventually free the trapped foot and enter mount or side control.
Knee Slice
Another option is by securing the underhook and doing a knee cut pass (also known as a knee slice). This involves slicing the knee through the bottom players thigh and results in side control. BJJ veteran Lovato Jr called this pass the headquarters position as it enabled him various options to get through the half guard.
The Cradle
Largely popularised by Neil Melanson. The cradle was once thought of as a pure wrestling move, but has since transitioned nicely to BJJ. By grabbing the back of the opponents head and underneath their knee shield leg. Once the hands are connected, you are much more easily able to free your trapped leg and pass in to side control.
Summary
Overall the Z Guard is a very useful tool both for BJJ and can even be used in MMA to stop head strikes from the bottom. Like all guards in BJJ, it can be either a passive or aggressive position but you must alway remember to stay active.
When aggressive, there are numerous sweeps and submissions available. However when passive it can lead to the opponent passing and improving their position. Nonetheless for those wanting a versatile guard with a depth of options the Z Guard is a good option to try. There are few guards in BJJ with so many submission options for both the upper and lower body.
If you want to learn more about the position, then The Z-Guard Encyclopedia by Craig Jones is a great place to start.
