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What is Spider Guard?
The Spider Guard is a position exclusive to the Gi BJJ which involves gripping the sleeves of the opponent. With both sleeves gripped by the fingers, the bottom player then kicks their feet onto the biceps of their opponent. If it wasn’t obvious, this is why the position is called Spider guard. The guard player uses their limbs like a spider.
Competitors such as Romulo Barral and Michael Langhi have both used the guard successfully at black belt competition level.
The position can also be considered to be one of the first entries into lapels in sport BJJ which has then evolved into the likes of Worm guard and other less known lapel guards.
Positional Entries To Spider Guard
Typically Spider guard entries can be created through an open guard. With the guard player sitting against a standing opponent, one entry can be through De La Riva. This position can be used to create the initial sleeve grips. From there you can untangle one leg at a time and attach them to the opponent’s biceps.
With this control established you can then push and pull the opponent with your legs to create distance when needed. This is a fundamentally solid part of BJJ as it creates an unbalanced opponent which is needed for sweeps and submissions.
Another entry can be from the bottom half guard. If you are not comfortable in that position, then Spider guard can be a useful tool to escape into a more open position. Firstly you can get a sleeve grip on the opponent’s near sleeve and kick out the framing knee. When the leg is out of the Z guard, you can then attach it to the opponent’s bicep.
From here you need to then remove the bottom leg and do the same to the opponent’s free arm. Similarly, some people like to get into Spider guard by inserting a lasso whilst using the knee shield. This can be used to create distance on the opponent which can free your bottom leg that can then be attached to a bicep, creating what is called Lasso-Spider guard.
Submissions from Spider Guard
The Spider guard offers various sweeps and submissions. The most common submission from the Spider guard is probably the Triangle choke. Due to the push and pull mechanics, the practitioner can time the submission by pulling the opponent into the legs. When doing this you can then remove a sleeve grip and kick the leg over the opponent.
From here you can then enter the Triangle and create the lock with your legs. Even if the opponent is wary of the move, the threat alone will often make their passing more cautious and slower.
A similar attack can be the Omoplata. This has a similar entry to the Triangle as the two are somewhat related. However, instead of kicking your leg over the opponent’s head, you should opt to kick it over their shoulder. With the power and speed of the leg kick, it should break the opponent’s posture down and open up to an Omoplata. From there you can choose to lock the legs, grab their hips and start finishing the submission.
For a more unusual submission, the Spider Guard also offers attacks against the legs. Most noticeably, it allows you to hunt for kneebars. Similar to entering Single Leg X guard from the Spider position, you must put your opponent’s body weight over your head. To do this, you can remove one sleeve grip and replace it on the collar.
This will free your leg which can now be used to stomp on the floor. Whilst doing this, you should kick the arm forward with your Spider grip and force the opponent to post on both hands. If they don’t do this, then you will sweep them onto their face. With this done, you can now invert into a kneebar. You can finish this with the opponent standing, but you can also get it easier if you manage to put the opponent on the floor.
Sweeps from Spider Guard
The Spider guard has a number of sweeps including the scissor sweep. If the opponent is on their knees in Spider Guard then this sweep is appropriate. Here you can flair the one leg up to redistribute their weight and then chop their body with your free leg. Whilst doing this remember to kick the bicep to the side of the chop, unbalancing them towards the floor. This will create a scissor sweep similar to the closed guard scissor position and heavily relies on moving their weight with the foot on the bicep.
Another sweep from the Spider guard is the Balloon sweep which again is the same as the closed guard position. Here you can remove one of the Spider legs and stamp on the floor, resulting in the opponent being pushed forward. You can then remove the other leg (whilst always keeping the sleeve grips) and place both feet on the hips.
With the opponent’s weight forward you can then kick them over your head and do a backwards roll, landing in mount.
As seen with both sweep examples, the key is to unbalance the opponent and move their weight.
Not only this, but the Spider guard also transitions into other, similar guards. For example, it can easily link between the Lasso guard and also the general open guard with options such as the tripod sweep being available.
How do I get rid of Spider Guard?
Passing the Spider guard can be tricky and frustrating. Perhaps the best way to pass is by shutting down one side and removing the sleeve grip. An example of this is by picking aside and putting the Spider player on their side as opposed to their back. From here you can then try and pin their leg on the floor by stepping on their thigh.
At this point, you can violently pull your arm away which hopefully breaks the grip. From there you can switch to Toreando pass and break their remaining grip with your free hand.
In short, the idea is to break a grip which frees an arm. Doing this results in more freedom and choices to pass.
Another alternative is when the grip is broken, you step over their other leg and force half-guard. With this position achieved it is difficult for the opponent to regain Spider guard. From here you can start passing with traditional half guard passes.
As a general rule, a lot of black belts will immediately look to re-grip their opponent, the moment they feel grips on their own sleeves. This is a good starting point to destroy Spider guard before it has even begun. For most non-black belts this may not be an option so you may need to use the above methods instead. Nonetheless, similar to all guards in positions, it is ideal if you can shut them down in their infancy.
Other concepts to pass include posturing up and cutting angles to give you an advantage. Too often, people are bullied by Spider Guard and getting their position dictated. However, if you can move to the side of a leg and immobilize its capacity to move you around, then you can begin to think about passing.
The issue is when you are moved by the opponent’s legs, rather than moving their legs instead. Once you can understand this concept, even a fully-locked Spider guard becomes easier to navigate and pass.
Is Spider Guard linked to arthritis?
One issue with Spider Guard is that down the years, it has been linked to arthritis. Basically, all lapel grips will cause your hand muscles to strengthen. However, it could be argued that Spider Guard takes this to the extreme. Spider Guard relies heavily on gripping with your fingers. It’s no surprise that with newbies playing the guard, that they get sore fingers after.
This is because your fingers lack the muscle strength or size found in your forearms. With this in mind, you may see Spider players with jacked hands and large calluses on their fingers due to years of grips.
Although this may benefit you in the gym, the issue is that you may end up with arthritic fingers in your old age. Whilst many may see this as a price to pay – the issue is that it’s not ideal either. Because of this, you should analyze whether playing the position is worth it for you. Of course, there are also methods such as finger stretches and anti-inflammatory supplements such as CBD which also help ease the pain.
Summary
Overall the Spider guard can be a very tricky guard to pass. Perhaps the one negative about the guard is the reliance on strong grips and fingers which can lead to damaged finger ligaments.
Does Spider Guard work in no gi?
It is also not viable for Nogi and MMA. Although some people can attempt this if they have strong grips in Nogi, however this isn’t recommended. Overall, it is a strong position that is useful in building a good open guard game.
With this said, the idea of Spider guard is to use it in the gi and off-balance the opponent to open up sweeps and submissions such as triangle chokes. Not only this but like many forms of open guard, it can also lead to other positions and is good to retain and transition into other positions. Due to being a commonly taught guard in the gi curriculum, it is something worth learning both on top and bottom.
