Finishing a submission is a great but what do you do when you can’t finish a submission? When playing leg locks my first option when I can’t finish a submission is to transition to a new position. I am particularly fond of any sort of sweep that can put me on top of my opponent. In the video below Marcelo Garcia shows several sweep options that you can use from the Single Leg X Guard (aka Ashi Garami).

Notice how Marcelo uses hand fighting, a butt scoot, and a butterfly hook to obtain his position.

While the entire video is full of great sweeps, the part that I found most helpful is how Marcelo enters the Single Leg X Guard from his butt. In the video he talks about one of my biggest frustrations, your opponent not allowing you to control their leg. As leg locks become more popular, more and more people are starting to understand that they can’t let you grab their leg. In the video Marcelo shows how you can use hand fighting, a butt scoot, and your butterfly hook to enter the position.

Out of the three sweeps that Marcelo shows, I think I like the first sweep the best because you end up in your opponent’s open guard. From the open guard I have the option to either pass or look to attack the legs again. Regardless of what sweep you use, the important concept to remember is that the Single Leg X position is not only for submissions. It can be a powerful position to sweep your opponent from as well!