Single Leg X Entry

Transition

Single Leg X Entry is a transitional movement where you thread one leg between your opponent's legs and hook behind their far knee while controlling one leg, arriving in Single Leg X or Outside Ashi Garami. It is used to transition from various open guards into powerful leg entanglement positions for sweeps or leg attacks.

Quick Reference

Key principles

  • · Control the targeted leg at the ankle or foot to prevent your opponent from stepping away.
  • · Use your inside foot as a butterfly-style hook or shin frame to elevate and off-balance before threading your outside leg through.
  • · Hip escape laterally to create the angle needed to insert your hips underneath their base.
  • · Anticipate the opponent pulling their leg back by maintaining grip tension and advancing your hips forward simultaneously.
  • · Keep your outside knee pinched tight to their hip line to prevent them from smashing through your legs.

Execution

  1. 1 From your guard position, secure a grip on your opponent's same-side ankle or foot and place your near-side foot on their hip or bicep as a frame.
  2. 2 Hip escape to the outside while threading your far leg between their legs, placing your foot on their far hip as a hook.
  3. 3 Shoot your hips underneath their center of gravity, clamping your knees together around their trapped leg.
  4. 4 Establish the cross-body foot on their hip and near-side foot hooking behind their knee to complete the Single Leg X position, or angle your hips outward to arrive in Outside Ashi Garami.

Common mistakes

  • × Failing to hip escape before threading the leg, resulting in being too square and unable to insert hips deep enough for control.
  • × Releasing ankle grip during the transition, allowing the opponent to simply step out and re-establish passing position.
  • × Keeping hips too far from the opponent's base, which leaves space for them to drive forward and flatten you.

Do it from

Positions and situations where the Single Leg X Entry shows up.

De La Riva Guard Bottom Leg Hook Open Guard Bottom Seated Guard X-Guard Bottom
10 less common
Butterfly Guard Bottom Inverted Guard K-Guard Bottom Reverse De La Riva Guard Bottom Shin-to-shin Guard Bottom Spider Guard Bottom Standing Position Straight Ankle Lock Control Underhook Control Kneebar Control

Where it lands

The position you end up in.

Outside Ashi Garami Single Leg X Bottom