YR Sports Lab
Your opponent is standing over you. You sit up, grab a sleeve, and swing one leg around the outside of his arm so your shin lies across the biceps. That is Lasso Guard. It is a gi-only open guard: the leg works like a loop of rope around one arm, so that arm cannot post, cannot grab your pants and cannot drive forward. This guide breaks down hook depth, the sweeps and submissions that follow, the common counters, and is upfront that "who invented it" has no standard answer.
1. Origins: No Single Inventor, and a Name from a Rope Loop
If you were hoping for an inventor story like "who was Choi in Choi Bar", lasso guard cannot give you one. None of the sources we read names a single, widely accepted inventor; all we can say is that it took shape gradually as open guard developed in academies and competition. The name is descriptive: a lasso is a rope loop, and the leg wrapping the arm looks like one.
On who made it famous, we have only one source
The bjjgraph position page says the guard drew attention in the early 2000s through Brazilian competitors including Robson Moura, Samuel Braga and Michael Langhi, who showed it working at a high competitive level. This is the only source we found that discusses how it spread, so we treat it as "a source says so", not as settled fact. We also do not cite medal records for these three, because the biography pages we checked do not connect them to lasso guard, which means we cannot cross-check that link with two sources.
One more piece of context: BJJ Fanatics calls it "a fairly basic way to play open guard that you will often see used in high level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions". In other words, it is not an obscure move but a common entry point for people learning open guard.
2. Mechanics: Grip the Sleeve, Wrap the Leg, Extend and Pull
The essence of lasso guard is using one leg and one hand to lock one of the opponent's arms inside your control. DIGITSU states its defensive value clearly: the wrapped arm cannot post, cannot grab your pants and cannot drive. The standard version looks like this:
| Stage | Key points |
|---|---|
| ① Starting position | Open guard on your back or seated, with the opponent standing or kneeling in front of you; use your hips to create an angle and open a gap beside his arm |
| ② Sleeve grip | Take a sleeve grip on the arm you want to wrap and keep pulling it toward you while keeping your hips off-center |
| ③ Wrap the leg | Thread the same-side leg around the outside of his arm, shin across the biceps, foot hooking into the armpit or behind the back |
| ④ Other leg | Post the other leg on his hip or connect with the foot to block the belly and help off-balance him |
| ⑤ Extend and pull | Extend the lasso leg as far as possible to create leverage against his shoulder while pulling the sleeve toward your chest; keep both hands and feet active |
The hook comes in two depths. The deep lasso runs the leg all the way to the armpit, with the shin blocking the biceps, and gives the strongest control. The shallow lasso hooks above the biceps without going all the way through, so you can transition into other open guards. Evolve MMA presents the shallow version as a position for transitions and for combining with other guards.
3. Entry Timing and Attack Chain
Lasso guard usually appears when the opponent is standing or sitting in front of you and closing in to deal with your legs: you sit up, grip the sleeve, turn your hips toward the sleeve side and slide the shin across the outside of his arm. Taipei BJJ points out that the problem is usually the entry: in live rolling a common mistake is a sloppy hook entry, so the entry is worth drilling on its own. Once the hook is in, the attacks fall into three groups:
| Follow-up | Key details |
|---|---|
| Lasso sweep | Pull the sleeve across your body, extend the lasso leg toward his shoulder and lift your hips so he rolls over the top |
| Push sweep | Extend the lasso leg while pulling the collar so he falls backward |
| Overhead sweep | When he drives forward, catch that momentum and sweep him over you |
| Back take | When he tries to recover the arm, follow the movement around to the back |
| Triangle | The lasso has already set the shoulder angle; swing the free leg over to convert into a triangle |
| Omoplata | When he postures up, turn your body into the omoplata |
| Cutting armbar | Taipei BJJ says the armbar is the next option when the triangle is defended; Evolve MMA also lists it among the submissions in the lasso-spider combination |
DIGITSU adds that the loop choke and the Kimura can also follow from lasso, though these are less common choices. The core of the system is that defending one attack triggers the next: Taipei BJJ says the sweeps, the back take and the three submissions chain together, so in training you should turn "grip, wrap, change angle" into one continuous motion. Our spider guard guide covers a sister guard that is often taught alongside it, and Evolve MMA's lesson presents the two together as a lasso-spider combination.
4. Strengths and Limits
| Strengths | Limits |
|---|---|
| The wrapped arm cannot post, grab pants or drive, so one leg can stop the opponent from pressuring forward | Fully dependent on the gi: with no sleeve to grip the position cannot form, so the standard version is rarely seen in no-gi training |
| One arm is already controlled, so the triangle and omoplata follow smoothly | The entry is the biggest failure point; a clumsy hook lets the opponent pull the arm out or step around |
| Taipei BJJ says the bent elbow and twisted shoulder neutralize a stronger opponent's pressure | If your hips lie flat or your hands and feet stop moving, the guard becomes static and is easier for the opponent to handle |
| Deep and shallow hooks can be switched depending on distance, and the shallow one connects to other open guards | Once the grip is broken or the arm is freed, the hook loses its control and you must change position right away |
5. Common Counters
Fuji Sports' counter guide stresses one core principle: "control the lasso foot and you control their lasso attempt", and do it before the hook is completed instead of waiting until it is set. Its concrete advice is to keep the elbows close to the ribs so the opponent's foot cannot get through, and to keep applying pressure. If the lasso is already on, the main passing options DIGITSU lists are the smash pass, knee cut, long step, the pressure pass, the stack pass and torreando.
A few more details come up repeatedly in lessons. First, break the grip early. Taipei BJJ suggests breaking the sleeve grip before the opponent completes the wrap. Second, walk the elbow toward the opponent's knee to create slack in the wrapped arm, then pull it out. Third, stand and put the knee on the back of the thigh to start. The BJJ Fanatics article cites Lucas Barbosa standing up and stepping back, putting knee pressure on the back of the thigh, then circling the hand and using the momentum of a fake knee slice to break the lasso grip. Fourth, the cartwheel pass. Taipei BJJ lists it as one counter: time a cartwheel step around the lasso leg.
After the Counter, These Follow-ups Remain
When the lasso grip is stripped, do not cling to the same spot. Evolve MMA reminds you to keep both hands and feet active because the position always offers many options; the shallow lasso is built to combine with other open guards, so you can flow into spider guard or De La Riva and keep managing distance with your feet.
When the opponent stands tall and pulls the arm back, that is the moment for the back take or the omoplata, because his pulling opens the angle for you.
6. How Often It Appears in Competition
The BJJ Fanatics lesson calls lasso guard an open-guard approach "often seen in high level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions" (queried 2026/10). However, we found no official or third-party public statistics on lasso guard attempts, scoring rate or submission rate. IBJJF official results publish only placings and brackets, so this article gives no percentages and offers qualitative description only. On rules, it relies on a sleeve or collar grip, so the standard version does not apply to no-gi competition; none of the sources we found mentions belt restrictions for it, and IBJJF rules change every year, so check the current rulebook. bjjgraph also mentions a no-gi variation that replaces the sleeve grip with overhook control, but that is a different position and we do not expand on it here.
7. Safety Notes
In terms of submission risk, lasso guard itself is a control position, and the main risks appear in the follow-ups: the triangle compresses the neck, while the omoplata and the cutting armbar act on the shoulder and elbow. We found no injury statistics specific to lasso guard, so we give no incidence figures. For joint load and training advice, our medical-angle article covers lasso leverage and finger-protection training: BJJ spider guard: three-point tension mechanics, lasso leverage and finger-protection training; for shoulder load, see our omoplata guide.
・Slow down when you go to the triangle, omoplata or armbar, and release immediately when your partner taps
・If your partner forcefully pulls the arm out against the wrap, do not clamp on; change position
・When your grip and forearms tire, switch positions instead of forcing it with your fingers
・Before rolling with a new partner, check how comfortable they are with shoulder and elbow locks
FAQ
Who invented lasso guard?
We found no widely accepted single inventor. bjjgraph records that it drew attention in the early 2000s through Brazilian competitors including Robson Moura, Samuel Braga and Michael Langhi at a high level, but that is a single-source claim and no source gives an exact origin.
Can you use lasso guard without a gi?
Not the standard version; it is a gi-only guard. Lasso guard needs a sleeve grip to form control, and without a sleeve the wrapped arm cannot be stopped from posting. bjjgraph mentions a no-gi variation that uses overhook control instead of the sleeve, but that is a different position.
What should I do when someone lassos my arm?
The best answer is to act before the wrap is completed. Fuji Sports advises keeping the elbows close to the ribs and controlling the foot that is trying to wrap; once wrapped, break the sleeve grip first, pass with a knee cut or long step, or consider a cartwheel pass around it.
Which submissions follow from lasso guard?
The submissions most often mentioned are the triangle, the omoplata and the armbar. The lasso has already controlled one arm, so when the opponent postures up or pulls the arm back is often the moment to attack. DIGITSU also lists the loop choke and the Kimura, but they are less common options.
Should white belts learn lasso guard?
You can start, but there is no rush for complex combinations. BJJ Fanatics says it is usually taught to blue belts and above. White belts can first smooth out sitting posture, sleeve grips and hip angles, then add the wrap and sweeps, drilling the entry on its own.
References
1. bjjgraph.org. Lasso Guard. bjjgraph.org (queried 2026/10; third-party compilation; supports the definition of lasso guard, the claim that Robson Moura, Samuel Braga and Michael Langhi popularized it in the early 2000s, and the note on the no-gi overhook variation)
2. DIGITSU. All About the Lasso Guard. digitsu.com (queried 2026/10; supports the sleeve grip, leg placement, deep and shallow versions, the defensive principle that the wrapped arm cannot post, the attack options and the list of main passes)
3. Evolve MMA. Complete Guide To The BJJ Lasso Guard. evolve-mma.com (queried 2026/10; supports the starting setup, the difference between deep and shallow hooks, the lasso-spider combination and the advice to keep hands and feet active)
4. Taipei BJJ. Lasso Guard BJJ: The Gi Guard That Controls Distance. taipeibjj.com (queried 2026/10; supports the entry mistakes, how sweeps and submissions chain, the bent-elbow and twisted-shoulder mechanics, and the counters of early grip breaks, walking the elbow and the cartwheel pass)
5. BJJ Fanatics. Exploring The Lasso Guard For Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. bjjfanatics.com (queried 2026/10; instructional article; supports the qualitative description of being common in high-level competition, being typically taught to blue belts and above, and Lucas Barbosa's stand-up, knee-pressure and hand-circling counter)
6. Fuji Sports. Countering A Leg Lasso. fujisports.com (queried 2026/10; supports the counter principles of controlling the lasso foot, keeping elbows to the ribs and intervening before the wrap is set)