Here we are at a subject that is the clear face of dualism in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. You either absolutely love this guard variation, or you hate it down to your bones. One thing you can be certain of is that everyone has an opinion on the Lasso guard. It is one of the hardest guards to pass in all of grappling. Well, in all of Gi grappling, anyway. On the other hand, it is extremely easy for the bottom person to control and attack with the Lasso. These are just a few of the reasons high-level black belts use it in competition regularly. But there’s more, so much more to the Lasso guard. One great way of uncovering some of its best-kept secrets is Samir Chantre’s Lasso Guard DVD set.
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Samir Chantre – The Lasso Guard
Make no mistake, the lass guard can win you tournaments, and perhaps even world titles! Samir Chantre should know something about it, as not many people have used the Lasso guard better than him. The lasso guard is one of the most effective open guards, particularly due to the ability to combine it with other guards. Every time some BJJ position or move works outside the frame, it has the potential of being a game changer. The “Lasso Guard” DVD is one of these game changers, allowing you access to insider knowledge about one of the best Jiu-Jitsu guards ever!
A Sneaky Guard Player
Samir Chantre is an Alan Moraes black belt out of the Carlson Gracie lineage. One of his longtime mentors and training partners is also multiple world champion Caio Terra. Chantre is an amazing competitor at both Gi and No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu and a World And European champion of his own. He is also one of the sneakiest, most effective guard players in the history of BJJ!
Why should you listen to anything Samir has to say about guard? Well, first of all, he is a 141 lbs competitor, meaning he is a real master of technique. Small guys have to have great guards in order to avoid pressure and smashing. Moreover, an astonishing 106 competition wins on Samir’s record can also testify to his abilities. The Rio de Janeiro born grappler discovered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 9. Although the 30-year-old had a short period of his life where eh dedicated completely to soccer, Jiu-Jitsu ended up being his true calling.
It was Caio terra that brought a, then brown belt Chanter to the US. He got his black belt in 2009 and opened his own academy in California the following year. Back then, his academy was a part of the Caio Terra association which he left in 2015 to open Samir Chantre BJJ before co-founding Ares BJJ where he still is today. Oh, and as of 2019, he’s got a brand new instructional out – The “Lasso Guard” DVD!
Samir Chanter’s “Lasso Guard” DVD Review
The reason the Lasso guard is so popular and effective is due to the fact that it completely immobilizes one of your opponent’s arm. As you might imagine, this doesn’t translate well to BJJ, particularly for guard passers. The Lasso guard has one of your legs wrapped around the opponent’s arm, from the outside in, with your foot under their armpit. During the whole time, you need to be holding the same side sleeve grip with your arm. It is that simple to set up.
Once you have the lasso in, you’re all set to go. Opponent;’s have no way of passing your guard until they reclaim their arm. however, breaking the lasso guard grip is notoriously difficult. The best part is that you have multiple attacking options in every direction. Some, as you’ll see in the Samir Chantri Lasso Guard DVD, can end a match right then and there, with minimal effort.
The DVD set has two discs filled with incredible information regarding the Lasso Guard. There are 32 chapters in total, all arranged in a progressive fashion. Samir’s instructions are very clean, precise and to the point. Virtually every aspect of the Lasso guard gets its spot in this DVD, along with all the juicy details on how to bring everything together! Chapters are grouped into different sections, each going over a specific area of the guard.
Lasso Only
This section goes over the very basics of the Lasso guard as an individual guard position. And yes, simply having your leg in the lasso position constitutes as a guard. So much so, in fact, that the first subject Samir covers after a short introduction is a fast and deadly wrist lock submission. From there on, Samir progressively goes over all the attacking options you have.
Some of the sweeps that Chantre explains in the first portion of his Lasso guard DVD include a basic sweep to the side, sweeping standing opponents and even sweeping straight into a kneebar. Direct submission options are an inverted armbar, spinning triangle choke, Omoplata, and a killer biceps slicer.
Spider Lasso
The spider lasso is probably the most notorious lasso guard hybrid and the most difficult one to pass. This is essentially a spider guard where one leg is in the Lasso guard, and the other on the biceps, in classic spider guard fashion.
Options here are virtually endless. Since you have complete control over the opponent’s posture, you can sweep in all directions. Moreover, they can’t back off from you because of the lasso position. As Samir demonstrates, you can choose to the triangle, Omoplata or sweep an opponent at will. There are numerous Reverse De La Lasso sweeps available, along with some shin in submission options.
Leg Lasso And Hand On Lapel
This variation is one of those simple things that most people never think about. For me, this portion of the “Lasso Guard’ DVD was the most useful. Once in Lasso guard, apparently all you need to do is grab the opponent’s lapel. You end up with crazy control and a direct pathway into slick submission holds. The ever-present triangle choke and omoplata are here again, along wit ha climbing Kimura and the star of the show, the tri-shoulder lock.
Leg Lasso De La Riva
This is a very common Lasso guard hybrid that people enjoy playing. Of course, Chantre is a real expert at it, able to send you flying with ease. One thing that people find difficult from a regular De la Riva is sweeping overhead. the lasso control is going to provide you with the opportunity to sweep opponents over your head, as well as forward. Another great thing is that it acts as an anchor for fast Berimbolo entry.
Leg Lasso And The Half Guard
Getting a leg lasso from the half guard is something I picked up only in the “Lasso Guard” DVD so far. Once again, a painfully obvious and simple setup, yet one most people tend to skip. try sweeping from the half guard with a leg lasso on, and you’ll see what I mean. You can even do it just by holding on to the sleeve grip only.
Leg Lasso X-Guard
Finally, before wrapping things up with an outro, Samir goes over the Lasso X-Guard. These two guards have a really close relationship. While you can’t be in a hybrid between the two, you can most certainly transition with ease from the Lasso to the X and even vice versa. This gives your game a whole different dimension, given that people usually enter the X easily, but have a hard time abandoning it if they need to. The “Lasso Guard” DVD offers sweeping options via technical stand up, forward and back, along with a leg drag transition to solidify the top position.
ON SALE HERE:
Samir Chantre – The Lasso Guard
