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Now to the book. The books appearance is very classy. I liked the use of grays and blacks with the background image of Marcelo and Babs demonstrating a technique. The cover is glossy and it is packed with tons of step-by-step pictures for each technique.

I didn’t count the number of pics but trust me there are a lot. You will not be stuck wondering how he got from this position to that position in this book.

Like other books from Victory Belt there is a great introduction where Marcelo tells his story of how he got involved in BJJ. I really like these intros because they give you a glimpse into each fighter’s development.

The book has an extensive table of contents. One feature I found interesting was next to each technique there is a thumbs up/down image to let you know if it is a gi or no gi technique. The book is divided up into two main sections. The Butterfly Guard and the X-Guard.

Each major section is further broken down into three sections. The sections within the Butterfly Guard are: Basic Positioning and Grip Defense, Sweeps & Transitions and Submissions. The X-Guard sections are: Establishing the X-Guard, Sweeps and Submissions.

The Sweeps and Transitions is the bulk of the Butterfly Guard section. This section is packed with solid techniques that you can add to your game.

The Butterfly Guard can be a great position for MMA as well as grappling events for two reasons. One, you disrupt your opponents base putting them in a defensive position. And two, because they are in a defensive position trying not to get swept they are not thinking about punching you. Just don’t let them create space. Stay close.

For those that have a mind for offense the Submissions section is for you. I really like the armbar and triangle setups. The Monoplata is a technique that I have drilled. It takes you to a tremendously tight armbar that will make your opponent tap quickly. The only downside that I have found when sparring is that when I roll with a guy that outweighs me they can posture up. This forces me to transition to another tech. Still a great tech to have in your bag of tricks.

Now we get to the meat of the book. This section begins with establishing the guard. This is critical. If you cannot get to the position there is no way that you will be able to do any of the sweeps or submissions.

Marcelo has entries into the guard from the standing and sitting positions as well as the half and full guard. This is some really innovative stuff.

The next section covers the sweeps. The reason Marcelo developed this guard style is “I wanted a guard that worked most of the time.... And when I say ‘work’ I mean a guard system that would get me from the bottom position to the top position.”

The submission section is kinda light. This is probably due to the fact that the purpose of the X-Guard for Marcelo is to sweep his opponent. It creates transitions to the top more than set up submissions for him.

This guard style has been proven by Marcelo in the world’s premier no gi grappling competition, the Abu Dhabi Combat Club.

For the world of MMA this guard style leads into all kinds of leg locks, knee bars and heel hooks. Just watch out for knees and punches dropping down on your face !

X-Guard: For Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, No Gi Grappling, and Mixed Martial Arts is essential for those wanting to add Marcelo's signature guard into their game !

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