BJJ position
Open guard
Open guard covers every guard where the bottom player's legs are not locked around the opponent. Instead of holding the opponent close, you control distance with your feet, shins and grips: on the hips, on the biceps, around a leg. It is the family that butterfly, De La Riva, spider and collar sleeve guards belong to. Open guard is about movement and timing. The bottom player keeps the feet between themselves and the passer and attacks when the passer commits; the passer tries to get past the feet and pin the hips.
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If you're on the bottom
- Keep at least one foot or knee between you and the opponent at all times
- Use grips to control the opponent's posture and movement
- Attack with sweeps when the passer commits weight forward
If you're on top
- Control the legs or the hips before you try to pass
- Change angles and keep moving so the bottom player can't settle grips
- Break grips early and pass to the side, not straight in
Key details
- Guard retention is a skill: invert, hip escape and re-pummel your legs
- Push and pull: when the passer pushes, pull them in, and when they pull, push
- Combine grips and hooks, for example a sleeve grip with a foot on the hip
- As the passer, attack the legs at the knee line, not at the feet
Common mistakes
- Letting the knees separate from your chest so the passer reaches your hips
- Holding grips with straight arms and no foot control
- On top: standing square in front of the feet
Techniques from open guard
In the BJJ Navigator library, each with a video clip.
De La Riva Pass guard pass, topKnee Shield position, bottomDe La Riva position, bottom
Related positions
Add open guard to your map
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