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BJJ Basics – All You Need to Know About Closed Guard

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BJJ Basics – All You Need to Know About Closed Guard

BJJ Basics – All You Need to Know About Closed Guard

Closed guard is arguably the most fundamental position in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. For most jiu-jitsu practitioners, it was their very first entry into the world of martial arts and/or self-defense. For everyone else, it was likely their second. This is because it is the safest position to be in when you know next to nothing.

Just as its name implies, the closed guard is a “guarded” position, in which there are very few attacks your opponents can execute from inside the guard. In order to do anything, they must first break the guard and move to more advantageous positions. However, for the person on bottom, there are a multitude of attacks he or she can employ.

Understanding Closed Guard

If you are executing the closed guard, you are considered “on the bottom,” with your back on the mat, your legs wrapped around the waist of your opponent, and your ankles crossed behind him/her. Conversely, if you are “in closed guard,” you’re in the top position, with your opponent’s legs wrapped around you.

In this article, we’re going to focus on the bottom position – the principles to keep in mind and a few of the more common attacks – but it’s important to understand the top position’s objectives in order to play closed guard well. Your opponent will most likely be on both knees, sitting on his/her feet, with his/her hands somewhere on you (your belt, your lapel, your stomach or your hands), rather than on the mat. His/her back will more often than not be straight and perpendicular to the mat, or “postured up” as it is often called. He/she will be attempting to break open your guard – applying pressure in some way to break the crossing of your ankles so that he/she can then pass to a better position.

Key Principles of Closed Guard

Besides being in a “guarded” position, the person employing closed guard is also in a very strategic position to attack a submission, or even sweep and move to a stronger position. In that regard, you can consider the person employing closed guard to be “one step ahead” of his/her opponent. However, to best capitalize on that step, there are a few considerations you must keep in mind:

  • Posture is Everything – As mentioned above, one of your opponent’s primary objectives is to “posture up,” in order to 1) maintain his/her base and be in a position to break the guard, and 2) keep his/her upper body farthest away from most of your attacks. Thus, one of your primary objectives is to break their posture down. Best way to do this? Control the head. If the head is pulled down, the spine and back bends, and the posture is weak.
  • Don’t Forget About Your Legs – Often, beginners in jiu-jitsu over rely on their upper body to control and manipulate their opponents. However, for the vast majority of people, that is not the strongest part of the body; the legs are. Especially when combined with grip breaks, pulling your knees toward you or throwing them back and forth – when your opponent is in between them – can be a powerful force for breaking your opponent’s posture and getting him/her to put himself/herself in danger.
  • Focus Your Control – Especially if you’re the smaller, weaker player, you are at a disadvantage, strength-wise, relative to your opponent. You can’t afford to stretch yourself thin by trying to control a wide area of his/her body. Instead, focus on one part, such as the head, one arm, or the just upper body. When it’s your entire body focused one part of their body, you will then be at the advantage, allowing you to set up your attack.
  • Don’t Fear Opening the Guard – Whether you’re planning an attack that involves the legs – such as a triangle or armbar from guard – or you’re setting up a slick sweep, you’re going to have to open the guard. The distinction between you opening your guard, and your opponent opening your guard is very fine, but important. Whoever initiates the movement is half a step ahead of the other.

Common Submissions from Closed Guard

What article on closed guard would be complete without offering a few submissions that you can easily employ the next time you hit the mat? Here are a few of what we consider to be 101 submissions from the closed guard. Learn them, love them, and terrorize your opponents with them:

Armbar

Triangle

Collar Chokes

While closed guard might be one of the – if not the – most fundamental position in BJJ, that doesn’t mean that it is just for the beginner jiu-jitsu practitioner. Mastering the closed guard position is a critical part of every savvy jiu-jitsu player, from white belt to black, and beyond.

Check out our other BJJ Basics blogs below:

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