I think the hardest thing to do in closed guard is controlling posture, especially when attacking. A lot of people (including me) forget about it as soon as they go for an armbar or triangle and are focused on the submission. I find it particularly hard to control posture in the pre-armbar position you show at 3:30, which is why I now do it while keeping a grip on his shoulder all the time.
@slamious yeah good point. The neck pressing thing happened to me once when I was in half guard at training, and as a result it wasn't chocking me but didn't allow me to posture up.
I'm like a very beginning traditional Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and I am constantly harassed with arms that try to choke me while I am in closed guard. Does anyone have tips to protect yourself against basic chokes while you are in closed guard. Most videos are the other way around, when the opponent is on the ground. I need tips for when I am the one on the ground.
Robert, try to get a good tight grip on both of your opponents sleeves by getting all four fingers the sleeve, roll your wrist and then pull down slightly, then you can work for your triangle, arm bar, or spider guard. If you lose the grip, keep your hands up by your neck and your chin tucked and continue grip fighting to get your grips back. Chokes will either compress the carotid arteries (baseball, lapel, rear naked choke - for example) on the side of the neck or put pressure on your trachea (Ezekiel choke). Generally though, a person in your guard will try to pass your guard to get to mount or side control and be in a better position to control your movements. Hope this helps.
scott marlow Thanks man! Helps a lot! I wonder what you mean with: All four fingers the sleeve? Do you mean IN the sleeve? Also, by pulling down, do you mean towards the ground or away from your head? And is this a possibility once he already established the grip?
Robert Fennis Yes, your fingers go in the sleeve. In no Gi rolling you would be controlling the wrist instead. As far as direction, you want your opponent to be like a marionette and control his position as much as possible and you need to be thinking of what your next step is gong to be. BJJ is very much like chess and is a game of inches as they say. You may try for a triangle but he postures up too much and you miss the opportunity so you game plan has to be flexible. For me, the hardest part of rolling is getting winded. lol.
Move your hips create angles and gain leverage. Mess with what he shows at the end of the video, the classic arm bar set up. The angles you create with that setup lead to many sweeps and subs, but do notice the hip control he uses for the setup.
what is the basic definition of a guard in Brazilian jiu-jitsu? so many vids about it but no one explains what it is for someone like myself who's would like to learn art
the guard is any way that you can maintain a safe distance between you and your opponent, using many different positions. in most cases you are using your legs to control your opponent.
yes true, good point. I have learnt this move and have also had it done against me. The key is getting that arm to the other side. The more experienced I become the more happy I would be for someone to try and lean forward and try a choke (an untrained thug etc.). Makes it an easier bridge !
@tricepsish They'd be giving you a "gift" cause their arm would be in position for an armbar. From the last position in this video you can easily swing the foot that's on his hip over his head and his arm that's on your neck will slide between your legs.
@ManicParroT I'm sorry I missunderstood him in the begining, he said "for the most part your going to have your legs locked", at first I thought he meant your going to have your legs locked for most of the time your in guard. :)
@NepolianZeeBean I don't think he suggests anywhere here that fighting in closed guard for a long time is a good idea. I think he's explaining the principles of the closed guard so that people who are learning BJJ can do it correctly. If [for whatever reason] you're in closed guard then it makes sense that you'd want to do things right while you're there, even if you're merely on your way to spider guard or whatever.
Ruben Toder Think about it like this, what are the disadvantages for being big. What are the advantages of being small. Think really deep. Now what advantages of yours match with his disadvantages. Think of different ways you can capitalise on these matching pairs. Then try them on the mat. You will fail. But after many attempts you will find something- and that will give you in site on different ways similar to what you thought of; and it will also tell you what kind of things work. Try this. Much better than someone telling you how to do something in the long run. Technique videos are for after you have figured something out so that you can get new ideas or refine your existing ones.
and the fact he was the first one syaing that gi and no gi grappling are two different things by the way did u ever try weed?;p like in good stuff? i live in holland and i tried it a few times, nothign wrong with it;p it's a bit like alchohol dont do to much but i small potions its fun
@MLee1692 (nothing wrong with weed ;p if u keep doing it for fun and not habit) im a fan of 10th planet system because it just the more efficient in no-gi / MMA matches and because it showed us that there were much more ways to tap someone, he really thought of some genius submissions if you ask me ;p
I'm sorry but I have to dissagree with the idea of this video. Fighting closed guard for most of a jiu-jitsu match is very ametuer and I only see novice fighters doing it. If you only fight from the closed guard then you become highly predictable, because the only time you open your legs is when your about to sweep or submit. Maintaining wrist/sleeve control and fighting open guard is the best way.
You can push his arm to the other side and quickly take his back. I like to do this one against untrained goons that rely too much on their strength. You must shift your hips to the side though.
I saw this in another BJJ video: you can push his elbow to the outside direction and from there you can pull his head towards your chest then catch him in an "arm tiangle" choke. I'm no pro. Just thought I'd share.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Thought he looked young - can't believe this was available 10 years ago and I found him recently!
Great stuff as always.
I think the hardest thing to do in closed guard is controlling posture, especially when attacking.
A lot of people (including me) forget about it as soon as they go for an armbar or triangle and are focused on the submission.
I find it particularly hard to control posture in the pre-armbar position you show at 3:30, which is why I now do it while keeping a grip on his shoulder all the time.
Damn this guy teaches soooooo good!
He's like a walking instructors school
your half guard dvd is awesome and easily understood with alot of real situational sequences...thx ..
Thank you Stephan, learning a lot from your videos.
@slamious yeah good point. The neck pressing thing happened to me once when I was in half guard at training, and as a result it wasn't chocking me but didn't allow me to posture up.
Excellent advice as always, thanks Stephan
@tosxpert A WB in JJ learns that as soon as he puts his hands on the mat he is opened up for a kimura. That works in gi or no gi.
Solid basics.
These are great vids, This guy kind of reminds me of Andre from the league.
thanks stephan this helps me a ton as a beginner.
@MLee1692 thanks, nice comment
i was wondering about rubberguard because he didnt mention it as a option from closed guard
I'm like a very beginning traditional Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and I am constantly harassed with arms that try to choke me while I am in closed guard. Does anyone have tips to protect yourself against basic chokes while you are in closed guard. Most videos are the other way around, when the opponent is on the ground. I need tips for when I am the one on the ground.
Robert, try to get a good tight grip on both of your opponents sleeves by getting all four fingers the sleeve, roll your wrist and then pull down slightly, then you can work for your triangle, arm bar, or spider guard. If you lose the grip, keep your hands up by your neck and your chin tucked and continue grip fighting to get your grips back. Chokes will either compress the carotid arteries (baseball, lapel, rear naked choke - for example) on the side of the neck or put pressure on your trachea (Ezekiel choke).
Generally though, a person in your guard will try to pass your guard to get to mount or side control and be in a better position to control your movements. Hope this helps.
scott marlow Thanks man! Helps a lot! I wonder what you mean with:
All four fingers the sleeve? Do you mean IN the sleeve? Also, by pulling down, do you mean towards the ground or away from your head? And is this a possibility once he already established the grip?
Robert Fennis Yes, your fingers go in the sleeve. In no Gi rolling you would be controlling the wrist instead. As far as direction, you want your opponent to be like a marionette and control his position as much as possible and you need to be thinking of what your next step is gong to be. BJJ is very much like chess and is a game of inches as they say.
You may try for a triangle but he postures up too much and you miss the opportunity so you game plan has to be flexible. For me, the hardest part of rolling is getting winded. lol.
Alright thanks so much man! Really appreciate it!
If someone is inside your closed guard and trying to choke you, you can armbar the shit out of them.
HEY ARE U THE SILAT GUY!? I just saw a documentry with you in it!
Thank you very much.
Move your hips create angles and gain leverage. Mess with what he shows at the end of the video, the classic arm bar set up. The angles you create with that setup lead to many sweeps and subs, but do notice the hip control he uses for the setup.
what is the basic definition of a guard in Brazilian jiu-jitsu? so many vids about it but no one explains what it is for someone like myself who's would like to learn art
the guard is any way that you can maintain a safe distance between you and your opponent, using many different positions. in most cases you are using your legs to control your opponent.
Thanks very useful for beginner like me.
yes true, good point. I have learnt this move and have also had it done against me. The key is getting that arm to the other side. The more experienced I become the more happy I would be for someone to try and lean forward and try a choke (an untrained thug etc.). Makes it an easier bridge !
@tricepsish They'd be giving you a "gift" cause their arm would be in position for an armbar. From the last position in this video you can easily swing the foot that's on his hip over his head and his arm that's on your neck will slide between your legs.
great video!
Thanks for the tips. I wish I knew this before I got smashed on in tonight’s training. :(
@ManicParroT I'm sorry I missunderstood him in the begining, he said "for the most part your going to have your legs locked", at first I thought he meant your going to have your legs locked for most of the time your in guard. :)
I'm a short guy around 5'6 so it's just a little tough to get a strong guard against a bigger and more skillful opponent so how can I fix it?
Very Good.
@NepolianZeeBean I don't think he suggests anywhere here that fighting in closed guard for a long time is a good idea. I think he's explaining the principles of the closed guard so that people who are learning BJJ can do it correctly.
If [for whatever reason] you're in closed guard then it makes sense that you'd want to do things right while you're there, even if you're merely on your way to spider guard or whatever.
Thank you.
rubberguard any good in your opinion? because IMO rubberguard is way better htan closed guard
what to do in a fight, when someone is on top of you and pressed down on ur neck with their forearm?
Does anyone have any tips for a smaller guy going against bigger and stronger guys in terms of the closed guard?
Ruben Toder Think about it like this, what are the disadvantages for being big. What are the advantages of being small. Think really deep. Now what advantages of yours match with his disadvantages. Think of different ways you can capitalise on these matching pairs. Then try them on the mat.
You will fail. But after many attempts you will find something- and that will give you in site on different ways similar to what you thought of; and it will also tell you what kind of things work. Try this. Much better than someone telling you how to do something in the long run. Technique videos are for after you have figured something out so that you can get new ideas or refine your existing ones.
Meeharbi N thank you for your words of advice!
***** you are welcom
Great words, thank you
I got same gi, Atama brand is very nice =D
@scorcher165 I agree Bro... I was just being cheeky.
and the fact he was the first one syaing that gi and no gi grappling are two different things
by the way did u ever try weed?;p like in good stuff? i live in holland and i tried it a few times, nothign wrong with it;p it's a bit like alchohol dont do to much but i small potions its fun
@BruceBrooks77
cuz it's called a kimura, first of all..
thankyou ! :)
@MLee1692 (nothing wrong with weed ;p if u keep doing it for fun and not habit)
im a fan of 10th planet system because it just the more efficient in no-gi / MMA matches and because it showed us that there were much more ways to tap someone, he really thought of some genius submissions if you ask me ;p
what to do from top
Those are some wicked eyebrows dude.
What about no gi
Oss!
i didn't know that moby is a black belt
OMG it's DON
Blue guy: "Stephan your eyes are so beautiful. I want to be in this position forever. Punish me please!"
I'm sorry but I have to dissagree with the idea of this video. Fighting closed guard for most of a jiu-jitsu match is very ametuer and I only see novice fighters doing it. If you only fight from the closed guard then you become highly predictable, because the only time you open your legs is when your about to sweep or submit. Maintaining wrist/sleeve control and fighting open guard is the best way.
You can push his arm to the other side and quickly take his back. I like to do this one against untrained goons that rely too much on their strength. You must shift your hips to the side though.
I saw this in another BJJ video: you can push his elbow to the outside direction and from there you can pull his head towards your chest then catch him in an "arm tiangle" choke. I'm no pro. Just thought I'd share.