I'm a very new blue who so far has mostly just played closed and half guard. I've dabbled a bit in DHG (month of classes that focused on it) and spider (about a month of just trying to implement stuff from videos). So, I don't really have a "game," but am really interested in trying to learn the basics of spider and then maybe DLR and/or butterfly in order to see whether it could eventually become part of my game. I basically want to see if I can become an open guard player. I have been able to do some of the stuff just from watching videos, but I wanted to see what some more experienced folks here thought would be the most efficient use of my time.
I'm realistic and prepared to put in work over the course of the coming months/years, but also want to maximize my effort. I figure my options are:
-private lessons. I feel like this would the obvious choice if money were no object. I have a decent amount of disposable income but also have a wife, so while I can spend the money, I want to make sure that I can justify it. I'm not sure if anyone other than the head instructor gives privates and no idea what he charges, so figured I'd get some feedback here before asking him what the rates are or whether there might be a purple I could work with. Also not sure how kosher it would be to try to find a purple outside of the school without first asking the head instructor. If privates are the right answer, what would be the most efficient plan- like 1 lesson a month and try to video it so I can drill what I learned in the hour? Once every two weeks?
-videos. Ive liked the Tinguinha spider guard video, but the problem I have with most videos is I forget 80% of it before I get on the mats to drill. While I have drilling partners, they are far more receptive to situational sparring than me watching a video during drilling and us basically trying to teach ourselves off a video. So my choice with videos is to either operate at 20% efficiency or spend only on a grappling dummy to try to work stuff out at home while I'm watching the video. I'm not sure how much I'd really use a grappling dummy long-term, though. It seems like one of those cool ideas that just sits there collecting dust.
-learning from training partners. Most of my training partners are blues and whites, which is completely cool but I don't think I would pay for privates from any of them and all of us are pretty busy professionals and there are really only a couple that would be able to teach me the kind of stuff that I'm looking to learn. They have stuff that they're working on and don't really come to the drilling open mats, so I don't really feel comfortable asking them to basically be my tutors, so it would just be kind of 10 minutes here and there.
-learning from regular class. While there are guys that play some of what I'm looking to learn, I've only had a couple of classes that have taught spider or dlr, and maybe a half dozen on butterfly. This may just be because I normally go to AM classes and they tend to be fundamentals. We have advanced classes, but I would have to disrupt my schedule and kind of abandon my normal training partners to attend them. So this option is basically just "don't worry about open guards and just concentrate on what it is that your instructors are teaching, eventually you'll pick up some open guard over time."
Sorry, I know that's long and rambling but I figure there are probably others that have similar questions.
A FRAT alert would be nice... dick...
Find players with similar games to yours, and body types. For instance, I look at lanky guys i.e:
Ryan Hall
Braulio Estima
Roleta
Ricardo Vieira
Buchecha
This helps me see how my long legs will work to my advantage. Also, learn the leverage principles for each of the guards i.e:
Short legs = Butterfly power
Long legs =DLR control
If any of these heroes that you identify with have instructionals, or a lot of competition footage online, watch it.
Play a lot of the guard you're trying to develop is also very important, and pick one guard at a time. Don't dabble in five fucking guards. Just stick to the most effective and fun one first.
Find guys in your academy and area with a move or moves that you like and just ask them to show it to you. You may be shocked at what cool little things you can glean from your training buddies.
Hope this helps.
^^
Great advice.
James
My advice... Pick one and drill the hell out of it; dont get discouraged bc you'll be getting passed alot and think "spider isn't for me let me try DLR" and so on and so forth....
I suggest you learn entries to the open guard of your choice, for example I really like x/1 legged x... So I like to drill entries to that position from butterfly/spider/closed/half/etc ... Then I can get to my "a" game guard as often as possible
Btw tinguinha's academy is walking distance from my house, you can gladly pay for me to take a private and I'll share the spider guard details with you... Lol 
Btw, my plan was to learn spider first before moving on to another, not try to learn them all at once. My confusion is basically to what degree I should try to teach myself vs. privates. I'm having a bit of success, I'm just finding it somewhat overwhelming to try to learn how to retain guard from all the different pass attempts to where I can get to the point where I'm actually throwing sweeps and submissions. If the answer is mostly suck it up and learn by trial and error then I can do that, I was just curious as to whether there would be a more efficient way to approach it.
ohmy23 - My advice... Pick one and drill the hell out of it; dont get discouraged bc you'll be getting passed alot and think "spider isn't for me let me try DLR" and so on and so forth.... <br><br>I suggest you learn entries to the open guard of your choice, for example I really like x/1 legged x... So I like to drill entries to that position from butterfly/spider/closed/half/etc ... Then I can get to my "a" game guard as often as possible <br><br>Btw tinguinha's academy is walking distance from my house, you can gladly pay for me to take a private and I'll share the spider guard details with you... Lol <img src="/images/phone/apple.png" alt="Phone Post" border="0" style="vertical-align:middle;"/>
this would be my advice. get an idea of one or two moves that seem reasonable to fit with your current ability level and game you already play. you want something you can integrate into your game now, not overwrite your game.
then every time you roll those moves are what you're looking for. drill as necessary to get an initial competence or ass needed to tighten up details, but this should be your game from now on, for like at least a month. your partners will 1st just smash right thru it and then they get sick of you being a one trick pony, but after a month or three or longer, you should have a pretty good understanding of spider gward (or whatever) and already begun tacking little variations onto your game.
you'll also really know what to ask your coaches or whoever you take privates from. in the beginning it's a case of you don't know what you don't know. but a few weeks or months of studying one slice of the pie and you'll be asking a whole different set of questions.
<--been playing a 3move butterfly guard for the past 3 months. my hook sweep is getting pretty fuckin' good and i get it everywhere.
Positional sparring.