no gi : how to keep the guard

can some of you give us tips about what we shall always think while trying to keep a close and open no gi guard? how not to have it passed?

what shall you control?

what are the key point to always keep in mind?

thanks

You could just pretend that your opponent is wearing a gi, and then do what you would normally do. Which ends up being double wrist control most of the time. Or you could work over and underhooks, which is much better (in my opinion) as an overall strategy.

 Pull their head down and control posture, then get overhook.

SidRon has it pretty dead on. BTW, because I don't use a gi, getting that under or over is a must for me. So, I get a lot of practice doing it.

Louis Ho - You could just pretend that your opponent is wearing a gi, and then do what you would normally do. Which ends up being double wrist control most of the time. Or you could work over and underhooks, which is much better (in my opinion) as an overall strategy.




thats funny ,we dont use dbl wrist control.you seem to think all gi guys are spider guard.in our tournies you cant hold boths sleeves longer then 3 sec.

for the thread starter,look at some vids.(matches)

open guard dont let them get your back on the mat ,try and stay upright.alot of guys are going to try and get a knee in between your legs and drive a leg flat with a hand followed by a knee .fight the hand,never give him control of both legs.i could go on but i lack the skills to convey my thoughts.

Louis Ho - You could just pretend that your opponent is wearing a gi, and then do what you would normally do. Which ends up being double wrist control most of the time. Or you could work over and underhooks, which is much better (in my opinion) as an overall strategy.


Yes.

Fun fact. Eddie Bravo invented the whizzer. He also invented the underhook. Before that everyone used double wrist control for their butterfly sweeps.

Forrest Gimp - You can train in a gi. That makes you a better nogi fighter, according to some people on here.



I have trained in a gi (Bjj blue belt)..I am just starting the No gi

Don't let him grab your head with his hands.

Don't let him get his head near your head.

Don't let his hips land on your hips.

To do these things you must:

Block his hands and arms with your hands and elbows.

Push his head away from your head, creating frames and stiff arms wherever possible.

Put your feet on the ground and move your hips away from him aggressively.


Focusing on these concepts will improve your guard recovery A LOT!

JRockwell - Don't let him grab your head with his hands.

Don't let him get his head near your head.

Don't let his hips land on your hips.

To do these things you must:

Block his hands and arms with your hands and elbows.

Push his head away from your head, creating frames and stiff arms wherever possible.

Put your feet on the ground and move your hips away from him aggressively.


Focusing on these concepts will improve your guard recovery A LOT!



Thanks for this post. I love when it is broken down conceptually instead of by using moves to counter

always keep you feet in between you and your opponent =)

Recently what I've started thinking about is having either your arms or your legs locked around him. If your legs are closed, your arms are free to attack, if your legs get opened, then you want some sort of control over his body with your arms, while you reposition.

Calibur1980 - 
Louis Ho - You could just pretend that your opponent is wearing a gi, and then do what you would normally do. Which ends up being double wrist control most of the time. Or you could work over and underhooks, which is much better (in my opinion) as an overall strategy.


Yes.

Fun fact. Eddie Bravo invented the whizzer. He also invented the underhook. Before that everyone used double wrist control for their butterfly sweeps.



He said double wrist control is used "most of the time"... which is actually a variant of what I see as the most common set of grips in gi guard - lapel and elbow/wrist. AND, he never said that over hooks and underhooks aren't a valid and widely used aspect of gi based grappling... he just merely implied that they are slightly less common.

Also, he "just merely" implied was on a memo I received from the Department of Redundancy Department, which found its way into my post. Sorry.

let them pass your guard them mount you....then go for an euthiopian ass slicer. Ive seen the vid here before in case you havent seen it.

Forrest Gimp - 
laqueus - Recently what I've started thinking about is having either your arms or your legs locked around him. If your legs are closed, your arms are free to attack, if your legs get opened, then you want some sort of control over his body with your arms, while you reposition.


Maybe I misunderstand you, but if your legs get opened, it's because your arms are no longer in control of the opponent, so how will you be able to get a hold of his body?


Depends on the guard break he's doing.

Why would you want to keep them in your guard? If they want out then let them out..You stress to much.

Another concept that has helped my understanding of guard retention is "never let your knees get smashed down to the side." When both of your knees are facing the ceiling, you're ok. When both knees are facing the floor (sometimes turtle, sometimes inverted guard, sometimes in transition), you're ok. But when both knees get pushed to the side, right or left, you are about to get your guard passed. So when that is about to happen, take the initiative and move your hips and legs into a position where you are either facing up, or facing down; as with many things in jiu-jitsu, you are the most trouble when you get caught in between.

Stephan Kesting just sent out an email which echoes one of my earlier points, check it out:

Here's another rule - one that you can apply with or without the gi.

"When you're on the bottom, never let your opponent's arm go around your head"

Click here and take a look at this photo. The guy on top is in rock-solid side mount. And part of what's keeping him there is that he's hanging onto his his opponent's head with his left arm.

If you're on the bottom and your opponent latches onto your head then you're NOT going to have a good time. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. Your opponent can now lock his upper body to yours, which kills space and makes it harder for you to escape.
2. He can drive his shoulder into your face and neck which makes it harder to breath. I've even seen good fighters tap out to nothing but shoulder pressure.
3. Your face gets turned by his shoulder - this makes it hard to turn and face your opponent.
4. Because your head is turned you can now only bridge in one (predictable) direction.
5. An arm around your head puts you in danger of the sleeve choke submission (if you're grappling with a gi, of course).

And it's not just side mount! Having someone latch onto your head sucks in a whole variety of positions, including:

* Mount
* Side mount
* Half guard
* Kesa gatame

If you're on the bottom then your opponent already has enough advantages; don't give him another one! Do everything you can to keep his meathook away from your head and neck.

Stephan Kesting
BeginningBJJ.com
Grapplearts.com "

In no gi I constantly try to arm drag, Even if I don't get what I want, I can usually get an overhook or underhook. I look for the arm drag in butterfly, sitting and closed guard. As said earlier if you can get a hold of anything sit up for, Kimura, bumb sweep combo. If they push you down go back to arm drag. repeat as needed.

Thanks DanHunt for clarifying my post.

12...My point was that when guys who primarily train in gi only, once they take the gi off, they instinctively grab the wrists. Thus, double wrist control. Atleast, that's what I've encountered time and time again.

Not that double wrist control is necessarily bad, but I prefer a much tighter control with over and underhooks, which is pretty much my bread and butter.

Control the hands...they pass with their hands. If you are constantly fighting for hand control, it's much harder for them to start any kind of pass.


Credit to Marcelo via Leo Kirby for this one.