Closed Guard General Principles on the Ground Do not just reach out and try to grab the op, it’s only an inconvenience to him at best Knee-pulling is used to bring op’s upper body forward and closer to you. So, maintain tension Op can only maintain upright stature and resist the knee pull by posting using his arms onto your biceps, shoulders, neck, hip, or the ground. Op’s posting arms should be removed (by pushing or pummeling) before pulling him closer Once op is close, a dominant upper body lock should be established, such as: o Pinch headlock o Shoulder crunch o Double underhooks o Double overhooks Dominant upper body locks are excellent to prevent op from punching in a self-defense situation If Opponent Attempts Standing up o Knee-pull Knee-pull op at the right timing when he attempts planting his 2nd rear foot on the ground, to take him off-balance to pull him back into seated guard position o Lead Leg Scoop and Pendulum Sweep o Lead Leg Scoop and Hip Bump Sweep If Opponent Sits Upright Inside the Guard o Hip Bump (Heist) Sweep o Attempt pulling him down as shown next Side Scissor Position Getting to the Side Scissor You need to get outside the op’s elbow 3 ways to start: o Elbow Post Knee-pull op when his arm is in the center, and push his elbow contralaterally Suitable when op’s arms are on the upper body o Arm Drag Knee-pull op, bringing yourself upright up to him, arm drag and fall back Suitable when op’s arms are on the lower body Offers a better grip on the arm by grabbing the elbow rather than wrist, while climbing to side scissor o Pinch headlock Hip bridge and pinch headlock, then fall back Keep holding the grabbed arm Grab the op’s Lat muscle tight Unlock guard, hip escape, re-lock guard higher (aiming to win the battle for height) o To raise your Hip AND Head above op: release op’s previously-grabbed arm, and use your now free arm (and its elbow) to post on the floor to provide support for turning your legs to face downwards and climb on top of op’s back o To raise only your Hip: Release op’s Lat muscle and grab his tricep with the same arm, giving way for you raise your thigh and knee is above op’s head and put your weight is on him, with your shoulder on the ground The Side Scissor Trilemma In the battle for height, you want to raise the hip +/- head above the op’s back, ideally both After grabbing the op’s arm and being outside his elbow, he is in a trilemma, as there are 3 possibilities: o Lose the battle for height Sweep op o Win the battle for height Raise your hips +/- head on op’s back o Op pull his elbow out Enter Clamp Position Side Scissor Position Getting to the Side Scissor You need to get outside the op’s elbow 3 ways to start: o Elbow Post Knee-pull op when his arm is in the center, and push his elbow contralaterally Suitable when op’s arms are on the upper body o Arm Drag Knee-pull op, bringing yourself upright up to him, arm drag and fall back Suitable when op’s arms are on the lower body Offers a better grip on the arm by grabbing the elbow rather than wrist, while climbing to side scissor o Pinch headlock Hip bridge and pinch headlock, then fall back Keep holding the grabbed arm Grab the op’s Lat muscle tight Unlock guard, hip escape, re-lock guard higher (aiming to win the battle for height) o To raise your Hip AND Head above op: release op’s previously-grabbed arm, and use your now free arm (and its elbow) to post on the floor to provide support for turning your legs to face downwards and climb on top of op’s back o To raise only your Hip: Release op’s Lat muscle and grab his tricep with the same arm, giving way for you raise your thigh and knee is above op’s head and put your weight is on him, with your shoulder on the ground The Side Scissor Trilemma In the battle for height, you want to raise the hip +/- head above the op’s back, ideally both After grabbing the op’s arm and being outside his elbow, he is in a trilemma, as there are 3 possibilities: o Lose the battle for height Sweep op o Win the battle for height Raise your hips +/- head on op’s back o Op pull his elbow out Enter Clamp Position Scenario 1: You Raise Your Hip AND Head Raised on op’s Back Post on your arm that’s on the side of the leg passing under the op’s abdomen Underhook the op’s armpit with your non-posting arm o Take op’s Back Lower your forehead to the floor, and establish low double underhooks Scoop the op’s wrist on the side of your hooking leg and fall towards that side, to take the back, or use a Half-Nelson to bring op’s head downwards o Wrist Sweep Done when op’s far elbow (away from low hook leg) is on the ground Grab op’s wrist Lower your knee Rotate with the hook leg, to land in high mount o Elbow Sweep Done if op is posting on both arms Take your body off-life from op’s axis, turning towards hook leg Grab op’s elbow Lower your knee on op’s head, flip to land in high mount Scenario 2: You Raise Only Your Hip on op’s head o Elbow Sweep Pull op’s elbow/tricep Use the other arm that’s near the floor to push Corkscrew your hip and flip op, to land in high mount o Arm Bar o Rear Triangle [Ushiro Sankaku] Scenario 3: You Lose the Battle for Height, but op’s Elbow Still Trapped Inside o Sweep op Flower Sweep (fast but weak) Pendulum Sweep (slower but stronger) o Lat Arm Bar Feign interest in a pendulum sweep, trapping op’s arm into your armpit as you are scooping the leg, the raise the top leg to lock op into an arm bar o Reverse Arm Bar [Ude Gatame] If op resists the Lat Arm Bar, hip escape, and target the other arm, and push down op’s shoulder with your knee • If op limps his arm and turns his elbow downwards, go for a kimura Scenario 4: You Lose the Battle for Height, and op Pulls Out his Elbow o Enter the Clamp Position Clamp Position Getting to the Clamp When the op pulls out his elbow and re-establishes his outside post, a space will be created by his other arm which he was using to maintain balance, this space will be used by you to retract your knee through it. The advantage of this position is separating the op’s two arms After retracting that knee, it will be in front of the op’s shoulder, this is the vertical clamp, twisting sideways so that you are lying sideways on the ground with one knee anterior and another knee posterior to the op is the side clamp, with the latter being more powerful Side Clamp Push op’s hip, and hip escape to the side Bring your posterior knee above the op’s shoulder, with the shin above his head, and the heel hooked on his deltoid The lower leg pulls the op’s posting arm forward to keep breaking op’s balance o Inverted Arm Bar Rotate so that both your knees face downwards, one knee above op’s shoulder with the shin behind his head, and the other knee on the ground under his chest Op’s arm held in your armpit, to apply a Lat arm bar o Omoplata From the side clamp, extend your knee and drive it down on op’s shoulder and anterior to his face A regular Omoplata can be done, and a kimura can be added as well o Triangle As op attempts sitting upright, pull inside your lower leg, then push it onto his neck Lock feet together into initial trap triangle Bring op’s elbow and shoulder inside (extending the hip then flexing it helps), and slide your knee above op’s shoulder to cover it, so that the triangle gets tighter Hook op’s leg and rotate sideways, so as to become perpendicular to the op Unlock the feet, adjust so that the knee is locking the ankle o Trimura As op attempts sitting upright, pull inside your lower leg, then push it onto his neck Lock op into a wrong-sided triangle (top lock) Extend your hips to expose op’s wrist, rotate sideways to become perpendicular to op, and apply the kimura Vertical Clamp From this position, control op’s wrist (that’s on the side of your front shield knee), and head using a collar tie or an overhook with your other arm o Triangle Choke The front knee shield can be brought above op’s neck by two ways: If op pulls his wrist and elbow away from your grip and shin Flex the hip and pass the knee If op pushes his bicep into your shin Extend your hip and knee to pass your leg under his armpit, push his wrist inside, then bring back your knee towards his neck Double Underhooks and Butterfly Guard The Disadvantage of Closed Guard & the Solution Closed guard is more difficult for shorter people, due to shorter legs Closed guard is more difficult against heavier people due to their crushing pressure In a self-defense situation, simply laying down in closed guard is unwise, as it leaves you open to punches thrown by opponents, which can be very powerful due to the recently-discovered phenomenon of earth pulling objects down, scientists now call this gravity :) Therefore, the closed guard -rather than being used for attacks- can also be used as a temporary position to get double underhooks on the op, and then take his back or transition into the open guard butterfly position. This guard is more suitable for shorter people, more effective against heavier opponents, and is immune to strikes when double underhooks are utilized Getting to Double Underhooks Get op’s upper body close to yours, through: o Elbow Post o Wrist Pull If op has one arm posted on your upper body, grab it with both hands and pull o Flower Sweep Do a flower sweep, so that when op resists it and posts on his arm and comes back, you will establish the underhooks After getting op’s upper body close, get double underhooks and lock both your arms tightly behind op’s neck and around his upper arms Op’s face should be at your chest, with his head trapped between his shoulders. His arms are fanned-out into an awkward position Options From the Double Underhooks o Take op’s Back Scissor your legs and hip escape, grapevine to displace op’s knees backwards and lower their hips to the ground, and push op’s thighs to get into a lateral position Avoid getting caught in a headlock by lowering your head to the ground and looking away from op while moving sideways at an angle The rest is similar to the backtake from the side scissor position o Transition to Butterfly Guard Scissor your legs and hip escape Grapevine op’s legs to displace his thighs backwards, this will remove their thighs, so that you can bring-in your feet and transition to butterfly guard Lift op with your feet into the air and do a forward shift Now you are in seated butterfly position with double underhooks, a dominant upper body lock Butterfly Guard o Hook Sweep From the seated butterfly position Hook one ankle under op’s crouch/thigh Fall while dragging op to the opposite side, and raise his thigh to flip him over o Knee Wheel [Hiza guruma] From the seated butterfly position Place one foot on op’s knee (toes pointing outwards to avoid slipping) Push ops knee outwards while pulling his upper body using the double underhooks Lead with your shoulder towards the side you are falling to, and sweep op to end in mount o Corner Reversal [Sumi gaeshi] From pre-seated butterfly position, after lifting op into air While op is in the air, tip him towards one side so that he posts with his leg to avoid falling Push op’s thigh corner (of the leg he is posting with) with your foot (toes outwards), while pulling his upper body, to end in mount o Standing Bear Hug Instead of throwing op in a forward shift to just end in seated butterfly, throw him more backwards so that the momentum pulls you to a standing butterfly position Quickly move laterally to op so that your chest faces his ribs, with you standing with slightly bent knees and op is still sitting Lift and Pull op between your legs to drop him lying between your legs High Cross Position Getting to the High Cross Clinch op in collar tie Rotate towards op knee/leg and scoop it with your elbow, bringing your ear to his knee Jerk the outside leg that that its foot touches the ground with the knee extended, hip flexed and abducted You should now be perpendicular to op, both your legs raised with the feet and butt up towards the sky, and the hamstrings/calves of the inside leg should be facing op’s trunk Bring your high knee tight behind op’s head, this will control him Options from the High Cross o Pendulum Sweep Always, control the op’s arm to prevent op from posting, either maintain a tight clinch with op’s arm still inside, or grab the arm o Arm Bar [Juji Gatame] Once op resists your knee, release it and pull it in front of his face Grab op’s arm, and extend your hip to complete the arm bar o Inverse Triangle Choke [Hantai sankaku] Done if op pulls out his arm to avoid the arm bar Move and rotate into an even lower high cross, by bringing your inside leg lower, so that its knee in under op’s chest With your high knee still over op’s head, grab your shin and lock the triangle, o Triangle Choke Lock initial triangle behind op’s head Push op to return to neutral position parallel with op Bring op’s arm inside Cover op’s shoulder, then complete the triangle choke o Trimura Lock an initial shallow Hantai Sankaku, but the knee is near op’s armpit, not under his chest, this is not for choking, but for trapping the op Lift your hips to grab op’s arm and apply a kimura Turn to a perpendicular angle to op o Omoplata to Heel Hook Lock the omoplata with the other far leg, just like a triangle Pressure the op down Reach for op’s foot (the same leg which was scooped when getting the high cross) Move the foot across the chest and lock it under your armpit Bring your outside leg and hook it between op’s legs, to get to 50/50 position Rotate op’s heel internally, so that his leg rotates externally Side Sit-Up Position Getting to the Side Sit-Up Useful when op is sitting back upright and not leaning forwards, preventing the previouslymentioned attacks We can go up towards the op, or: o Push forearm against op’s neck to sit-up o Pull op, so that he pulls back and you quickly follow-up by sitting-up o Distract op by feinting to one side then moving to the other Unlock your guard, and rotate your hips Post on arm/elbow behind you to get higher (your head and hips should be higher than the op’s) Options from the Side Sit-up o Hip Bump Sweep Chest: Facing lateral to op, nearly perpendicular Arm: Holding op’s opposite elbow, threading by the forearm is best (for kimura) Leg on pushing side: On toes near your butt (next to op’s knee) and pushing, quadriceps facing op’s loin Leg on sweeping side: Knee dropped to the ground Push sideways to sweep op, and end in mount o Kimura If op defends against the hip sweep by posting on his arm on the sweeping side Get off op’s lap and get your hip near op’s posting arm, while rotating towards op Pull op’s elbow backwards, then establish the kimura grip Raise your outside leg on op’s back (to prevent him from rolling forward) Both op’s elbow and armpit should be at 90°, then raise his arm • If op counters your attempted kimura by straightening his arm and chest, then continue with the hip bump sweep again, and then finish the kimura from mount/side control o Guillotine Choke If op defends against the hip sweep by leaning forward to push you back An Arm-in guillotine can be used, if the op’s arm prevents a neck-only choke Scoot back with your butt, to get a better handling angle at op’s neck o Arm Bar If the hip sweep fails and op pushes you back to the ground successfully Arm Bar Set-ups Against inexperienced opponents, a simple classical arm bar attack is likely to be effective. However, this is not the case for experienced opponents who would anticipate this attack. In this section we will first cover the classical arm bar from closed guard, then we will introduce the three more advanced position setups Arm Bar (Classical Method) Grab op’s arm, pulling his elbow to your centerline, to avoid him blocking your top leg. His hand should be near your chest On the side of op’s arm, push his hip with your foot (your knee pointed up, so that your thigh in pinching op’s shoulder) and rotate sideways Raise your lower leg to the op’s armpit/ribs Extend your hip, and raise your previously hip-pushing leg on top of op’s head, and complete the armlock Top Lock Position Description It’s a non-choking wrong-sided triangle It locks both op’s arms inside between your legs Triangle Choke (Trap Triangle) Position Description It’s a choking triangle, at a perpendicular angle to op so that he is held tightly inside It locks a single arm inside Arm Bar (Top Lock Method) Grab op’s arm, pulling his elbow to your centerline, to avoid him blocking your top leg. His hand should be near your chest Clinch op’s head with your other arm, to prevent him from pulling out his elbow Scissor your hips to scoot backwards and create a slight angle to op Apply a top lock, by raising your leg from your clinching arm’s side to under op’s armpit, while raising your leg on the breaking arm’s side above of op’s shoulder Op’s shoulder should be hidden. In the top lock, the foot that’s lower of your two locked ankles should be the foot of the leg that’s covering the op’s shoulder, to make it tighter Slide your forearm to grab your opposite thigh under op’s armpit, holding op’s arm between your forearm and chest in the process Rotate sideways by scooping op’s leg, to establish the pushing lower leg on the armpit/ribs Unlock the triangle and scissor your two legs, so that your high knee is behind op’s head Move your leg from behind op’s head to his face, to complete the arm bar The Lat arm bar is an excellent variation, it is performed by keeping op’s hand under the Lat muscle (armpit). This provides more mechanical leverage, prevents the op from locking both arms to resist, and is more difficult to escape by the hitchhiker method. Unfortunately, it is also more difficult to establish Elbow Overhook to Arm Bar (3/4 arm bar) Establish a tight elbow overhook. Lock your forearm behind op’s elbow above your hip, and hold op’s hand under your armpit this will make it a Lat arm bar If your op is an idiot and attempts to free his arm by bringing his other free arm across your chest towards the overhook, then armbar his free arm that he just gave you Bring your leg on the opposite side of the overhook towards the op’s neck, just as if attempting a triangle choke Establish perpendicular angle to op. Scoop inside op’s leg and jerk your other leg Bring your other leg across op’s face, and complete the Lat arm bar Your wrist will be behind op’s elbow, this acts as a fulcrum and makes the arm bar very sharp Triangle Choke to Arm Bar (3/4 arm bar) Suitable against an op too big triangle choke, or if he resists the triangle choke by extending his arm out From the triangle choke: Grab op’s arm Bring your outside locking leg across the op’s face, and complete the arm bar Countering a Standing Guard-Opener General Principle You should continuously break the op’s posture and balance, to prevent him from getting up. This was covered in earlier pages Never sit idle while your op stands up and opens your guard, as this will allow him to dominate the space between your legs If an op succeeds in standing-up completely and starts attempting opening the guard, you should be the one to take the initiative and attack, to avoid your guard getting passed You can either: o Sweep op o Go into leglocks If everything fails, and the op beats you in timing and open your guard himself, your minimum goal is to pull your knees towards you and transition to open guard Now, we will cover the two options when you open your own guard in time Sweeping the Standing Opponent o Lead Leg Scoop and Hip Bump Sweep Scoop op’s leading foot with a deep elbow underhook Post your other hand backwards above your head to create leverage Lean and look towards the op’s scooped foot Hip bump towards the op’s scooped leg side While falling, open your guard and scissor your legs, to get your hips above op’s and end in side sit-up position o Double Ankle Sweep Grab both op’s ankles Open your guard and lower your hip to the ground while bringing your knees together, your shins should be at op’s loin Pull op’s ankles and push with your legs at op’s hip, so that op falls backwards • This sweep ends with your two legs between op’s legs, and is risky against an op skilled in leglocks. • A second variation is to bring out one foot to push op’s hip, so that when he falls, that foot is not inside his legs, so you can bring that foot under his leg, and enter into leglocks o Double Ankle and Shin Sweep Grab both op’s ankles Open your guard and lower your hip to the ground Pummel both your legs inside op’s knees, one leg at a time Push out your two knees, to make op fall backwards • If op resists falling by clinching your head, lift and push him forwards so that he falls forward and lets go of the clinch to post on the ground, then push out your two knee again to sweep him backwards Going into Leglocks As the op attempts to open the guard, get a shallow underhook on op’s knee Open your guard quickly and pull op’s knee to turn perpendicular to op, while lowering your hip and pulling your knees together inside op’s thighs You are now on your back, perpendicular to op, both your legs are between his with your knees partially extended, and you have an underhook behind his knee/calf o X-Guard Bring you outside leg behind op’s knee Now, you inside leg is anterior to op’s upper thigh, and your outside leg is behind his knee. This is the X-Guard Bring op forward then extend both your legs, so that op falls and posts forward As he recovers and almost stands back up, lower your outside leg from behind his knee to behind his ankle, and tripod sweep him backwards To heel hook op, roll over the previously-grabbed leg o Spin Around Leg Bring your other outside arm to overhook his (previously-underhooked) knee with a deep wrist grip The previously-underhooking arm goes down to grab the op’s lower shin Bring your inside foot (from anterior of op’s hip) to anterior of his far upper thigh Bring your outside leg to spin around op’s near thigh Scissor your legs so that op falls forward and post on his arm Thread your outside foot from behind his thigh to between his legs Bring op’s previously-grabbed leg across your chest to your armpit, and apply a heel hook o Ashi Garami
