Open Guard

Open Guard is a fundamental guard position in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu where the bottom player does not have their legs closed around the opponent's body, as in Closed Guard. Instead, they use their legs, feet, and grips to control the opponent and create distance, angles, and opportunities for attacks. Open Guard provides access to a wide variety of sweeps, submissions, and transitions, making it one of the most versatile and dynamic positions in BJJ.

Key Features of Open Guard

Leg Placement

  • The legs and feet are used actively to maintain control, create space, and manage distance.
  • Hooks (like in Butterfly Guard) or grips on the opponent’s pants, hips, or ankles often anchor the guard.

Grips

Posture and Base

  • Maintain an active posture by sitting up or lying back with engaged hips and frames to prevent the opponent from passing.
  • Your weight should remain balanced and ready to adjust based on the opponent's movements.

Mobility

  • Open Guard emphasizes dynamic movement, allowing transitions to other guards or positions as the opponent reacts.

Objectives of Open Guard

Control the Opponent

  • Use grips, hooks, and framing to disrupt the opponent's posture and base.

Attack Opportunities

Sweeps

  • Exploit the opponent’s balance to sweep and transition to a dominant position like Mount or Side Control.

Defend Against Guard Passing

  • Create distance and angles to prevent the opponent from advancing into dominant positions.

Variations of Open Guard

Butterfly Guard

  • Feet are hooked under the opponent's thighs for leverage and sweeps.

De La Riva Guard

  • One leg hooks the outside of the opponent’s leg while controlling with grips.

Spider Guard

  • Feet are placed on the opponent’s biceps while gripping their sleeves for control.

X Guard

  • Legs are placed under the opponent to control their base and off-balance them.

Single-Leg X Guard

  • A variation of X Guard focusing on one leg to isolate and attack.

Common Techniques from Open Guard

Sweeps

Scissor Sweep

  • Use a shin across their body to off-balance and topple them.

Tripod Sweep

  • Control their ankle and hip to sweep them backward.

Sickle Sweep

  • Combine grips and leg positioning to destabilize their base.

Submissions

Triangle Choke

  • Isolate one arm and wrap your legs around their neck and shoulder.

Armbar

  • Use angles and grips to isolate and attack the arm.

Omoplata

  • Control their arm and shoulder by using your legs to apply pressure.

Transitions

Defending Against Open Guard (for the top player)

Control Their Hips

  • Prevent their mobility by pinning their hips with grips or frames.

Neutralize Grips

  • Break grips on your sleeves, collar, or pants to reduce their control.

Pass the Guard

Tips for Effective Open Guard

  • Always maintain strong grips and adjust them as necessary.
  • Use your hip movement and angles to stay dynamic and unpredictable.
  • Combine offensive sweeps and submissions with defensive measures to keep the opponent reacting.

Open Guard is a core aspect of BJJ strategy, offering endless options for offensive and defensive techniques. It relies on the principles of distance management, leverage, and connections to control and attack effectively.

Advancing Open Guard

Open Guard is a hub of activity in BJJ, allowing for dynamic movement, offensive attacks, and defensive transitions to control the pace of the match. Its adaptability ensures opportunities for success against a wide variety of opponents.

Transitions from Open Guard

To Closed Guard

  • Pull the opponent forward while retracting your legs to close them around their waist, reestablishing Closed Guard.

To Butterfly Guard

  • Insert your feet as hooks under their thighs, sitting up to engage in Butterfly Guard.

To De La Riva Guard

  • Hook their leg with one of yours, establish grips, and adjust your hips to transition into De La Riva.

To Half Guard

  • Trap one of their legs between yours, securing grips and angles for Half Guard.

To X Guard

  • Elevate their leg using your feet and hands to transition into the X Guard position for sweeps or submissions.

Submissions from Open Guard

Triangle Choke

  • Use grips to pull their arm across their body and wrap your legs around their neck and shoulder, locking the choke.

Armbar

  • Isolate their arm by controlling their posture and transitioning your hips to lock their arm in place.

Omoplata

  • Use grips and angles to trap their arm and rotate your hips to apply the shoulder lock.

Guillotine

  • If they lower their head, wrap your arm around their neck and secure the choke with your legs.

Heel Hook

Sweeps from Open Guard

Scissor Sweep

  • Use one leg as a shin across their torso and another as a hook, off-balancing them to sweep.

Tripod Sweep

  • Control their ankle and hip with grips, using your legs to push their base and sweep them backward.

Sickle Sweep

  • Hook their leg and combine pulling with pushing to topple them.

Balloon Sweep

  • Elevate their hips with your legs while pulling with your grips to flip them over.

Butterfly Sweep

  • Elevate their body with hooks under their thighs while sweeping them to the side.

Passes from Open Guard (Top Player)

Toreando Pass

  • Control their legs with grips, create an angle, and step around their guard into Side Control.

Knee Cut Pass

  • Pin their shin with your knee, control their upper body, and slide your knee across their thigh to pass.

Over-Under Pass

  • Scoop one leg under your arm while applying chest pressure on the other, driving forward to secure the pass.

Leg Drag Pass

  • Drag one of their legs across your body while pinning their hips to transition to Side Control.

Floating Guard Pass

  • Use your balance to stay above their guard while transitioning around their defenses.

Escapes from Open Guard

Post and Stand-Up Escape

  • Post your hands on their legs or hips, stand up, and disengage from their grips.

Grip Breaking Escape

  • Focus on breaking their grips on your sleeves, collar, or pants to reduce their control.

Leg Pummeling Escape

  • Circle your feet inside their hooks to free your legs and regain mobility.

Pressure Escape

  • Drop your weight onto their legs, pinning them to disrupt their control and create space.

Takedowns from Open Guard

Guard Pull to Trip

  • Engage grips, pull guard, and use their forward momentum to trip them during the transition.

Ankle Pick Takedown

  • Grip their collar and ankle, push their base backward, and drive forward to take them down.

Single-Leg Takedown

  • If you isolate one of their legs, stand up while controlling it to execute a takedown.

Sweep to Stand-Up

  • Use a sweep like the Tripod Sweep to destabilize them, then rise to your feet for a follow-up takedown.

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