The Guard Player's Route
Practitioners who want to build a game from their back and open guard.
This path treats the guard as a system rather than a list of tricks. It starts where most guards start, in closed guard, then follows off-balancing into sweeps, attacks, retention, and the open guards that grow out of them. Take the steps in order so each new guard rests on skills you already trust.
Closed guard
A guard configuration built around leg connection, posture control, and angle.
Why now
The anchor of the whole route. A closed guard you can control posture from is what everything else here builds on.
Kuzushi and off-balancing
Changing structure, weight, or timing before committing to an entry.
Why now
Off-balancing is the engine behind every sweep and attack ahead. Learn to make the passer adjust before you commit.
Scissor sweep
A sweep that uses a knee shield and a scissoring leg action to tip a kneeling opponent.
Why now
Your first way to turn off-balancing into a reversal. It teaches the load-then-tip pattern the later sweeps repeat.
Hip bump sweep
A sweep that uses a sit-up motion and hip drive to reverse a posturing opponent.
Why now
A second sweep from a different reaction, when the passer postures up. It also shares its entry with the kimura, so it doubles your options.
Armbar from closed guard
A straight arm lock that isolates one elbow by turning the hips perpendicular to the partner.
Why now
Now start attacking. Trading leg connection for an angle is the core skill behind most guard submissions.
Triangle choke
A strangle formed by the legs around the neck and one trapped arm.
Why now
It flows from the same angle changes and trapped-arm reactions as the armbar. Learn them together and each covers the other.
Guard retention
The skill of keeping meaningful leg and frame connections while an opponent changes angle.
Why now
Attacks fail and passers move, so retention is what keeps you in the game. This is the bridge from closed guard toward open guard.
Open guard overview
A map of the open guard family, where the feet and grips manage a passer at range.
Why now
A map of the open guard family before you pick one. Seeing how the guards relate makes each specific one easier to place.
Butterfly guard
A seated open guard using two hooks inside the thighs to elevate and off-balance.
Why now
Your first open guard, still close and chest-to-chest so it feels like an extension of closed guard.
Butterfly sweep
A hook sweep from butterfly guard that elevates a partner to a corner and comes up on top.
Why now
The reversal that makes butterfly guard worth playing. It reuses the off-balance-to-a-corner idea from your earlier sweeps.
De La Riva guard
An open-guard family that manages a standing leg through hook, distance, and angle.
Why now
A distance-managing open guard for when the passer stands. It stretches your range from the seated guards into a standing exchange.
Tripod sweep
An open guard sweep that blocks an ankle and pushes a hip to tip a standing passer.
Why now
A sweep against a standing passer that closes the route. It ties ankle control and hip pressure into the off-balancing you have practiced all along.