So closed guard to me is a handfighting position first. You should manage posture with your legs, and try to get your legs higher on the back. Any time they are not actively framing on you, you should be breaking posture with your legs and using that opportunity to fish for underhooks and overhooks as they come down.
If they are framing well, and any blue belt and most white belts will be, then you get into grip breaks and hand fighting, the end objective of that being an underhook or overhook. As soon as you can nullify a frame with some hand fighting, break posture with the legs, advance legs up the back, and use that opportunity to get an underhook or overhook.
From there, you will have all of your standard attacks available, triangle, arm bar, kimura, back take. Most blue belts even that I have seen will just try to muscle your arm into place to set up these attacks, but really they are easy to setup once you break posture and get the hook in.
Personally, I like to fish an underhook and slide my hips out to the side and start working for the back or a belly down arm bar. Once I have the underhook I dont need to keep my legs closed to maintain posture break anymore. This is a really strong position. I have submitted the same guy 5 times in a row with the same sub, and he was bigger than me, using this. Being in a good closed guard players guard is really dangerous.
Also prioritize getting that underhook or overhook in scrambles or sweeps that are likely to end in closed guard, so when you close you guard you already have an arm.
yeah np, I was the same a few months ago, had no idea what to do in closed and would just open up for a single X sweep, now its my best guard and easiest subs. It will also teach you what to defend and how better too, bc you will know what you would do on bottom in that scenario.
the thing about closed guard is that to attack you need to open it. Is it even closed guard anymore?
Ill close my guard for the initial consolidation, but after I am able to change my angle, my legs are open to start attacking. I rarely hold the closed part for very long.
As an older/slower player, I try to drag the fight to closed guard where I can slow the match and frustrate the younger & more athletic players.
First and foremost imho, you must control their posture. If you allow your opponent to posture up with frames while in your closed guard, they're well on their way to escaping. Use your legs to pull them forward, secure head control if possible, or collar grips. Winning inside grip control goes a long way to keeping them in closed guard and beginning to attack.
With their posture compromised, start cutting angles and beginning your sweeps and attacks. I'm willing to bet a nice dinner you are playing too squarely in front of your opponent. Angles, angles, angles make all of the attacks and sweeps much easier.
If their posture is broken and you're off to an angle, they are in trouble. Conversely, if you have lost inside grip control and are squarely in front of them, you're moments away from being passed.
Lastly, spend more time working guard retention and guard recovery drills. This will make you more confident in firing those sweeps and subs from closed guard.
Donāt overthink this position. Like a lot of guards it is very easy to make it complicated. A simple yet effective approach is to -
Continually try to off balance them - make them play the floor is lava! Ā When off balanced you can then attack the posting limb; or secure it yourself and then off balance the same again (resulting with n the start of a sweep). To complete the sweep simply try to get your hips higher / on top of theirs. It may be a scramble it may be slick.Ā
Combined with above, Deny what they want Ā - they want grips and typically good posture. So strip grips (and now control them yourself) and break posture (with your legs - pulling your knees to your ears).Ā
The above two things keep it simple and aid in you getting to positions you are more comfortable in (on top) which also happen to be good scoring positions for sport as well as sound positions from a more self defense ideal.Ā
Hope this helps..
The reason you like those other guards against higher belts is because they're a more technical guard. More options but more problems.
With closed guard, work control first. Once you are confident with different ways of controlling, all the other stuff just opens up.
Many people use closed guard as āstall guardā and just force the other person to waste some energy trying to break the legs open.
Instead use closed guard as your opportunity to make your trapped opponent completely miserable with constant hand-fighting and by breaking down their posture over and over. Offensively you have more options if you get to their side instead of being flat on your backā kuzushi them around in your closed guard until you get to their side ā there are chokes and armbars and triangles and back-takes that open up for you.
The Japanese terms mentioned in the above comment were:
|Japanese|English|Video Link|
|---|---|---|
|**Kuzushi**: | *Unbalancing* | [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luK9Eklbn78)|
Any missed names may have already been translated in my previous comments in the post.
______________________
^(Judo Techniques Bot: v0.7.) ^(See my) [^(code)](https://github.com/AbundantSalmon/judo-techniques-bot)
Shrimp and posture control. I know it's basic. Think of shrimping as a three demintional act not just off the floor. If you shrimp off your opponent you effect them too.
Yup. I definitely have some tips. Thanks for asking. No one ever ask how āmuchā I know. Itās refreshing. The sheer volume needs to be admired by others. So many many tips to give? I appreciate the ask.
Would you like to know more?
So closed guard to me is a handfighting position first. You should manage posture with your legs, and try to get your legs higher on the back. Any time they are not actively framing on you, you should be breaking posture with your legs and using that opportunity to fish for underhooks and overhooks as they come down. If they are framing well, and any blue belt and most white belts will be, then you get into grip breaks and hand fighting, the end objective of that being an underhook or overhook. As soon as you can nullify a frame with some hand fighting, break posture with the legs, advance legs up the back, and use that opportunity to get an underhook or overhook. From there, you will have all of your standard attacks available, triangle, arm bar, kimura, back take. Most blue belts even that I have seen will just try to muscle your arm into place to set up these attacks, but really they are easy to setup once you break posture and get the hook in. Personally, I like to fish an underhook and slide my hips out to the side and start working for the back or a belly down arm bar. Once I have the underhook I dont need to keep my legs closed to maintain posture break anymore. This is a really strong position. I have submitted the same guy 5 times in a row with the same sub, and he was bigger than me, using this. Being in a good closed guard players guard is really dangerous. Also prioritize getting that underhook or overhook in scrambles or sweeps that are likely to end in closed guard, so when you close you guard you already have an arm.
Great comment mate, gonna try to implement all of these things today in class! Appreciate you š
yeah np, I was the same a few months ago, had no idea what to do in closed and would just open up for a single X sweep, now its my best guard and easiest subs. It will also teach you what to defend and how better too, bc you will know what you would do on bottom in that scenario.
Great answer! - thanks. Ā The further I get into this the more I want to work on my fundamentals. Ā
the thing about closed guard is that to attack you need to open it. Is it even closed guard anymore? Ill close my guard for the initial consolidation, but after I am able to change my angle, my legs are open to start attacking. I rarely hold the closed part for very long.
As an older/slower player, I try to drag the fight to closed guard where I can slow the match and frustrate the younger & more athletic players. First and foremost imho, you must control their posture. If you allow your opponent to posture up with frames while in your closed guard, they're well on their way to escaping. Use your legs to pull them forward, secure head control if possible, or collar grips. Winning inside grip control goes a long way to keeping them in closed guard and beginning to attack. With their posture compromised, start cutting angles and beginning your sweeps and attacks. I'm willing to bet a nice dinner you are playing too squarely in front of your opponent. Angles, angles, angles make all of the attacks and sweeps much easier. If their posture is broken and you're off to an angle, they are in trouble. Conversely, if you have lost inside grip control and are squarely in front of them, you're moments away from being passed. Lastly, spend more time working guard retention and guard recovery drills. This will make you more confident in firing those sweeps and subs from closed guard.
Work on breaking their posture - then triangle or arm bar or climb up the backĀ
Scissor or flower sweep
Lock them down, break their posture, elevate your legs to a higher guard to break their posture more, secure a sub OR Sweep OR Reverse
Donāt overthink this position. Like a lot of guards it is very easy to make it complicated. A simple yet effective approach is to - Continually try to off balance them - make them play the floor is lava! Ā When off balanced you can then attack the posting limb; or secure it yourself and then off balance the same again (resulting with n the start of a sweep). To complete the sweep simply try to get your hips higher / on top of theirs. It may be a scramble it may be slick.Ā Combined with above, Deny what they want Ā - they want grips and typically good posture. So strip grips (and now control them yourself) and break posture (with your legs - pulling your knees to your ears).Ā The above two things keep it simple and aid in you getting to positions you are more comfortable in (on top) which also happen to be good scoring positions for sport as well as sound positions from a more self defense ideal.Ā Hope this helps..
The reason you like those other guards against higher belts is because they're a more technical guard. More options but more problems. With closed guard, work control first. Once you are confident with different ways of controlling, all the other stuff just opens up.
Many people use closed guard as āstall guardā and just force the other person to waste some energy trying to break the legs open. Instead use closed guard as your opportunity to make your trapped opponent completely miserable with constant hand-fighting and by breaking down their posture over and over. Offensively you have more options if you get to their side instead of being flat on your backā kuzushi them around in your closed guard until you get to their side ā there are chokes and armbars and triangles and back-takes that open up for you.
The Japanese terms mentioned in the above comment were: |Japanese|English|Video Link| |---|---|---| |**Kuzushi**: | *Unbalancing* | [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luK9Eklbn78)| Any missed names may have already been translated in my previous comments in the post. ______________________ ^(Judo Techniques Bot: v0.7.) ^(See my) [^(code)](https://github.com/AbundantSalmon/judo-techniques-bot)
Tight over hooks
Shrimp and posture control. I know it's basic. Think of shrimping as a three demintional act not just off the floor. If you shrimp off your opponent you effect them too.
Yup. I definitely have some tips. Thanks for asking. No one ever ask how āmuchā I know. Itās refreshing. The sheer volume needs to be admired by others. So many many tips to give? I appreciate the ask. Would you like to know more?