Closed Guard VS. Open Guard-- and why?

Closed, because I haven't really learned how to maintain an open guard too well yet.
 
I vastly prefer closed guard. But I think I might have some genetic blip that makes my guard ridiculously easy to open- like I literally cannot keep a 120# whitebelt from breaking my guard open. I consider anyhing where the feet are past the hips a closed guard... I usually play with 1 foot on the hip and the other behind as my pulling action, and when I get passed, I go to half. I have obtained good guard maintenence skills, but I am terrible at controlling posture, and I am 100% sweep oriented.

Braulio has some really interesting stuff to say about closed guard. He can also do a lot of sweeps and subs without opening his guard at all. I have only recently acquired the ability to DRILL a kimura from guard without opening it, after about 3 years of trying.

For guys that are good at it, I think closed guard is way more difficult to deal with.
 
I train in no-gi only and closed guard seems like pretty much a stall position. If my opponent has any base at all I'm not going to sweep them and it's much harder generally for me to attack. I just end up playing with my opponent's arms in a closed guard most of the time. Open guard is just much more effective for me..
 
SylarNY said:
I understand I misinterpreted the term "closed guard" from what the OP meant, but damn, I guess I left myself open for people who only read the first page of comments before bashing someone.
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I don't know man, I think you dug yourself deeper with your subsequent posts.
 
BWC said:
I train in no-gi only and closed guard seems like pretty much a stall position. If my opponent has any base at all I'm not going to sweep them and it's much harder generally for me to attack. I just end up playing with my opponent's arms in a closed guard most of the time. Open guard is just much more effective for me..
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this. I train in no-gi (mostly) and I don't have nearly the number of options with a closed guard, so open.
 
I like to start from closed guard and open if I'm not getting anything going.

I have more fun with open guard, but I've got the build to work closed guard, and I'm getting rather decent at it.
 
I'm not really to the point were I like one better than the other. I feel safer in closed guard but open guard is a lot more fun if I can keep my game focused.
 
I switch back and forth, actually, often within 30 seconds of each other. I use closed guard to break my opponent's posture, open guard to break his base. My closed guard is more defensive than my open guard, though.
 
When I roll with people who get closed guard, let me out, then immediately go to open guard, I always think, "hey, ok thanks." If you train with someone that has a closed guard that's nearly impossible to pass, they will wear you the hell down.

so um, closed.
 
Calibur said:
I use close guard. It's rediculously underrated, and so many counters that even if your opponent does somehow manage to open it, a sweep is usually right there. If the sweep fails it's easy to go back to closed.

Everyonce in a while brown belts and black belts have visited my gym and tried to stand up in my closed guard, before they lose their base and give me this serious "what the fuck was that" look. These aren't big secrets either, just basic guard retention, but in my area the c.guard is so rare in upperlevel competition that it takes them a while to adjust.
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What is it you do that leaves blacks/browns so bewildered when they attempt to stand?
 
I prefer closed guard. At least if it get broken, I still can have an open guard.
 
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