Guard Escape Basics

[879lexus]

Hey All,

I'm shiny brand new to BJJ. Been at it for 2 weeks now and love it. One technique that's giving me a lot of problems is 'breaking the guard'. When we are drilling, I do the basic movements and my partner breaks. But when sparing, I haven't been able to break anyone's guard. I don't know if I get to tired while trying to muscle my way out or just bad technique. The technique I learned is one knee behind the butt and make an L shape with the other knee. The elbows are pressing into the insides of my partners knees and I arch my back out. When I do this during sparing, it never breaks.

 

[Shemhazai]

Instead of pressing into his knees with your elbows, try pushing on his hips.

That being said, closed guard is a shitty place to be, and it can take some time before you familiarize yourself with all of the important details necessary to break the guard consistently. Every move in BJJ has a counter, and if you're doing a move right and not having success with it, chances are that your opponent is doing something to counter the move, meaning that you either have to stop said counter, or switch to a different move.

 

[koolinkunming]

Dig you elbows into the inside of his thighs, not the knees, as hard as you can. He'll open his guard. It hurts and it's annoying.

 

[Steelviper]

Dig you elbows into the inside of his thighs, not the knees, as hard as you can. He'll open his guard. It hurts and it's annoying.

That's the most common beginner one. Won't work against experienced folks. A newer guy at my new gym was trying that and found that one of the thighs he was pressing on disappeared, showing up next to his neck, while the other elbow he was pressing with got trapped inside the triangle.

Killing the hips is a more fundamental concept, and will facilitate the log splitter action with your knees. One of the main reasons people fail at that guard break is that they allow their opponent's hips to follow them up as the move back, which means they aren't creating any space/pressure between their opponent's legs.

 

[Shemhazai]

Dig you elbows into the inside of his thighs, not the knees, as hard as you can. He'll open his guard. It hurts and it's annoying.

Really bad advice.

 

[koolinkunming]

That's the most common beginner one. Won't work against experienced folks. A newer guy at my new gym was trying that and found that one of the thighs he was pressing on disappeared, showing up next to his neck, while the other elbow he was pressing with got trapped inside the triangle.

Killing the hips is a more fundamental concept, and will facilitate the log splitter action with your knees. One of the main reasons people fail at that guard break is that they allow their opponent's hips to follow them up as the move back, which means they aren't creating any space/pressure between their opponent's legs.

Thanks for this. I have been told so far that when someone's digging their elbows into your thighs you can go for other stuff, like triangles and such (my signature move so far. I work mostly from the bottom. Kinda like it.)

Really bad advice.

Well, I had this happen to me during like my third class and it worked (me being they guy with closed guard lol. Later I learned other stuff to do from there.)

 

[GetBeasty]

A guard pass that works well for me, is hooking one of the legs, while keeping the other leg pressed down to avoid a triangle. I then shuck the hooked leg onto my shoulder, pop it over my head, then pass to side control.

Keeping the other leg down is key, or else you will end up getting triangled.

 

[slothofdoom]

its just one of those things that takes a while to "get". stick at it.
and i dont recommend the elbow dig in the thigh. guard passing is about controlling the hips.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

Hey All,

I'm shiny brand new to BJJ. Been at it for 2 weeks now and love it. One technique that's giving me a lot of problems is 'breaking the guard'. When we are drilling, I do the basic movements and my partner breaks. But when sparing, I haven't been able to break anyone's guard. I don't know if I get to tired while trying to muscle my way out or just bad technique. The technique I learned is one knee behind the butt and make an L shape with the other knee. The elbows are pressing into the insides of my partners knees and I arch my back out. When I do this during sparing, it never breaks.

You elbows aren't what is opening his guard, it's the pressure down on his hips. Focus on pinning his hips to the ground using your weight when doing this.

Also, you've been training 2 weeks. Of course you can't open the guard. Give it a year or two.

 

[Wandgun]

I have long legs, so I feel my closed guard is pretty tight, but I can't hold on when I get the atomic wedgie pass.

 

[smittaayymma]

knee under the butt, grab his belt with one hand and push it up to the solar-plex and push down hard, other hand dig the knuckles right into the pressure point right in the leg socket. extend both arms out and break free. that's what works for me. when it's been done to me i couldn't breath and the pressure point weakened my leg alot.

 

[879lexus]

Killing the hips is a more fundamental concept, and will facilitate the log splitter action with your knees. One of the main reasons people fail at that guard break is that they allow their opponent's hips to follow them up as the move back, which means they aren't creating any space/pressure between their opponent's legs.

How do you create the space/pressure between the legs? Guard braking is such a pain in the a*s for me. It burns up so much energy and I get gassed.

 

[879lexus]

knee under the butt, grab his belt with one hand and push it up to the solar-plex and push down hard, other hand dig the knuckles right into the pressure point right in the leg socket. extend both arms out and break free. that's what works for me. when it's been done to me i couldn't breath and the pressure point weakened my leg alot.

I never thought of attacking the breathing or pressure points. I was just trying to follow the technique I was thought. Next time I will try this...

 

[Steelviper]

How do you create the space/pressure between the legs? Guard braking is such a pain in the a*s for me. It burns up so much energy and I get gassed.

Just get back away from them while keeping their hips killed. The further you go, the more pressure there'll be. DON'T let them follow you up. If it doesn't work sitting, transition to a standing break. Standing back can get you even more distance/pressure.

 

[sickboy609]

Try pushing on his stomach with your knee in his butt, (it's a BJ Penn pass that a guy I train with picked up at a seminar and he brought it back and showed us) or try pushing his hips, the elbows in the thighs can lead to triangles, or ask your instructor or a higher ranking belt to help you with the pass, I'm sure they would be more than happy

Edit: not saying BJ invented it, that's how it was presented to me, and when I;m being coached when I roll that's how it's called, the BJ Penn pass

 

[smittaayymma]

I never thought of attacking the breathing or pressure points. I was just trying to follow the technique I was thought. Next time I will try this...

yea i def wouldn't of thought to attack pressure points at first either but that was an exact technique i was taught.

the other problem i run into with guard pass is them getting a tight hold on my sleeves. so i usually aikido escape that by circling my arms, left one clockwise, right one counter clockwise really fast so they cant hold the gi then you gotta break free fast before they can get it again.

hope this helps

good luck training

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

yea i def wouldn't of thought to attack pressure points at first either but that was an exact technique i was taught.

the other problem i run into with guard pass is them getting a tight hold on my sleeves. so i usually aikido escape that by circling my arms, left one clockwise, right one counter clockwise really fast so they cant hold the gi then you gotta break free fast before they can get it again.

hope this helps

good luck training

That escape isn't really unique to Aikido. It exists in bjj and judo as well. And I say this having trained in all three. It's considered a universal way to break that particular grip.

 

[smittaayymma]

That escape isn't really unique to Aikido. It exists in bjj and judo as well. And I say this having trained in all three. It's considered a universal way to break that particular grip.

ohh really, makes sense. i've never trained in anything else but my grandpa is very skilled aikido and when i was 5 he taught me that and said it was an aikido grip escape and it stuck with me so i just thought it originated in that

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

ohh really, makes sense. i've never trained in anything else but my grandpa is very skilled aikido and when i was 5 he taught me that and said it was an aikido grip escape and it stuck with me so i just thought it originated in that

Well, it's definitely part of Aikido, but I can say it probably didn't originate there. For example, Grandmaster Morehei Ueshiba (founder of Aikido) was a student of Judo and Japanese Jujitsu before he founded his own style. So much of Aikido itself is rooted in other arts, just modified and with a focus on the softer side of things.

 

[ashley2412]

I've actually been digging my elbows into the persons thighs too, thinking it will irritate them enough to break, now i feel like an idiot. I never thought about the hips.:redface: