Why the Combat Base?

[Magic Swag]

Newish blue belt here. Question on guard passing / attacking. Once I open someone's guard, why would I ever use the Combat Base? It seems smarter to immediately start attacking (ie stepping over a hook or standing up and going for toreando etc).

Wouldn't going to Combat Base just slow you down?

Thanks

 

[Bubblun]

Newish blue belt here. Question on guard passing / attacking. Once I open someone's guard, why would I ever use the Combat Base? It seems smarter to immediately start attacking (ie stepping over a hook or standing up and going for toreando etc).

Wouldn't going to Combat Base just slow you down?

Thanks

If you want to create distance and go for speed type passing like the torreada you could do it, it's your choice.

The "combat base" is great to be safe and used as a hub to start attacking your opponent with many guard passes and having the initiative.
It's like opening a chess match and be first instead to be the one playing the opponent's game.

 

[Calibur]

Combat base is good for a ton of reasons but I think it probably works best when you're fighting an opponent who's strategy centers around getting back to their feet.

When trying to keep someone on the ground, the lower the better in my opinion.

Pressure passing is a dying art it looks like.

 

[Quebec Nick]

Combat base is the best against very good open guard players. I stand up to break the closed guard but I go straight into combat base afterward.

I don't want to be the puppet against a good DLR, spider guard or X guard player. There's a ton of them at my gym and staying low with a knee in the middle just mess up their game for a couple of seconds and a lot of times it gives me options for stack pass, staple pass or over under pass. Sometimes they just give me a pass over one hook to get into halfguard where I try to pass low.

I also find that torero, x pass and other ''standing passes'' end up in out of control scrambles against someone with good retention. If they sit and post on one arm, scoot, break the grips... You have no passing anymore and you're about to be stuck in a good open guard.

I still need to get better with the standing passes, because I don't want to miss opportunities, but staying low is a win-win for me. I stay on top, I get rarely swept, I have a good percentage of guard passes that works and I don't get submitted that much.

 

[Balto]

Pressure passing is a dying art it looks like.

I showed pressure passing concepts for like a half hour past the end of class last night in response to some questions.

There were at least, like, THREE people who stuck around that long afterwards to hear it all. The art of the smash shall live on through them.

 

[EGDM]

Pressure passing is a dying art it looks like.

Don't worry, there are plenty of us non-acrobatic sadists left in the wings. We're just too busy drinking blue belt tears to post about it on social media.

 

[selfcritical]

Combat base is good for a ton of reasons but I think it probably works best when you're fighting an opponent who's strategy centers around getting back to their feet.

When trying to keep someone on the ground, the lower the better in my opinion.

Pressure passing is a dying art it looks like.

I feel like it's having a resurgence because it's the best way to stop both the AOJ DLR meta and to slow down bottom-entry leglock games

 

[BJJ_Rage]

If you have a deep knee leading in combat base you got 70% of your pass completed.

By the way, put some weight ln that knee or your asking to get ashi garmied...

 

[jr jr]

I love combat base. Its hard to sweep me from there and I can shut things down for a moment. Reset the pace and get ahead.

 

[jr jr]

Keep the knee bent. If it less than a 90 degree bend I am going to ankle pick every time.

 

[Calibur]

I feel like it's having a resurgence because it's the best way to stop both the AOJ DLR meta and to slow down bottom-entry leglock games

Yeah. Neither of those metas actually ever gave me problems because my base stays low all the time.

Still I played a game where I went up against some pretty experienced (blue through brown) guys. My intention was to keep distance and stand from guard. I was able to do it constantly because everyone plays this floaty game where they move laterally around the perimeter of my guard until they find an opportunity to sprint pass that never really comes.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[selfcritical]

Yeah. Neither of those metas actually ever gave me problems because my base stays low all the time.

Still I played a game where I went up against some pretty experienced (blue through brown) guys. My intention was to keep distance and stand from guard. I was able to do it constantly because everyone plays this floaty game where they move laterally around the perimeter of my guard until they find an opportunity to sprint pass that never really comes.

Hope that makes sense.

You don't find that butterfly players can essentially force you to float sometimes to enter leg spaghetti positions?

 

[Calibur]

You don't find that butterfly players can essentially force you to float sometimes to enter leg spaghetti positions?

Nope

-edit-
Of course a butterfly guard will make me float every single time if I lose either the underhook or head position battle. But that's the game. I fight them to not allow them to get that position and if I win then they can't float me. If I lose, they do. Takes like 0.3 seconds but securing a nullified butterfly guard is a pretty involved battle.

 

[Calibur]

I'm also super careful with my elbows. If you're fighting a super aggressive butterfly leg locker, keeping your elbows next to your hip nullifies most of their positioning and puts you in a situation where you can pass their failed attempt.

 

[masada555]

I don't want to be the puppet against a good DLR, spider guard or X guard player. There's a ton of them at my gym and staying low with a knee in the middle just mess up their game for a couple of seconds and a lot of times it gives me options for stack pass, staple pass or over under pass.

I agree with everything you said except staying low against spider guard. It's a recipe for getting spider-scissor swept pretty quickly in my experience.

 

[JagRoss]

How do you guys deal with shin to shin, etc?

I'm fine with entering combat base when you're already between the legs, but I have issues with trying to enter the space between uke's legs with shin to shin.

 

[Quebec Nick]

I agree with everything you said except staying low against spider guard. It's a recipe for getting spider-scissor swept pretty quickly in my experience.

What I meant is that it's easier for them to get spider guard if you stand up (in my little experience against spider guard guys)

Once they get it, I get to my feet to escape.

Most open guard guys that I train with basically waits for you to stand up so they can transition to a solid guard while you're going up to break the guard.

 

[Balto]

How do you guys deal with shin to shin, etc?

I'm fine with entering combat base when you're already between the legs, but I have issues with trying to enter the space between uke's legs with shin to shin.

I put pressure down on the leg going to shin to shin on me. I try to make myself heavy there. If I do that, they pretty much can't lift me. The bottom position there isn't particularly strong for lifting. It's easy enough to stop if you stay heavy.

Once you have the pressure in place, you have options to both sides. Going to the side of the shin to shin leg is safer and should be the primary.

To go to the side of the shin to shin leg:
- Small backstep with non shin to shin leg
- Windshield wiper shin to shin leg around behind the knee

There are a lot of variations here, but that's the general idea of footwork going to that side.

Going to the other side is harder, but if you can turn their hips that side it will work. Then you put your knee behind their knee and do the smash pass position. Tons of options from there as well.

 

[berimBOWLoh]

Combat base is the best against very good open guard players. I stand up to break the closed guard but I go straight into combat base afterward.

I don't want to be the puppet against a good DLR, spider guard or X guard player. There's a ton of them at my gym and staying low with a knee in the middle just mess up their game for a couple of seconds and a lot of times it gives me options for stack pass, staple pass or over under pass. Sometimes they just give me a pass over one hook to get into halfguard where I try to pass low.

I also find that torero, x pass and other ''standing passes'' end up in out of control scrambles against someone with good retention. If they sit and post on one arm, scoot, break the grips... You have no passing anymore and you're about to be stuck in a good open guard.

I still need to get better with the standing passes, because I don't want to miss opportunities, but staying low is a win-win for me. I stay on top, I get rarely swept, I have a good percentage of guard passes that works and I don't get submitted that much.

im the opposite. i love when guys go combat base so i can go shin to shin.

 

[HunterAcosta]

Combat base is the best against very good open guard players. I stand up to break the closed guard but I go straight into combat base afterward.

I don't want to be the puppet against a good DLR, spider guard or X guard player. There's a ton of them at my gym and staying low with a knee in the middle just mess up their game for a couple of seconds and a lot of times it gives me options for stack pass, staple pass or over under pass. Sometimes they just give me a pass over one hook to get into halfguard where I try to pass low.

I also find that torero, x pass and other ''standing passes'' end up in out of control scrambles against someone with good retention. If they sit and post on one arm, scoot, break the grips... You have no passing anymore and you're about to be stuck in a good open guard.

I still need to get better with the standing passes, because I don't want to miss opportunities, but staying low is a win-win for me. I stay on top, I get rarely swept, I have a good percentage of guard passes that works and I don't get submitted that much.

Yeah, standing passes rely a lot on quickness at times, but a lot of it is remembering the routes on the footwork patterns. Watch the Mendes Brothers and they look like they are tap dancing at times as they step in rhythm to their opponent, often without an overexaggerated wild step I often see some players do on open guard passes. Its not as much quickness as timing and having good footwork with grip control.