The guard is a ground position where the bottom player uses their legs to control an opponent on top. It is the foundation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and what separates BJJ from every other grappling art.
In most martial arts and combat sports, being on your back means you are losing. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the guard turns that assumption upside down. A skilled guard player can control, sweep, and submit opponents from the bottom position, making the guard one of the most powerful and distinctive aspects of Jiu-Jitsu.
The guard exists because BJJ was designed for real fights where you might end up on your back. Instead of treating the bottom position as a failure, the Gracie family and early BJJ practitioners developed an entire system of attacks and controls from underneath. Today, guard play is one of the deepest and most technical areas of the art.
Closed guard is the first guard position every beginner learns. You are on your back with your legs wrapped around your opponent's torso, ankles locked behind their back. This position gives you significant control because your legs act as a seatbelt, preventing the top player from standing up or creating distance easily.
From closed guard, you can attack with armbars, triangle chokes, collar chokes (in the Gi), and guillotines. You can also execute sweeps to reverse the position and end up on top. The closed guard is considered one of the safest positions in BJJ because you maintain constant contact and control over your opponent.
Once your legs are unlocked and no longer wrapped around your opponent, you are playing open guard. Open guard is an umbrella term that covers dozens of specific guard variations, each with its own grips, foot placements, and attack sequences. Here are the most common ones:
Half guard sits between full guard and a completed guard pass. You are on your back with one of your opponent's legs trapped between both of yours. For years, half guard was considered a last-ditch defensive position, but modern BJJ has transformed it into a complete offensive system.
From half guard, you can work underhooks to come up to a single-leg takedown or a sweep. You can attack with kimuras, guillotines, and various chokes. Advanced half guard players use deep half guard, where you slide completely underneath your opponent to sweep them over the top of you. The half guard has become so developed that many high-level competitors choose to play it as their primary position.
Having a good guard is not just about knowing techniques from each position. Guard retention, the ability to maintain your guard as your opponent tries to pass it, is equally important. Good guard retention involves:
The guard has direct applications to self-defense. If you are knocked down or taken to the ground, the guard allows you to control a standing or kneeling attacker, prevent them from striking you effectively, and either sweep them to get on top or work your way back to your feet. This practical application is one of the reasons BJJ became so popular after the early UFC events demonstrated that a skilled guard player could neutralize much larger, more aggressive opponents.
At Current Jiu Jitsu in Mississauga, guard play is woven into every level of the curriculum. Under the guidance of Professor Toma Dragicevic, students learn guard fundamentals from day one and progressively explore more advanced guard systems as they develop. Whether you train in Gi or No-Gi, mastering the guard is essential to your growth in Jiu-Jitsu.
Explore more key concepts in Jiu-Jitsu.
Reversals from guard that put you on top. The primary offensive tool for any guard player.
One of the most iconic submissions from guard, using your legs to choke your opponent.
A fundamental joint lock attack that can be executed from virtually every guard position.
The dominant top position. Understanding mount helps you learn what your guard is defending against.
Closed guard is the best starting point for beginners. It provides strong control over your opponent, limits their movement, and offers a clear set of attacks to learn. Most BJJ academies teach closed guard fundamentals extensively in their beginner curriculum before introducing open guard variations.
Yes, the guard is highly effective in self-defense situations. Closed guard in particular allows you to control an attacker from your back, prevent strikes, and work for submissions or sweeps. The early UFC events proved that guard players could defeat much larger opponents. However, the ideal self-defense strategy is to use guard to sweep and get on top rather than staying on bottom long-term.
In full guard (closed or open), both of your legs are in front of your opponent, controlling them. In half guard, your opponent has already passed one of your legs, and you are holding onto one of their legs with both of yours. Half guard used to be seen as a losing position, but modern BJJ has developed it into a complete offensive system with sweeps, submissions, and back takes.
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