BJJ Graph

Closed Guard

Dec 09, 202511 min read

Closed Guard represents one of the most fundamental and strategically complex positions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where the bottom player wraps their legs around the opponent’s waist with ankles locked behind the back. This position creates a unique strategic dynamic where the bottom player, despite being underneath, possesses significant control and offensive capability while the top player, despite being on top, finds themselves in a fundamentally defensive position requiring systematic escape.

The closed guard exemplifies BJJ’s core principle of using leverage and technique to overcome positional disadvantage. From the bottom perspective, the closed guard serves as both a defensive barrier preventing advancement and an offensive platform for sweeps, submissions, and transitions. The locked legs create a closed kinetic chain that allows control of the opponent’s hips while threatening their upper body, forcing them to defend multiple attack vectors simultaneously.

From the top perspective, closed guard presents a challenging defensive scenario where maintaining posture, fighting grips, and working toward guard opening become essential survival skills before any passing attempts can succeed. The position tests fundamental concepts of base, balance, and defensive awareness while under constant submission and sweep threats.

The closed guard’s versatility across gi and no-gi competition, its effectiveness in self-defense scenarios, and its presence at all skill levels from white belt through black belt make it arguably the most studied position in grappling. Understanding both perspectives - the bottom player’s offensive control system and the top player’s defensive escape progression - is essential for complete positional mastery. This position serves as the foundation for countless advanced guard systems and remains relevant even as modern leg entanglement and dynamic guard systems have evolved the sport.

Key Principles

  • Bottom player controls distance and posture through combined leg squeeze and grip pressure

  • Top player prioritizes structural integrity and posture maintenance above all passing attempts

  • Position creates strategic imbalance: bottom player offensively advantaged despite being underneath

  • Grip fighting determines offensive capability for bottom and defensive success for top

  • Bottom player creates dilemmas where defending one attack opens another pathway

  • Top player must systematically progress: posture → grip control → guard opening → passing

  • Both perspectives require active engagement - passive play favors bottom player’s offense

Top vs Bottom

 BottomTop
Position TypeDefensive with offensive optionsDefensive with offensive options
Risk LevelMediumMedium
Energy CostMediumMedium
TimeMedium to LongMedium

Key Difference: Bottom offensive despite being underneath

Playing as Bottom

→ Full Bottom Guide

Key Principles

  • Maintain constant hip connection eliminating space between your hips and opponent’s hips to prevent posture establishment and passing angles

  • Control opponent’s posture through strategic grips on collar, sleeves, or behind head using combined arm and leg pressure to break them forward

  • Create angles by shifting hips laterally to off-balance opponent and expose their base, setting up sweeps and submissions from advantageous positions

  • Threaten multiple attack vectors simultaneously creating dilemmas where defending one attack necessarily opens another offensive pathway

  • Manage defensive frames with arms to prevent opponent from establishing heavy pressure while maintaining offensive grips that enable attacks

  • Use active legs to pull opponent forward with heels while squeezing knees together to restrict hip movement and breathing, creating cumulative fatigue

Primary Techniques

Common Mistakes

  • ❌ Keeping flat, square position without creating angles or off-balancing opponent through hip movement

    • Consequence: Makes it easy for opponent to maintain strong posture, reducing your ability to initiate effective attacks or sweeps. Static guard position allows opponent to dictate pace and work their passing game without pressure.
    • ✅ Correction: Constantly shift hips laterally to create angles of 30-45 degrees, using off-balancing techniques to disrupt opponent’s posture and open attack opportunities. Active hip movement creates dynamic threats that force defensive reactions.

  • ❌ Focusing on only one attack without chaining techniques or creating systematic dilemmas for opponent

    • Consequence: Leads to predictable offense, allowing opponent to anticipate and counter your moves with prepared defenses. Single-minded attacks are easily defended by experienced practitioners who recognize setups.
    • ✅ Correction: Develop combination attacks where defending one technique opens another. For example, triangle attempt to armbar, or hip bump to pendulum sweep. Create constant dilemmas that force reactions opening new opportunities.

  • ❌ Allowing opponent to establish strong posture with arms extended and hips back creating distance

    • Consequence: Eliminates offensive opportunities and puts you purely on defense. Strong posture allows opponent to begin guard breaking sequences and passing attempts with minimal threat of counters or submissions.
    • ✅ Correction: Immediately break posture by pulling collar down while driving heels into lower back. Use combined arm and leg pressure before opponent can establish solid base and structural integrity.

  • ❌ Crossing ankles too high on opponent’s back or too low near hips compromising control quality

    • Consequence: High ankle lock creates space at hips allowing guard break. Low ankle lock lacks control of upper body and allows opponent to posture easily. Both positions weaken overall guard effectiveness and offensive capability.
    • ✅ Correction: Cross ankles at the small of opponent’s lower back, just above their hips. This position maximizes control of both upper and lower body while maintaining sustainable squeeze that doesn’t exhaust your legs prematurely.

  • ❌ Gripping without purpose or holding defensive grips that don’t create offensive opportunities or advancement

    • Consequence: Wastes energy on grips that don’t advance position or create threats. Defensive gripping creates stalling position that favors the top player’s passing game and initiative.
    • ✅ Correction: Every grip should serve offensive purpose - collar grips break posture, sleeve grips control arms for sweeps, wrist grips set up submissions. Transition grips actively to create constant threats requiring defensive responses.

  • ❌ Letting legs become passive or losing squeeze pressure on opponent’s torso during extended sequences

    • Consequence: Allows opponent to create space, establish posture, and begin guard breaking. Passive legs signal defensive mindset and eliminate submission threats from guard while inviting passing pressure.
    • ✅ Correction: Maintain active leg pressure with heels constantly pulling into lower back while knees squeeze ribs. Legs should be dynamic tools for control and off-balancing, not passive barriers waiting for opponent’s initiative.

Playing as Top

→ Full Top Guide

Key Principles

  • Posture Maintenance Priority: Keep spine straight and head over hips to prevent opponent from breaking you down for attacks - this is your primary defensive concern that enables all other technical work

  • Distance Management: Control distance with proper hand placement on hips, biceps, or collar to prevent opponent from closing space for submissions while maintaining enough connection to initiate passes

  • Base and Balance: Maintain wide base with knees spread to defend against sweeps while staying mobile for passing attempts, distributing weight through lower body rather than hands

  • Grip Fighting: Control opponent’s grips to prevent them from establishing dominant control for attacks, breaking strong grips before they develop into attacking positions

  • Patient Progression: Work methodically toward guard opening without rushing into vulnerable passing attempts that expose you to counters, following systematic progression from posture to grips to opening to passing

  • Defensive Awareness: Constantly monitor threats including triangle, armbar, omoplata, and sweep attempts while working toward pass, recognizing setup patterns before they develop into full attacks

Primary Techniques

Common Mistakes

  • ❌ Poor posture maintenance - allowing spine to round and head to drop below hip level creating structural weakness

    • Consequence: Allows opponent to break your posture and attack with submissions or sweeps from guard, particularly triangles and armbars that require broken posture to execute
    • ✅ Correction: Keep your spine straight, chest up, and head over your hips to maintain strong structural posture. Recognize when your head is being pulled down and immediately push hips back while driving chest forward to restore posture

  • ❌ Placing hands on mat instead of controlling opponent’s body for distance management

    • Consequence: Creates vulnerability to sweeps as your base becomes less mobile, and allows opponent free use of their arms to establish grips and attack
    • ✅ Correction: Keep hands on opponent’s hips, biceps, or collar to control distance and maintain defensive positioning. Only briefly post hands to mat when necessary for base recovery

  • ❌ Rushing guard opening without securing proper posture and grips first in systematic progression

    • Consequence: Exposes you to immediate submissions and sweeps as you attempt passes from compromised positions without defensive foundation
    • ✅ Correction: Work systematically: first establish posture, then secure dominant grips, then work guard opening, and only then initiate passing attempts once guard is fully opened

  • ❌ Keeping narrow base with knees too close together reducing lateral stability

    • Consequence: Makes you vulnerable to lateral sweeps and reduces your ability to generate forward pressure for passing while compromising balance
    • ✅ Correction: Maintain wide knee base approximately shoulder-width or wider to create stable platform and defend against sweeps while maintaining mobility

  • ❌ Allowing opponent to establish strong collar and sleeve grips without fighting them systematically

    • Consequence: Gives opponent dominant control to break your posture and set up sweeps and submissions at will without defensive resistance
    • ✅ Correction: Actively fight grips by breaking strong grips immediately and establishing your own controlling grips on opponent’s body before they can secure dominant positions

  • ❌ Driving forward into opponent’s guard with weight on hands exposing arms to attacks

    • Consequence: Exposes arms to submissions particularly triangles and armbars, and creates no actual passing pressure or positional advancement
    • ✅ Correction: If applying pressure, drive through hips and keep weight distributed through lower body while maintaining hand position on opponent’s body for control

  • ❌ Staying static in closed guard without working toward improvement or guard opening

    • Consequence: Allows opponent time to establish grips, adjust position, and launch attacks while you expend energy maintaining defensive position
    • ✅ Correction: Constantly work toward guard opening and passing even if progress is slow - movement creates reactions and opportunities while denying opponent time to set up attacks

  • ❌ Attempting to pass before fully opening the guard with ankles still locked

    • Consequence: Results in opponent maintaining closed guard while you expose yourself to counters during passing attempts without creating actual passing opportunity
    • ✅ Correction: Ensure guard is completely opened before initiating passing sequences - confirm ankles are unlocked and legs cannot re-close before committing to pass

  • Open Guard - Natural transition when closed guard is opened - connected guard family

  • Half Guard - Common defensive transition during passing sequences or failed sweeps

  • Combat Base - Top player’s primary defensive posture for surviving closed guard pressure

  • Triangle Control - Primary submission position accessible from bottom closed guard attacks

  • Mount - Most common target position for bottom player’s sweep sequences

  • Rubber Guard - Advanced flexibility-based variation enhancing bottom control and offense

  • Spider Guard - Alternative guard system when closed guard is broken or opened

  • Standing Position - Top player’s highest percentage position for initiating guard opening sequences

  • Side Control - Top player’s target position after successful guard passing sequences

  • Back Control - Alternative target for bottom player via kimura or omoplata transitions