BJJ Graph

Closed Guard Bottom

Jun 15, 20256 min read

Closed Guard Bottom

bjjstateguardbottom

State Properties

  • State ID: S002
  • Point Value: 0 (Neutral or slight advantage)
  • Position Type: Defensive with offensive options
  • Risk Level: Low
  • Energy Cost: Medium
  • Time Sustainability: Long

State Description

Closed Guard Bottom is a foundational BJJ position where the bottom player wraps their legs around the opponent’s waist, crossing their ankles behind the opponent’s back. While considered neutral in scoring, this position offers significant control and multiple offensive opportunities for the bottom player while providing defensive security.

Visual Description

You are lying on your back on the mat, with your legs tightly wrapped around your opponent’s waist, ankles crossed securely behind their back to form a closed loop that restricts their movement. Your hips are positioned close to theirs, maintaining a tight connection to eliminate space and control their posture, often using your hands to grip their collar, sleeves, or wrists to further break their balance forward. Your upper body is slightly elevated or flat, depending on the attack or defense strategy, with your core engaged to create angles by shifting your hips left or right. This setup allows you to dominate the opponent’s upper body while your legs act as a powerful barrier, preventing easy guard passes and setting up a wide array of sweeps and submissions, making closed guard a dynamic and secure position from the bottom.

Key Principles

  • Maintain hip connection to eliminate space
  • Control opponent’s posture through strategic grips
  • Break opponent’s posture to set up attacks
  • Create angles by shifting hips
  • Manage defensive frames to prevent passes
  • Threaten multiple attack vectors simultaneously

Prerequisites

  • Proper back position (flat with shoulders on mat)
  • Leg conditioning for sustained guard closure
  • Hip mobility for creating angles

State Invariants

  • Legs wrapped around opponent’s waist with ankles crossed
  • Back on the mat
  • Opponent contained between your legs

Defensive Responses (When Opponent Has This State)

Offensive Transitions (Available From This State)

Counter Transitions

Expert Insights

  • Danaher System: Emphasizes the “Inside Position Theory” where controlling the inside space is paramount. Focuses on systematically breaking posture and maintaining constant pressure between two primary attack systems - the upper body (triangle/armbar) and lower body (sweeps).
  • Gordon Ryan: Primarily uses closed guard as a transitional position rather than a home base. When in closed guard, emphasizes creating strong angles and immediately threatening sweeps to force reactions that set up submissions.
  • Eddie Bravo: Transforms the traditional closed guard into the rubber guard system, focusing on overhook control and “mission control” position to set up gogoplatas, omoplatas, and specialized sweeps. Uses the lockdown from half guard more often than traditional closed guard.

Common Errors

  • Error: Keeping a flat, square position
    • Consequence: Makes it easy for the opponent to maintain posture, reducing your ability to initiate effective attacks or sweeps.
    • Correction: Shift your hips to create angles, using off-balancing techniques to disrupt the opponent’s posture and open attack opportunities.
  • Error: Focusing on only one attack
    • Consequence: Leads to predictable offense, allowing the opponent to anticipate and counter your moves with prepared defenses.
    • Correction: Chain multiple attacks together, such as combining sweeps with submissions, to keep the opponent guessing and create openings.
  • Error: Loose legs/ankles
    • Consequence: Allows the opponent space to initiate passes, weakening your control and increasing the risk of guard loss.
    • Correction: Keep your legs tight around the opponent’s waist with ankles crossed securely, maintaining constant hip connection to eliminate space.
  • Error: Ineffective gripping
    • Consequence: Results in an inability to control the opponent’s posture, making it harder to set up attacks or prevent passes.
    • Correction: Use strong, strategic grips on the collar, sleeves, or wrists to break the opponent’s posture and maintain upper body control.
  • Error: Staying too flat
    • Consequence: Limits offensive options, reducing your ability to create angles or initiate dynamic attacks from the guard.
    • Correction: Engage your core to elevate your upper body slightly or shift your hips, creating better leverage for sweeps and submissions.

Training Drills

  • Posture Breaking Sequences: Practice posture breaking sequences with progressive resistance, focusing on using grips and hip movement to control the opponent.
  • Transition Chains: Drill transition chains between submissions, such as moving from triangle to armbar, to improve fluidity and attack options.
  • Hip Mobility Drills: Work on hip mobility and angle creation drills to enhance your ability to off-balance the opponent and set up attacks.
  • Defensive to Offensive Flows: Practice defensive to offensive transition flows, learning to turn guard retention into immediate attack opportunities.
  • Core Strength Development: Focus on core strength development for guard retention, ensuring you can maintain control and create leverage effectively.

Decision Tree

If opponent establishes strong posture:

Else if opponent drives forward with pressure:

Else if opponent stands up:

Else (balanced opponent):

Position Metrics

  • Position Retention Rate: Beginner 60%, Intermediate 70%, Advanced 80%
  • Advancement Probability: Beginner 40%, Intermediate 55%, Advanced 70%
  • Submission Probability: Beginner 25%, Intermediate 35%, Advanced 50%
  • Position Loss Probability: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 25%, Advanced 15%
  • Average Time in Position: 2-3 minutes

Optimal Submission Paths

The shortest path to submission from this position: Closed Guard Bottom → Cross Collar Choke → Won by Submission

High-percentage path: Closed Guard Bottom → Break Posture → Triangle Choke → Triangle Control → Won by Submission

Alternative submission path: Closed Guard Bottom → Break Posture → Armbar → Armbar Control → Won by Submission

Sweep to dominance path: Closed Guard Bottom → Hip Bump Sweep → Mount → Submission Chain → Won by Submission

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