Closed Guard Bottom represents the foundational offensive guard position in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu where you control your opponent from underneath by wrapping your legs around their waist with ankles crossed behind their back. Despite being the bottom player, this position grants you significant control, multiple offensive opportunities, and defensive security against advancement. The closed guard serves as the cornerstone of guard play from white belt through black belt, offering a versatile platform for sweeps, submissions, and transitions while maintaining a defensive barrier that prevents your opponent from advancing position.
The power of closed guard bottom lies in its dual nature: it simultaneously provides defensive protection while enabling aggressive offense. Your locked legs create a closed kinetic chain controlling your opponent’s hips, while your arms control their upper body through strategic grips on collar, sleeves, or wrists. This combination allows you to break their posture, create angles, and threaten multiple attack vectors that force constant defensive reactions. The position works equally well in gi and no-gi competition, self-defense scenarios, and mixed martial arts applications, making it one of the most universally applicable positions in grappling.
Master practitioners understand that closed guard is not a passive holding position but an active offensive platform. Success requires constant hip movement to create angles, aggressive posture breaking to prevent defensive frames, and systematic combination attacks that create dilemmas where defending one technique opens another. The position rewards technical precision, timing, and strategic planning, allowing smaller practitioners to control and submit larger opponents through superior leverage and technique. Your ability to threaten sweeps and submissions simultaneously while maintaining defensive security makes closed guard bottom one of the most strategically advantageous positions available to the bottom player in BJJ.
Position Definition
- Your legs wrap completely around opponent’s waist with ankles crossed behind their back, creating locked circuit that restricts hip movement and prevents disengagement. Heels pull into lower back to break posture while knees squeeze ribs to restrict breathing and movement.
- Your back remains flat on mat with shoulders in contact with ground, hips elevated slightly to maintain connection and prevent being flattened. Head and upper back maintain mobility to create angles and respond to opponent’s pressure while protecting against strikes in MMA.
- Opponent’s torso trapped between your legs with their hips unable to move laterally or create significant distance. Your hips stay connected to theirs, eliminating space that would allow them to establish posture or begin systematic passing sequences.
- Strategic grips established on collar, sleeves, wrists, or behind head to control opponent’s upper body posture and prevent them from sitting back or creating defensive frames. These grips serve dual purposes of breaking posture and initiating offensive sequences.
Prerequisites
- Proper back position with shoulders flat on mat and ability to maintain connection without being completely flattened by opponent’s weight
- Leg conditioning and hip flexibility for sustained guard closure with ability to cross ankles comfortably behind opponent’s back for extended periods
- Basic grip fighting skills to establish and maintain collar, sleeve, or wrist control against active resistance and grip breaking attempts
- Understanding of posture breaking mechanics using combined leg and arm pressure to pull opponent forward and break their structural base
- Core strength to create angles by shifting hips laterally while maintaining guard closure and offensive pressure
Key Defensive 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
Available Escapes
Hip Bump Sweep → Mount
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 45%
- Intermediate: 60%
- Advanced: 75%
Scissor Sweep → Mount
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 40%
- Intermediate: 55%
- Advanced: 70%
Pendulum Sweep → Mount
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 65%
Flower Sweep → Mount
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 45%
- Advanced: 60%
Kimura to Back Take → Back Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 65%
Omoplata Sweep → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 25%
- Intermediate: 40%
- Advanced: 55%
Triangle Setup → Triangle Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 45%
- Advanced: 60%
Closed Guard to Triangle → Triangle Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 25%
- Intermediate: 40%
- Advanced: 55%
Omoplata to Back → Back Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 20%
- Intermediate: 35%
- Advanced: 50%
Elevator Sweep → Mount
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 65%
Overhook Sweep → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 45%
- Advanced: 60%
Decision Making from This Position
If opponent maintains strong upright posture with hands on hips or chest creating distance:
- Execute Hip Bump Sweep → Mount (Probability: 60%)
- Execute Scissor Sweep → Mount (Probability: 55%)
If opponent drives forward with shoulder pressure attempting to flatten you and establish control:
- Execute Pendulum Sweep → Mount (Probability: 55%)
- Execute Flower Sweep → Mount (Probability: 50%)
If opponent places arm inside your guard to frame or attempt guard break sequence:
- Execute Triangle Setup → Triangle Control (Probability: 50%)
- Execute Omoplata Sweep → Side Control (Probability: 45%)
If opponent posts hand on mat to defend sweep or create stable base against off-balancing:
- Execute Kimura to Back Take → Back Control (Probability: 55%)
- Execute Omoplata to Back → Back Control (Probability: 45%)
If opponent stands up to break guard or create distance for standing guard break:
- Execute Pendulum Sweep → Mount (Probability: 40%)
- Execute Hip Bump Sweep → Mount (Probability: 35%)
Escape and Survival Paths
Shortest Path - Direct Triangle
Closed Guard Bottom → Triangle Control → Triangle from Closed Guard (2 steps)
High Percentage Path - Triangle to Armbar
Closed Guard Bottom → Triangle Control → Armbar from Guard (3 steps, 65% advanced success)
Back Attack Path
Closed Guard Bottom → Kimura to Back Take → Back Control → Rear Naked Choke (4 steps)
Omoplata System Path
Closed Guard Bottom → Omoplata Control → Omoplata from Guard or Omoplata to Back → Back Control (3-4 steps)
Sweep to Submission Path
Closed Guard Bottom → Hip Bump Sweep → Mount → Armbar from Mount (4 steps, positional dominance)
Guillotine Opportunity Path
Closed Guard Bottom → Guillotine Control → Guillotine Choke (2 steps, requires opponent error)
Success Rates and Statistics
| Skill Level | Retention Rate | Advancement Probability | Submission Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 40% | 35% | 20% |
| Intermediate | 60% | 55% | 35% |
| Advanced | 75% | 70% | 50% |
Average Time in Position: 1-3 minutes depending on skill differential and guard breaking proficiency